Multicenter study ``Medical-Occupational Rehabilitation Procedure Skin - optimizing and quality assurance of inpatient-management (ROQ)''

Abstract

Scientifically based prevention and patient management concepts in occupational dermatology have substantially improved during recent years. Currently the public statutory employers' liability insurance bodies fund a multi-step intervention approach designed to provide quick preventive help for all levels of severity of occupational dermatoses. An administrative guideline (hierarchical multi-step intervention procedure for occupational skin diseases ``Stufenverfahren Haut'') insures professional support and optimal patient orientation by the statutory insurers' representatives. For secondary prevention, the so-called dermatologist's procedure (''Hautarztverfahren'') was recently updated in order to provide more rapid dermatologic consultations which are covered for by the public statutory employers' liability insurance bodies. Additionally, combined outpatient dermatologic and health-educational intervention seminars (''secondary individual prevention'' [SIP]) are offered to affected employees in a nationwide scheme. For those cases of occupational dermatoses in which these outpatient prevention measures are not successful, interdisciplinary inpatient rehabilitation measures have been developed (''tertiary individual prevention'' [TIP]). TIP requires 3 weeks inpatient treatment including intensive health care instruction and psychological counseling, followed by outpatient treatment by the local dermatologist. In 2005, a German prospective cohort multicenter study (''Medical-Occupational Rehabilitation Procedure Skin - optimizing and quality assurance of inpatient-management'' - ``Medizinisch-Berufliches Rehabilitationsverfahren Haut - Optimierung und Qualitatssicherung des Heilverfahrens'' [ROQ]) started which will further standardize TIP and evaluate scientific sustainability in depth (3-year dermatological follow-up of 1,000 patients). The study is being funded by the German Statutory Accident Insurance (Deutsche Gesetzliche Unfallversicherung [DGUV]).