scholarly journals Clinical validation of brief mental health scales for use in South African occupational healthcare

2021 ◽  
Vol 47 ◽  
Author(s):  
Charles H. Van Wijk ◽  
Jarred H. Martin ◽  
David J.F. Maree
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Occupational Health ◽  
Diagnostic Interview ◽  
Health Surveillance ◽  
Brief Symptom Inventory ◽  
Clinical Validity ◽  
Post Traumatic Stress ◽  
Confirmatory Factor Analyses ◽  
Predictive Values ◽  
Occupational Health Surveillance

Orientation: South Africa carries a high burden of mental ill-health. Screening to identify individuals for further referral is emerging as one pathway to promote access to mental health interventions. Existing occupational health surveillance infrastructure may be a useful mechanism for clinical mental health screening.Research purpose: This study explored the clinical validity of a range of brief mental health measures in the context of occupational health surveillance.Motivation for the study: To meaningfully screen for mental health as part of occupational health surveillance, tools are required that are empirically validated, clinically useful, locally available and practical to administer.Research approach/design and method: Workers (n = 1816), recruited through workplace occupational health surveillance programmes, completed the Patient Health Questionnaire-9, Brief Symptom Inventory 18-somatisation subscale, Generalised Anxiety Disorder scale-7, Primary Care Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Screen, Intense (panic-like) anxiety scale and CAGE scale and partook in a diagnostic interview with a clinical psychologist.Main findings: Basic psychometric characteristics were reported, including confirmatory factor analyses, measurement invariance, internal consistencies and socio-demographic effects. Clinical utility was explored through receiver operating/operator characteristics curve analyses, and calculations of positive and negative predictive values, as well as sensitivity and specificity. These indicators provided evidence of clinical validity in the study context.Practical/managerial implications: The findings support the use of psychological screening as a brief, practicable and easily accessible mode of occupational mental health support.Contribution/value-add: This article presented evidence of structural and criterion validity for these scales and described their clinical application for practical use in occupational mental health surveillance.

scholarly journals The issue of mental health in occupational health surveillance

2014 ◽  
Vol 19 (12) ◽  
pp. 4649-4658 ◽  
Author(s):  
Luís Henrique da Costa Leão ◽  
Carlos Minayo Gomez
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Occupational Health ◽  
Work Organization ◽  
Health Surveillance ◽  
Work Processes ◽  
Organization And Management ◽  
Theoretical Approaches ◽  
Occupational Health Surveillance ◽  
Practical Experiences ◽  
Occupational Healthcare

This paper addresses the issue of mental health in the Occupational Health Surveillance (VISAT) context. It seeks to present theoretical aspects and institutional policies contributing to the incorporation of mental health dimensions into the VISAT process, in view of the pressing need to attend to this demand that is becoming increasingly important in the occupational health area, especially within the scope of the National Comprehensive Occupational Healthcare Network (RENAST). Some theoretical approaches and practical experiences in mental health and work are systematically presented and discussed in this essay. A survey is also conducted of potential strategies to integrate mental health into VISAT actions. It is our view that the origins of illnesses and ensuing harm are closely linked to the elements involved in work organization and management. Consequently, surveillance practices should include and identify generating components of these negative aspects. The diversity of illnesses caused by work processes and conditions calls for major investment to ascertain and change the situations that give rise to such illnesses.

scholarly journals "Dual causation accident": a third type of work-related accident and its importance for occupational health surveillance

2014 ◽  
Vol 19 (12) ◽  
pp. 4699-4708 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lenz Alberto Alves Cabral ◽  
Zaida Aurora Sperli Geraldes Soler ◽  
José Carlos Lopes
Keyword(s):  
Occupational Health ◽  
National Policy ◽  
Health Surveillance ◽  
Occupational Accidents ◽  
Causal Connection ◽  
Work Related ◽  
Unified Health System ◽  
Labor Legislation ◽  
Starting Point ◽  
Occupational Health Surveillance

The scope of this study is to contribute to the improvement of Occupational Health Surveillance in the Unified Health System (UHS), through the recognition and inclusion of a third type of work-related accident in the current Brazilian legislation classification: the dual causation accident. This classification aims at facilitating the establishment of a causal connection, thus broadening the understanding of the relationship between work process and the production of diseases. It also aims at improving legal rules to protect the health of workers. This approach, besides enabling the identification of sentinel events (starting point of surveillance activities), might contribute not only to a decrease in underreporting of work-related accidents, but also to the uniformity of concepts and the implementation of integrated actions of the National Social Security Institute (NISS), the UHS, the Ministry of Labor (MLE) and the Judiciary for the protection of workers. To propose a third type of occupational accident, a study of occupational accidents and causes of underreporting was conducted, with reference to the Brazilian labor legislation in the context of the National Policy on Occupational Health and the UHS.

scholarly journals Study Protocol for a Qualitative Research Project Exploring an Occupational Health Surveillance Model for Workers Exposed to Hand-Intensive Work

2020 ◽  
Vol 17 (17) ◽  
pp. 6400
Author(s):  
Kristina Eliasson ◽  
Peter Palm ◽  
Catarina Nordander ◽  
Gunilla Dahlgren ◽  
Charlotte Lewis ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Occupational Health ◽  
Work Environment ◽  
Study Protocol ◽  
Process Model ◽  
Health Surveillance ◽  
Legal Responsibility ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Research Project ◽  
Occupational Health Surveillance ◽  
Intensive Work

The objective of this study protocol is to describe the development of a process model for occupational health surveillance for workers exposed to hand-intensive work (the HIW-model), and to describe the studies that will explore the model. The studies are designed to: (1) explore stakeholders’ experiences of the model, and (2) explore if, and how, the model affects actions for reduction of exposure to hand-intensive work. The study protocol presents a research project that is described as two studies. The first study will explore company representatives’ and ergonomists’ experiences of the execution of the HIW-model and its various components concerning feasibility and values. Semi-structured interviews will constitute the data source. The second study will explore whether the execution of the HIW-model leads to work environmental changes, such as actions for reduction of exposure to hand-intensive work, and whether these potential actions are based on the ergonomist’s feedback of the exposure assessment and the medical health checks. A mixed method approach will be applied, in which the data sources will be comprised of semi-structured interviews, questionnaires, and documents. The project is expected to generate knowledge regarding the values of the HIW-model. The project is anticipated to shed light on factors that facilitate or impede execution of the model from the different stakeholders’ perspectives; the employer’s as having the legal responsibility for the work environment, and the occupational health service consultants’, being the work environment experts supporting the employers.

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