title: Medical surveillance for prevention of occupational asthma.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Because there is sufficient knowledge of its environmental determinants, occupational asthma is a disease that ought to be largely preventable; yet its incidence in many settings remains unacceptably high. Here we review one approach to prevention: the routine use of health surveillance in exposed workforces.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Health surveillance is widely practised but there is little evidence that it is used strategically to reduce disease incidence. There are several barriers to the effective use of its various components, chiefly symptoms questionnaires and spirometry. Cost-benefit analyses may help to increase the uptake of industry-wide workplace interventions.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The effective use of health surveillance for occupational asthma continues to be challenging and there remains relatively little published evidence that will encourage those involved to use it more efficiently. Useful advances could be made by greater collaboration between employers, employee organizations, legislators and researchers.
authors: Department of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, National Heart and Lung Institute, Imperial College London, London, UK.
authors: Joanna
authors: J
authors: Szram
authors: Paul
authors: P
authors: Cullinan
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D059366:Asthma, Occupational / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000517:prevention & control*; D003362:Cost-Benefit Analysis; D006801:Humans; D062486:Public Health Surveillance; D013147:Spirometry; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires