P-082 Telemedicine in Occupational Health: A One-Year Experimental Project

Introduction When it comes to occupational health (OH), telemedicine guarantees the follow-up of employees - especially since the Covid-19 pandemic. Methods Through this experiment, we wanted to study and assess the advantages and challenges of using teleconsultation in OH: the study took place for one-year, and was focused on 1796 employees of two companies. Results With a total of 1672 teleconsultations carried out, for a one-year period, only 3 employees have refused the teleconsultation, and only 30 face-to-face OH exams were scheduled by the doctor’s initiative. A total of 159 OH exams were performed directly with the employee, with no need for them to go to the medical center. Discussion The results of this work show the interest in maintaining teleconsultation as a solution for care in remote areas, to avoid a cumulative delay of OH exams, to facilitate access to OH to employees on sick leave - or exclusively on telework -, and to do the OH exams at the company’s medical office (which can potentially reduce absenteeism). The respect for confidentiality, the employee’s right to refuse teleconsultation, as well as the vigilance of the doctor-patient’s relationship, and of the doctor’s right to disconnect, should be carefully kept in mind. Conclusion In practice, while respecting the points of vigilance, the application of telemedicine in OH – on a regular or sporadic basis - can be very useful in order to improve the medical presence, as well as the quality of care and risk mitigation in the work environment.