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Randomized Controlled Trial
. 2010 Apr;83(4):381-8.
doi: 10.1007/s00420-009-0468-8. Epub 2009 Oct 15.

Information and feedback to improve occupational physicians' reporting of occupational diseases: a randomised controlled trial

Annet F Lenderink  1 , Dick Spreeuwers, Jac J L van der Klink, Frank J H van Dijk
Affiliations
Randomized Controlled Trial

Information and feedback to improve occupational physicians' reporting of occupational diseases: a randomised controlled trial

Annet F Lenderink et al. Int Arch Occup Environ Health. 2010 Apr.

Abstract

Purpose: To assess the effectiveness of supplying occupational physicians (OPs) with targeted and stage-matched information or with feedback on reporting occupational diseases to the national registry in the Netherlands.

Methods: In a randomized controlled design, 1076 OPs were divided into three groups based on previous reporting behaviour: precontemplators not considering reporting, contemplators considering reporting and actioners reporting occupational diseases. Precontemplators and contemplators were randomly assigned to receive stage-matched, stage-mismatched or general information. Actioners were randomly assigned to receive personalized or standardized feedback upon notification. Outcome measures were the number of OPs reporting and the number of reported occupational diseases in a 180-day period before and after the intervention.

Results: Precontemplators were significantly more male and self-employed compared to contemplators and actioners. There was no significant effect of stage-matched information versus stage-mismatched or general information on the percentage of reporting OPs and on the mean number of notifications in each group. Receiving any information affected reporting more in contemplators than in precontemplators. The mean number of notifications in actioners increased more after personalized feedback than after standardized feedback, but the difference was not significant.

Conclusions: This study supports the concept that contemplators are more susceptible to receiving information but could not confirm an effect of stage-matching this information on reporting occupational diseases to the national registry.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Flow of participants and interventions. *Newsletter A: personally addressed electronic newsletter with specific information on reporting ODs, stressing in particular pros and cons of reporting occupational diseases. **Newsletter B: personally addressed electronic newsletter with specific information on reporting ODs with self-efficacy enhancing information on how to report, where to find information, guidelines, offer to participate in a workshop on reporting occupational diseases
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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