P-064 Identifying Educational Issues for Clinical Care Skills in Occupational Health: Survey of Difficult Cases Experienced by Occupational Physicians

Introduction Good clinical care is reportedly one of the top competencies of occupational physicians (OPs). However, OPs possess diverse medical backgrounds and have limited opportunities to improve their clinical abilities in their work fields. To identify the educational needs to support OPs to enhance their clinical care ability, we surveyed OPs about the difficult cases they had experienced in their occupational health activities. Methods We asked 1,811 members of the Expert Community of Occupational Health Physicians in the Japan Society for Occupational Health about the difficult cases they experienced and the type of training they desired. Questionnaire responses were returned via the website or postal mail. The cases were analyzed by deductive and inductive methods. Results There were 219 valid responses (response rate 12.1%). The most common cases were those related to medical consultation recommendations and guidance on behavior changes (31 cases), followed by health consultations (27 cases). Many respondents noted insufficient medical knowledge and communication skills as contributing factors. The most common specific diseases respondents were concerned about were alcohol and nicotine dependences, emergency diseases, and mental disorders, while emergency response was the most common topic. Discussion OPs experienced difficulties in various situations and we identified a strong need to update a wide range of medical knowledge, including mental illness and emergency response, and to improve OPs’ skills in interviewing workers and collaborating with physicians. Conclusion Our survey of OPs identified educational issues that need to be addressed to enhance their skills to enable them to provide good clinical care.