Work-related asthma symptoms and attitudes to the workplace

Abstract

Workers' perception of risk influences their behaviour in the workplace, and their own health beliefs potentially create barriers to changing this. It is essential to consider workers' perceptions when developing strategies to effect change within the workplace.

Are we failing workers with symptoms suggestive of occupational asthma?

“…Reproduction prohibited http://www.thepcrj.org C o p y r i g h t G e n e r a l P r a c t i c e A i r w a y s G r o u p R e p r o d u c t i o n p r o h i b i t e d example, previous work has shown that workers may not be accurate when completing health surveillance questionnaires. 24 Qualitative data from this current study also suggests that workers with possible occupational asthma have complex and largely negative attitudes to and perceptions of the workplace, 8 factors that are also likely to influence reporting of work related symptoms.…”

“…In this context, the documented failure of patients to accept and understand the diagnosis given may not only reflect communication difficulties but also the complex interaction between personal perceptions of ill health within the workplace dynamics. 8 This study has clear shortcomings. Recall bias may have affected the patients' ability to report the onset and various assessments of their respiratory symptoms by health care workers, and may influence the interpretation of these findings.…”

“…The latter have been previously reported. 8 Many workers with potential occupational asthma experienced significant delay in obtaining appropriate assessment. This was evidenced by the generally long duration of work-related respiratory symptoms at presentation in secondary care and the duration of primary care consultation for these symptoms prior to referral.…”

“…This paper presents the findings of a multi-centre study which had two main aims: first, to document worker's attitudes to, and perceptions of, the workplace and healthcare input, (reported elsewhere 8 ) and second, to document the route and nature of referral to secondary care for further assessment. The second aim is the subject of this paper, and the method was designed specifically to investigate the diagnostic process adopted for workers with possible occupational asthma who were referred to secondary care for further investigation and diagnostic opinion.…”

Sensitization to wheat flour and enzymes and associated respiratory symptoms in British bakers

“…Flour dust exposure continues to cause occupational asthma in the UK [Brant et al, 2005a], a condition known to have significant medical, workplace [Bradshaw et al, 2007] and economic consequences [Larbanois et al, 2002], almost certainly as a consequence (at least) of continuing high levels of exposure [Elms et al, 2005].…”