Occupational Medicine
Introduction
Occupational medicine is the medical specialty that is dedicated to the study of diseases and accidents that occur as a result of or as a consequence of work activity "Work (sociology)"), as well as the prevention measures that must be adopted to avoid them or reduce their consequences. Bernardino Ramazzini is considered the father of occupational medicine.
History
The study of health conditions with respect to the work performed initially had its origin in the century BC. C. with Hippocrates, who knew first-hand the changes to the health of miners exposed to lead; in the century BC. C. Galen treated workers in the copper mines of Cyprus, also describing their illnesses; in the century AD. C. Pliny the Elder was the first to recommend the use of animal bladders as respiratory protective equipment to prevent lead inhalation; For his part, Georg Agricola made observations in the Carpathian mines of the low life expectancy of the workers in these places.[1].
Field of action
The field of action of occupational medicine is within the company, applied to all workers through occupational exercises, entrance exams, control exams and agreements with other external entities to keep track of processes with some danger index that affect the health of workers, and thus seek different methods to maintain a good index on the health of company workers. In addition to working in coordination with the Industrial Safety area.
An example is the work carried out by Dr. Martínez and Dr. Jensen in 2023 on the sociodemographic characteristics of patients who used medical services in a port clinic in Costa Rica.
Difference between occupational medicine and occupational health
At this point, it is essential to specify that both health and occupational medicine do not have their own scientific status, because neither of them has built a body of knowledge with their own laws and theories, but rather has used sciences such as biology, chemistry, mathematics, and social sciences for their knowledge.