Methods This paper reviews briefly the common neurocognitive causes for performance problems in doctors and provides an updated account of the current literature. Search on Medline and PsychINFO for English language articles between 1956 and September 2006 was performed, as well as a manual search by the authors for other relevant articles.

Results Neuropsychiatric and neuropsychological assessment is increasingly accepted as an accurate evaluation tool to clarify the performance problems in doctors. Furthermore, it seems that neurocognitive difficulties are commonly found to be the cause for such problems.

Conclusions The performance problems in doctors need to be acknowledged ‘better too soon than too late’. Neuropsychiatric and neuropsychological assessment helps to create an accurate treatment and rehabilitation plan for the specific functional tasks of the particular doctor's duties.

Methods The present study involved a prospective cohort of 4500 Iranian industrial workers. Data were gathered by means of a self-reported questionnaire about LBP, as well as working life exposure, lifestyle factors, social exposures, co-morbidity, life events and psychosomatic complaints in 2004. All new episodes of disabling LBP resulting in medically certified sick leave during the 1-year follow-up registered by occupational health clinic inside the factory.

Results The participation rate was good (85%). A total of 744 subjects reported current LBP (point prevalence cases). A total of 52 (<2%) new episodes of disabling LBP were observed during the 1-year follow-up (incident cases). Male employees reported higher demands, lower control and lower support than female employees. Employees with high demands, low control, job strain, low job satisfaction and low job appreciation showed increased odds ratios, and these results were statistically significant.

Conclusions Few prospective studies in this field have been published, but all of them are related to industrialized countries. This prospective study suggests the aetiological role of job strain for LBP. The findings of this study indicate a substantial potential for disease prevention and health promotion at the workplace.

Aims To investigate whether work-related injury rates differ by employment category (part time, full time or casual) for registered nurses (RNs) in acute care and care aides (CAs) in long-term facilities.

Methods Incidents of occupational injury resulting in compensated time loss from work, over a 1-year period within three health regions in British Columbia (BC), Canada, were extracted from a standardized operational database. Detailed analysis was conducted using Poisson regression modeling.

Results Among 8640 RNs in acute care, 37% worked full time, 24% part time and 25% casual. The overall rates of injuries were 7.4, 5.3 and 5.5 per 100 person-years, respectively. Among the 2967 CAs in long-term care, 30% worked full time, 20% part time and 40% casual. The overall rates of injuries were 25.8, 22.9 and 18.1 per 100 person-years, respectively. In multivariate models, having adjusted for age, gender, facility and health region, full-time RNs had significantly higher risk of sustaining injuries compared to part-time and casual workers. For CAs, full-time workers had significantly higher risk of sustaining injuries compared to casual workers.

Conclusions Full-time direct patient care occupations have greater risk of injury compared to part-time and casual workers within the health care sector.

Aim To confirm whether specific risk factors identified at the pre-placement health assessment could predict subsequent sickness absence.

Methods A total of 400 National Health Service pre-placement health questionnaires were analysed to allocate employees to low-, medium- or high-risk categories for subsequent sickness absence, using the risk table developed by C. J. M. Poole (Can sickness absence be predicted at the pre-placement health assessment? Occup Med (Lond) 1999; 49:337–339) [1]. Subsequent sickness absence was analysed to assess if there was an association between the allocated category and sickness absence taken.

Results Mean sickness absence hours per 1000 h worked were 22.5 (95% CI 18.2–27.2) in the low-risk group, 33.6 (27.2–40.7) in the medium-risk group and 44.7 (25.1–69.9) in the high-risk group (analysis of variance, P ≤ 0.002), demonstrating a statistically significant difference in sickness absence taken in subsequent years.

Conclusions The results confirmed Poole's hypothesis that future sickness absence can be predicted at the pre-placement health assessment. Certain risk factors, namely female sex, age, smoking, history of at least two previous episodes of low-back pain and previous days sickness absence identified at pre-placement assessment, predict a greater than average subsequent sickness absence. However, the best model using identified risk factors only predicted 10–12% of the variation in sickness absence.

