Treatment guidelines in workers' compensation: diagnosis and initial treatment of occupational asthma.
Authors
Davis-LK; Oliver-LC
Source
SENSOR Occup Lung Dis Bull 1998 Oct; :1-2
Abstract
This issue of the Occupational Lung Disease Bulletin provides an overview of new treatment guide-lines for occupational asthma adopted by the Health Care Services Board of the Massachusetts Department of Industrial Accidents and promulgated by the Department. It is important for health care providers treating workers with occupational asthma to be familiar with these guidelines. They provide a paradigm for diagnosis of work-related disease (vs. injury) as well as information about diagnostic tests allowable for reimbursement. They also guide treatment with attention to both prevention and patient education. We encourage health care providers to obtain copies of the treatment guidelines and remind you to report all cases of work-related asthma to the surveillance system at the Massachusetts Department of Public Health. We appreciate your efforts. Effective October 1, 1998, the Massachusetts Department of Industrial Accidents promulgated guidelines for the diagnosis and initial treatment of occupational asthma. This is the 28th treatment guideline developed by the Health Care Services Board and adopted by the department. It is the first guideline for occupational disease rather than occupational injury. Guideline No. 28 establishes parameters for the diagnosis and initial stabilization of occupational and occupationally-aggravated asthma. It does not provide parameters for the long term care and management of these conditions. In order to be covered by the Guideline, the ill worker must first have asthma and second have asthma that is work-related.
Keywords
Occupational-health; Work-environment; Workers; Occupational-exposure; Respiratory-system-disorders; Pulmonary-system-disorders; Bronchial-asthma; Surveillance-programs; Health-hazards; Worker-health; Occupational-diseases; Health-care; Disease-prevention; Medical-monitoring; Medical-personnel; Medical-screening; Occupational-medicine; Occupational-respiratory-disease; Employee-exposure; Diagnostic-techniques; Diagnostic-tests; Clinical-diagnosis; Clinical-tests; Medical-treatment; Occupational-health-programs
Contact
Massachusetts Department of Public Health, Occupational Health Surveillance Program, 250 Washington Street, 6th Floor, Boston, MA 02108
Funding Type
Cooperative Agreement
Identifying No.
Cooperative-Agreement-Number-U60-CCU-103010
Source Name
SENSOR Occupational Lung Disease Bulletin
Performing Organization
Massachusetts State Department of Public Health
