title: [Health surveillance audit of wood dust exposure].
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Medical surveillance of wood-dust exposed workers has been compulsory in Italy since 1956. The Law 66 of 25/2/2000, as a consequence of the EU Directive regarding occupational carcinogenic and mutagenic agents, has recently enforced preventive measures for wood dust exposure.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  The Local Health Unit RM-F, Civitavecchia, has developed a Workplace Vigilance Plan, specifically aimed at the enhancement of preventive measures against carcinogens. The Plan includes the "audit" of the Occupational Health physicians responsible for workers' surveillance.
  
  
  METHODS
  Physicians are invited to revise the quality of their work and to consider the inclusion of specific occupational health measures in the health plan, such as rhinoscopic examination.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In many cases, this action leads to the revision of the Security Document, the improvement of programs and protocols, and the enhancement of training activities. In a few cases, medical surveillance allowed diagnosis of wood dust-related occupational diseases, such as nasal polyposis and adenocarcinoma of paranasal sinuses.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Audit in occupational medicine is a feasible and efficient tool to improve quality of health care.
authors.affiliation: Istituto di Medicina del Lavoro, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Roma.
authors.forename: Liliana
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Bevilacqua
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Sacco
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Magnavita
mesh_terms: D000230:Adenocarcinoma / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology; D000395:Air Pollutants, Occupational / Q000032:analysis*; D004391:Dust; D005240:Feasibility Studies; D006801:Humans; D009298:Nasal Polyps / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology; D009784:Occupational Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology; D016273:Occupational Exposure; D010255:Paranasal Sinus Neoplasms / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology; D014934:Wood
chemical_list: D000395:Air Pollutants, Occupational; D004391:Dust