Aim: For adequate treatment of primary care
patients, knowledge of work-related factors is
indispensable. In their daily routine, however,
many general practitioners seem to be blind
to these factors, a fact which has long been
the subject of discussion at the international
level. In Germany too there seems to be only
little interaction between occupational medical
and general practitioners. Therefore, the
present study aimed to collect data from
the national and international literature on
the cooperation of these two professional
groups.
Methods: Literature search in electronic data
bases (Medline, Embase, relevant German
journals, Google) using defined search terms.
Relevant literature was identified and assigned
to terms of reference by means of a
consensus procedure.
Results: The articles identified as relevant
were assigned to five terms of reference:
“Results of surveys among general and occupational
practitioners”, “Preventive measures
at the interface between occupational medical
and general practice”, “Interdisciplinary
topics – necessity for cooperation”, “Interventional
studies to support cooperation between
general practitioners and occupational physicians”,
and “Criticism and allegations”.
Conclusions: Internationally, there is agreement
that better cooperation between general
practitioners and occupational physicians
is necessary. Particularly in Germany,
only little information about this interaction
is available. The potential barriers which have
been identified here and possibilities for improvement
should be the subject of further
investigation.
