Cooperation between Public Primary Health Care and Occupational Health Care Professionals in Work Ability-Related Health Issues

Lauri Vähätalo (), Anna Siukola, Salla Atkins, Tiia Reho, Markku Sumanen, Mervi Viljamaa and Riitta Sauni
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Lauri Vähätalo: Faculty of Medicine and Health Technology, Tampere University, 33014 Tampere, Finland
Anna Siukola: Faculty of Medicine and Health Technology, Tampere University, 33014 Tampere, Finland
Salla Atkins: Health Sciences, Faculty of Social Sciences, Tampere University, 33014 Tampere, Finland
Tiia Reho: Faculty of Medicine and Health Technology, Tampere University, 33014 Tampere, Finland
Markku Sumanen: Faculty of Medicine and Health Technology, Tampere University, 33014 Tampere, Finland
Mervi Viljamaa: Pihlajalinna Työterveys, 33100 Tampere, Finland
Riitta Sauni: Faculty of Medicine and Health Technology, Tampere University, 33014 Tampere, Finland

IJERPH, 2022, vol. 19, issue 19, 1-15

Abstract: Work disability creates significant expenses for nations and causes human suffering by limiting patients’ lives. International studies show that to enhance recognition of and support for work disability, cooperation, mutual trust, and information exchange between public primary health care and occupational health care must be strengthened. However, little is known of how health care professionals experience this cooperation. The aim of this study was to understand how professionals experience the cooperation between public primary health care and occupational health services regarding patients’ work ability. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 29 health care professionals working in five small cities (<10,000 inhabitants) in Finland. Interviews were audio and video recorded, transcribed verbatim, and analyzed through inductive thematic analysis. Three key themes were identified from the interviews: attitudes toward the other health care sector, the exchange of information, and resources for cooperation. Professionals seem to have poor knowledge about the services available and how care is given in the other sector, appearing to lead to weak mutual trust. The public primary health care professionals especially emphasized the benefits of cooperation, but several issues were mentioned as barriers to cooperation. These results can be used when planning effective patient paths and service provisioning models.

Keywords: health care services; health care professionals; primary health care; occupational health services; cooperation; work disability; qualitative research (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
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