Methods A cross-sectional survey was conducted in seven medical schools representing all geographical regions of Turkey. All physicians in speciality training in the selected medical schools were asked to complete a semi-structured ‘violence questionnaire’ addressing the type (emotional, physical and sexual) and extent of violence experienced, the perpetrators of the violence and the victim's reactions to the experience.

Results A total of 1712 residents out of 2442 completed the questionnaire. In all, 68% indicated they had experienced some form of workplace violence, 67% had experienced verbal violence, 16% had experienced physical violence and 3% had experienced sexual violence. The victims' most prevalent reactions to violence included being deeply disturbed but feeling they had to cope with it for the sake of their career (39%), being distressed (26%) but considering that such events are common in all occupations and discounting it and being confused and bewildered and unsure how to respond (19%). The most frequently named perpetrators of verbal violence were relatives/friends of patients (36%) and academic staff (36%), followed by other residents/senior residents (21%), patients (20%), heads of department (13%) and non-medical hospital staff (6%).

Conclusions Physicians in speciality training in medical schools in Turkey are subject to significant verbal, physical or sexual violence. Precautions to prevent such exposure are urgently needed.

Aims To verify the prevalence of work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WRMDs) in hairdressers through symptom reports, to characterize the most frequently affected anatomical parts and to identify and analyse risk factors of WRMDs in hairdressing.

Methods A cross-sectional epidemiological study of 220 hairdressers from beauty parlours in São Paulo (Brazil) was carried out. Each hairdresser completed a self-administered questionnaire which included information on socio-demographic characteristics, working conditions and health-related musculoskeletal system complaints. Ergonomic analyses were also performed in six parlours.

Results The prevalence of WRMDs was 71%. Risk factors were associated with psychosocial factors and factors related to discomfort and work fatigue such as lack of acknowledgement of work and uncomfortable posture at work [odds ratio (OR) = 3.54; 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.51–8.30], not feeling comfortable with body/neck/shoulders while working (OR = 2.78; 95% CI 1.40–5.54) and having >15 years of professional activity (OR = 3.04; 95% CI 1.17–7.91).

Conclusion Occupational risk factors associated with the development of WRMDs in hairdressers are related to biomechanical, organizational and psychosocial work factors. The high prevalence of WRMDs found highlights the importance of disseminating recommendations for prevention of symptoms with regards to the provision of suitable furniture, equipment and work tools, environmental conditions, size of workplace, work organization and psychosocial work factors.

Aim To evaluate the effect of e-learning on knowledge on mental health issues as compared to lecture-based learning in a CME programme for OPs.

Methods Within the context of a postgraduate meeting for 74 OPs, a randomized controlled trial was conducted. Test assessments of knowledge were made before and immediately after an educational session with either e-learning or lecture-based learning.

Results In both groups, a significant gain in knowledge on mental health care was found (P < 0.05). However, there was no significant difference between the two educational approaches.

Conclusion The effect of e-learning on OPs' mental health care knowledge is comparable to a lecture-based approach. Therefore, e-learning can be beneficial for the CME of OPs.

Aim: To study the effectiveness of an active multifaceted workshop aimed at improving OPs’ reporting of occupational diseases.

Methods: We undertook a comparative study with 112 OPs in the intervention group and 571 OPs as comparisons. The intervention was a 1-day workshop. Measurements of occupational disease reporting activity in both groups in 6-month periods before and after the intervention were collected via the national registration system. Measurements of OPs’ knowledge, self-efficacy and satisfaction were made in the intervention group. Differences between the groups and predictive factors for reporting were subsequently analysed statistically.

Results: The percentage of reporting OPs after the intervention was significantly higher in the intervention group compared to the comparison group at 19 versus 11% (P < 0.01). No differences were found in the average number of reported occupational diseases per reporting physician after the intervention: 3.7 (SD 5.37) versus 3.4 (SD 4.56) (not significant). The self-efficacy score was a predictive factor for reporting occupational diseases (P < 0.05). Measurements of knowledge and self-efficacy increased significantly (both parameters P < 0.001) and remained after half a year. Satisfaction was high (7.85 of 10).

Conclusions: An active, multifaceted workshop on occupational diseases is effective in increasing the number of physicians reporting occupational diseases. Self-efficacy measures are a predictive factor for such reporting.