Primary Health Care and Occupational Health. Results from a survey on general practitioners of the Province of Monza and Brianza. / Rapporti tra Medicina Generale e Medicina del Laboro. Risultati di un'indagine condotta su medici di medicina generale della Provincia di Monza e della Brianza.

BACKGROUND: The World Health Organization has been asking for greater collaboration between occupational medicine and primary care for many years. OBJECTIVES: To investigate the knowledge of general practitioners (GPs) working in a province of Lombardy about occupational health issues and their experiences with work-related problems among their patients. METHODS: Data were collected by telephone interview to GPs, using a 25-item questionnaire. RESULTS: 111 GPs answered to the questionnaire (66.5% of the sample). Only 34.2% of the doctors knew the current regulation of occupational medicine in Italy. The GPs considered that the main work-related disease among their patients were musculoskeletal disorders and work-related stress. 90% of doctors stated to have sent at least one of their patients to an occupational medicine clinic. Only 9% declared to have notified at least one occupational disease. Among GPs who suggested how to improve the relationship between primary care and occupational medicine, 44% proposed training courses on this topic. Only 16.2% said to have attended an occupational health course during university studies. CONCLUSIONS: Italian GPs have poor knowledge about occupational medicine and they also have difficult relationships with occupational health physicians. Initiatives to improve cooperation between these two sectors are desirable.

Work-related injuries in young workers: an Italian multicentric epidemiological survey.

Emergency departments records from 33 hospitals were reviewed to disclose work-related injuries occurred in teen-subjects living in 14 Italian cities. During January-June 2000, 317 work-related injuries were reported. Male subjects, 17 year old, working in the industrial field, resulted the most affected, probably due to the fact that among young workers this sex and age class is the most represented one. Cluster analysis identified two groups of work-related injuries: one includes mainly transportation injuries causing lower extremities or multiple body sites traumas. The other is more strictly related to specific working tasks and includes mostly traumas and cut wounds in hand/wrist and head, together with eye lesions. A more intensive supervision on the use of protective equipment, a more appropriate training in hazard recognition and safe work practices, including operation of vehicles in the work site, must be implemented to reduce work-related injuries.

[Assessment of a mass screening program for breast cancer in the Milan Health Unit 1 (ASL Provincia di Milano 1)]. / Valutazione degli aspetti organizzativi e di processo di una campagna di diagnosi precoce del cancro della mammella nella ASL Provincia di Milano 1.

This study examines the early data of a breast cancer screening campaign (Progetto Donna) set up by the Milan Health Unit 1 in 1999. The authors have focused on some basic organizational aspects of such campaign and the patients' high response to the project showed a good efficiency of this initiative, aimed at informing and awakening people. The high rate of suspiciously positive results checked in several Hospitals, led to a careful assessment of the quality and the standards of radiology services.