Occupational health services in Poland during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Abstract

Objectives: This publication analyses the activities of physicians and occupational medicine units in Poland during this period.

Material and methods: The analysis of the number of physicians and units of occupational medicine and the preventive and judicial activities they carried out was based on the MZ-35 and MZ-35A statistical forms, which constitute mandatory medical reporting.

Results: In Poland, during the pandemic, the number of physicians authorized to perform preventive examinations of employees decreased by 9.3% (6597 in 2019 vs. 5984 physicians in 2022). At the same time, the number of basic units of the occupational medicine where preventive examinations of employees decreased from 5974 to 5534 (by 7.4%). The average number of preventive examinations performed annually on employees throughout the pandemic decreased by 9.4% from 5 429 808 (in 2015-2019) to 4 923 161 (in 2020-2023). In the first 2 years of the pandemic, the share of decisions on health contraindications to perform professional activities in the position indicated in the referral increased slightly. During the pandemic, there was also a significant decrease in the number of visits carried out by occupational medicine physicians, both to entire workplaces (by 46%) and to individual positions (by 49%). During the COVID-19 pandemic, occupational medicine physicians reported almost 3 times more suspected occupational diseases than in previous years (an average of 1736 reports per year compared to 673 reports in 2015-2019). The most reports were recorded in 2020 (N = 2183).

Conclusions: The COVID-19 pandemic has significantly impacted the preventive activities performed by occupational medicine physicians. Reducing the number of mandatory medical examinations of employees during the pandemic could have led to the construction of a health debt of the working population, both in terms of limiting the unfavourable impact of working conditions and worsening the chances of early detection of lifestyle diseases. Int J Occup Med Environ Health. 2024;37(5):535-44.