Life-long learning and continuing professional development (CPD) are the processes by which professionals, such as nurses, develop and improve their practice.
There are many ways to address your CPD: formally, by attending courses, study days and workshops; or informally, through private study and reflection.
Reading articles in professional journals is a good way of keeping up to date with what is going on in the field of practice, but reflecting on what you have learned from the articles is not always easy.
These questions are designed to help you identify what you have learned from studying the article. They will also help you to clarify what you can apply in practice, what you did not understand, and what you need to explore further.
1 Which two organisations share the same definition of occupational health?
a) HSE and ILO
b) HSE and EU
c) ILO and WHO
d) EU and WHO
2 What does the most recent public health guidance from Nice focus on?
a) Rehabilitation
b) Musculoskeletal disorders
c) Stress at work
d) Long-term absence and incapacity
3 What are the three common aims of public health and occupational health?
a) Health improvement, health protection and healthcare
b) Health surveillance, health protection and healthcare
c) Health improvement, health surveillance and healthcare
d) Health improvement, health protection and health surveillance
4 When it comes to health, what has the UK got the most of?
a) Healthcare
b) Inequalities
c) Litigation
d) Accidents
5 Which country has an innovative course in public health?
a) Netherlands
b) Finland
c) Canada
d) US
6 What percentage of those employed now work in service industries?
a) 25%
b) 50%
c) 66%
d) 75%
7 There is little research evidence on the effectiveness of workplace interventions for what condition?
a) Cardio-vascular
b) Mental ill health
c) Substance abuse
d) Diabetes
8 What is public health concerned with?
a) Drains and pollution
b) Infectious diseases
c) The NHS
d) Analysing and improving the health in populations
9 What is a pro-active organisation expected to do?
a) Formulate policies on health promotion
b) Take care of health and safety at work
c) Hold health promotion days
d )Employ occupational health services
10 What year was public health transferred from local authority responsibility to the NHS?
a)1974
b)1962
c)1998
d)1948
Feedback
1.c – It would be interesting to see if the EU and the HSE also have a definition of occupational health, so spend some time searching for their definitions and compare and contrast them all. Then decide your own definition based on your values and beliefs of occupational health.
2.d – Download a copy of these new Nice guidelines from its website and use your continuing professional development time to study them and find out what is applicable to your practice.
3.a
4.b – What do you know about health inequalities? Undertake a literature search and read more about this topic. Then consider how it affects your knowledge and practice of healthcare and in particular occupational health.
5.c – Explore the websitefor more information – see resources.
6.c – The text says two-thirds, so we were just checking to see whether you can convert to percentages.
7.b -There is considerable debate over the research evidence of OH interventions in this month’s and April’s editions of Occupational Health – so make sure you read the articles and take part in the debate.
8.d
9.a – Of course a pro-active organisation will do all these things, but formulating the policies comes first. Consider what your role in formulating these policies should be as an OH professional.
10.a – Also a significant year for occupational health and safety, as well as many other changes in the UK with regards to local authorities and councils.
www.cihr-irsc.gc.ca/e/193.html
This is the website for the Canadian Institute of Population and Public Health and tells you about what it does and what it has to offer.
The Joseph Rowntree Foundation seeks to understand the causes of social problems, identify ways of overcoming them, and show how social needs can be met in practice.
The Association of Public Health Observatories represents a network of 12 public health observatories working across England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. It produces information, data and intelligence for practitioners, policy makers and the wider community.
The King’s Fund seeks to understand how the health system in England can be improved. It helps to shape policy, transform services and bring about behaviour change.
The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (Nice) is the organisation responsible for providing national guidance on the promotion of good health and the prevention and treatment of ill health.
Working for Health, Work and Wellbeing is a government-led initiative to improve the health and wellbeing of working-age people.
Skills for Health is the Sector Skills Council (SSC) for the UK health sector. Its purpose is to help the sector deliver a skilled and flexible UK workforce to improve health and healthcare.
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This is the website for the Faculty of public Health. For more information, download its free leaflet – The Faculty of Public Health: working hard for public health.
