[The assessment of occupational health service quality in Poland].

Abstract

Background: In the face of increasing problems related to lifestyle related diseases, attention is increasingly drawn to the untapped potential of the occupational health service (OHS) in undertaking preventive actions. The aim of the study was to assess the scope of activities and the perception by the surveyed employees of the quality of preventive care provided in basic OHS units in Poland.

Material and methods: The research tool was the author's anonymous online questionnaire. It contained questions about the details of the last visit to an occupational medicine doctor. Only those who had ever undergone such a medical examination (267 respondents) were included in the analysis. To compare the frequency of occurrence of specific categories of quantitative traits in the analyzed groups, the χ² test of independence was utilized with Yates' correction for small sample sizes.

Results: More than 50% of the respondents rated the quality of preventive care for employees in Poland as either good or very good, one-third of the respondents received recommendations from an occupational medicine physician on preventing workplace hazards, 60% of respondents believe that preventive examinations should include a comprehensive health status assessment, 39% expect to have the option to choose their occupational medicine physician or influence the selection of the facility providing preventive care. The last visit to an occupational medicine physician typically lasted 6-15 min.

Conclusions: A good or very good evaluation of the quality of preventive care by >50% of the surveyed employees requires constant improvement of the quality of the preventive examination. The potential of the healthcare system for working individuals in Poland remains underutilized in terms of activities related to the prevention of lifestyle diseases and health promotion. Occupational health physicians, who play a special role in the health prevention of workers and have a significant impact on increasing health awareness, should perform their duties in a holistic manner. Med Pr Work Health Saf. 2025;76(2).