Good practice in occupational health services: Recommendations for prophylactic examinations and medical certifications in persons with diabetes mellitus

Abstract

The prevalence of diabetes and a significant proportion of unawareness of its risk among the patients indicate the need to include into general prophylactic examinations the standards of medical certification, which would prevent discrimination and ensure public safety. In certifying medical predispositions to work in a person with diabetes mellitus the key issue is to distinguish 2 categories of medical requirements: the higher - related to qualifying workers for jobs demanding psychophysical abilities, which affect the safety of the workers and their environment and the lower - related to qualifying workers for jobs characterized by harmful factors and nuisances, which might have a negative effect on the course of diabetes. The very fact of having diabetes cannot be the reason for the patient being disqualified and the decision on certifying the capacity to perform a particular job should always be based on an individual health assessment of the patient, taking into account the risk of hypoglycemia, metabolic control, the progression and dynamics of chronic complications, as well as the level of health awareness in patients. The objective assessment of the health status of the patient with diabetes involves the judgment of an attending physician, additionally supported by the consultation of a diabetes specialist to ensure that the patient is able to perform properly the job, requiring psychomotor abilities. Med Pr 2014;65(1):131–141

Keywords

• diabetes
• medical certification
• employee
• preventive care