title: Primary Health Care and Occupational Health. Results from a survey on general practitioners of the Province of Monza and Brianza.
abstract: The World Health Organization has been asking for greater collaboration between occupational medicine and primary care for many years.
  
  
  
  To investigate the knowledge of general practitioners (GPs) working in a province of Lombardy about occupational health issues and their experiences with work-related problems among their patients.
  
  
  
  Data were collected by telephone interview to GPs, using a 25-item questionnaire.
  
  
  
  111 GPs answered to the questionnaire (66.5% of the sample). Only 34.2% of the doctors knew the current regulation of occupational medicine in Italy. The GPs considered that the main work-related disease among their patients were musculoskeletal disorders and work-related stress. 90% of doctors stated to have sent at least one of their patients to an occupational medicine clinic. Only 9% declared to have notified at least one occupational disease. Among GPs who suggested how to improve the relationship between primary care and occupational medicine, 44% proposed training courses on this topic. Only 16.2% said to have attended an occupational health course during university studies.
  
  
  
  Italian GPs have poor knowledge about occupational medicine and they also have difficult relationships with occupational health physicians. Initiatives to improve cooperation between these two sectors are desirable.
authors.affiliation: Università di Milano Bicocca. michele.riva@unimib.it.
authors.forename: Michele Augusto
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Riva
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Belingheri
authors.forename: Elisabetta
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Castiglioni
authors.forename: Chiara
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Bonazzi
mesh_terms: D005260:Female; D058006:General Practice; D019538:Health Care Surveys; D006801:Humans; D007558:Italy; D008297:Male; D016272:Occupational Health; D009786:Occupational Health Services; D011320:Primary Health Care
keywords: 
          Basic Occupational Health Services
          ; 
          Italy
          ; 
          Occupational Health
          ; 
          Primary Health Care
          