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Farmers' occupational health program in Finland, 1979‐1988: From research to practice
Author(s) -
Husman Kaj,
Notkola Veijo,
Virolainen Ritva,
Nuutinen Jyrki,
Tupi Kirsti,
Penttinen Jyrki,
Heikkonen Jalmari
Publication year - 1990
Publication title -
american journal of industrial medicine
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.7
H-Index - 104
eISSN - 1097-0274
pISSN - 0271-3586
DOI - 10.1002/ajim.4700180405
Subject(s) - occupational safety and health , medicine , environmental health , health services , service (business) , occupational health nursing , occupational medicine , hazardous waste , public health , business , health policy , occupational exposure , nursing , population , marketing , ecology , pathology , biology
The Kuopio Regional Institute of Occupational Health, in collaboration with the Social Insurance Institution and the National Board of Health, conducted and evaluated a national model for the famers' occupational health services. In January 1985 the National Board of Health instructed the Finnish municipal health centers to start the provision of Farmers' occupational health services based on the recommendation given by the research group. The service was evaluated by experiments carried out during 1982, 1985, and 1986. The main problem in function of the services was that the health hazards (exposures) were difficult to observe and evaluate. The system of how the occupational health nurse evaluates the working conditions should be further developed. The efficiency of the services was studied by postal inquiries in 1982 and 1986. Farmers' knowledge about the appropriate means of reducing hazardous exposures had increased significantly due to the occupational health services. At the local level, the main problem in providing services for occupational farmers is that health centers do not have the resources to offer services for all farmers at the same time. Altogether by the end of 1986, about 30% of all active farmers in Finland (45,000 farmers) were willing to have occupational health services, which is voluntary for self‐employed farmers.