[Thoughts and proposals on the features of the informatics systems dedicated to the health surveillance under the 626/94 Law].
BACKGROUND
the changes in workers' health care followed by rules issued in Italy in the 90's have imposed new tasks to the occupational physician. Some of these are very onerous because of the numerous data to manage. The availability of the new information technology has suggested the realization of the applications that, unfortunately, have not been too successful.


OBJECTIVE
the advisable features and functions of the software relative to the workers' health surveillance have been proposed.


CONCLUSIONS
among the features of this software, particularly appreciated have been those concerning the simplicity of the application use and the rapidity of the data recordable. Equally important is the organization of some data made according to matrix. Most of the solutions already present in the specific software trade have the limit of the rigorous hierarchy in the data entry which doesn't suit the natural time of the medical act. Therefore, the possibility of entering new data from any part of the software seems to be very advantageous. It is also important the possibility to share the instruction of the health and risk record with many users, making the physician free from useless operations that do not require such specific medical competence. The multiusers' access and the software modularity are useful in the occupational medicine service when there are a large number of workers subject to health surveillance. The last structural element (often little-known) regards the organization of database made according to the so called "normality criteria". This requirement becomes fundamental when there is the necessity to process the filed data for statistical and epidemiological purposes. The semantic interoperability of software technology represents the bound to overcome to guarantee a wider availability of information managed by the occupational physician for institutional and technical-scientific aims.
Brunetti
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Rete Ferroviaria Italiana, Direzione Sanità, Unità Sanitaria Territoriale di Bari, Italy. a.brunetti@rfi.it
D007558:Italy; D016347:Medical Records Systems, Computerized / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence; D016272:Occupational Health / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence; D011159:Population Surveillance; D012984:Software