special subjects
Overview of Occupational and Environmental Medicine
Introduction
Occupational and environmental medicine (OEM) focuses on prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of occupation- and environment-related injuries and illnesses. The goal of OEM is to enhance workers' productivity by promoting workers' overall health and safety in the workplace, at home, and in the community. OEM physicians aim to Promote and protect the physical and mental health of workers, their family members, and communities through preventive strategies and education (eg, health and wellness programs) Provide preemployment screenings to assess the ability of job applicants to meet core job requirements with reasonable accommodations Determine whether an injury or illness is work-related (which may affect the setting of health care delivery and payment) Diagnose and treat occupational and environmental injury and illness in an acute care setting Facilitate the safe and productive re-entry of workers into the workplace (eg, by optimizing return-to-work timing) after an injury or illness Assess the extent of the disability in workers and their ability to complete core job functions with reasonable accommodations after a long-term injury or illness Assess the safety of the workplace with respect to environmental exposures and ergonomics, define work-related restrictions to protect workers' health, and make recommendations to protect workers Promote workplace efficiency Thus, OEM benefits both workers and employers. The most common injuries and illnesses treated by OEM physicians in acute care settings are Overview of Sprains and Other Soft-Tissue Injuries None Lacerations None Work-Related Repetitive Motion Injuries that may lead to conditions such as Contact Dermatitis particularly Asthma None Work-related stress and mental illness Etiology (potentially permanent) Sometimes an injury (eg, a repetitive motion injury) is caused by a combination of work-related and non–work-related activities. Sometimes environmental illnesses manifest with nonspecific symptoms. For example, carbon monoxide exposure may mimic viral illness, causing headache, nausea, and vomiting. OEM physicians also treat patients exposed to environmental contaminants not related to work (eg, lead poisoning in children). 