PERSONAL LEARNING ZONE

Summary:

FEATURED ARTICLE

This issue of Occupational Health [at Work] features a Personal Learning Zone (PLZ) article recommended for continuing professional development (CPD). The assignment questions, ‘Personal learning statement’ and ‘Certificate of engagement’ are available to subscribers at ohaw.co/AWPcpd. These will also be stored in your password-protected PLZ. The PLZ will help you document your own CPD. Occupational health physicians and nurses, occupational hygienists and other professionals can use the resource in support of their specialism’s revalidation or CPD requirements.

Pages 34–37. Evidence-based OH practice. Evidence-based medicine is a systematic approach to clinical problem solving that integrates the best research evidence with clinical expertise. It is an essential part of modern OH practice, promoting high-quality provision, enhanced decision-making and legal protection. However, gaps in the OH knowledge base create challenges for practitioners and understanding the strength of the available evidence is crucial.

ADDITIONAL CPD

The following articles, news and research items are suggested reading for CPD and professional revalidation. Subscribers can complete their online Personal Learning Zone CPD record at ohaw.co/AWPcpd

Pages 4–5. The prevalence of work-related stress, depression or anxiety remains higher than before the COVID-19 pandemic, with more than 16 million working days lost due to the associated sickness absence in a single year.

Page 8. National guidelines on the diagnosis and management of asthma have been launched.

Pages 13–14. A telehealth doctor has been suspended from the medical register for dishonesty after he signed a fit-for-work letter stating that he had examined a coach driver when no such examination had taken place.

Pages 17–22. Workplace interventions on managing overweight and obesity should form part of a multi-component and longer-term health-promotion programme for the whole workforce.

Pages 23–29. A national health and wellbeing strategy provides an opportunity for police OH services to play a key role in promoting sustained organisational change.

Pages 30–33. Healthcare professionals, including OH, can be liable for negligence if they could reasonably have foreseen that someone might be harmed by their acts or omissions.

Page 38. Our compendium of recent research includes a study of dementia risk in professional footballers and the benefits and risks of ‘smart’ OH and safety technology.

Author: The At Work Partnership Ltd

Author:

Occupational Health at Work February/March 2025 (vol. 21/5) pp39

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