"Bamberg Medical Bulletin": Recommendations for the assessment of skin diseases and skin cancers. Part I: Skin diseases [Bamberger Merkblatt: Begutachtungsempfehlungen für die begutachtung von haut- und hautkrebserkrankungen. Teil I: Hauterkrankungen]

Abstract

The following recommendations for assessment are mainly addressed to experts in occupational dermatology, who, in cases of a questionably occupation-related skin diseases, have to make statments concerning the causal relation to the patient's occupation, the preconditions pursuant to insurance law and the reduction in earning capacity caused by the skin disease. Part 1 of the completely revised "Bamberg Medical Bulletin" deals with the subject of occupational disease No. 5101 "Severe and repeatedly relapsing skin diseases that caused the cessation of all occupations which could cause the development, aggravation or resurgance of the disease" listed in the appendix (list of occupational diseases) of the German Decree on Occupational Diseases. Part 2 is dedicated to malignant skin tumors like squamous cell carcinomas including Bowen's disease and their pre-stages as well as basiliomas (also called basal cell carcinomas). The accident insurance providers in the sense of §§ 20 ff SGB X have the task of investigate the decision-relevant data (particularly concerning expositon and disease). The required examination methods are standards for assessment and the necessary plausibility examination of the assessments together with the recommendations for the percentage of reduction in earning capacity becomes simpler for the accident insurance providers as well as for the social courts. Furthermore, transparency for the insured persons in question also increases. The formal requirements for an anticipated medical expert assessment postulated by the German Social Court have been completely achieved by the recommendations for assessments for occupational diseases. The "Bamberg Medical Bulletin" was approved on June 12, 2008 in Potsdam in a public consensus conference. The concluding discussion will be published in an extra report of the German statutory accident insurance. The study group "Bamberg Medical Bulletin" was headed by Prof. Dr. T.L. Diepgen. The initial head représentant of the German statutory accident insurance was Otto Blome and later Dr. Heinz Otten and Fred-D. Zagrodnik. The minutes were taken at first by Elke Rogosky and later by Fred-D. Zagrodnik. The German Dermatologic Society was represented by the Study Group for Occupational and Environmental Dermatology by the follwing persons: Prof. Dr. T.L. Diepgen, Prof. Dr. P. Elsner, Frau Prof. Dr. M. Fartasch, Prof. Dr. S.M. John, Dr. A. Köllner, PD Dr. C. Skudlik. The Professional Association of German Dermatologists was represented at first by Dr. I. Schindera and then by Dr. A. Köllner and Dr. A. Stary. Prof. Dr. H. Drexler and temporarily also Prof. Dr. St. Letzel (Part 2) represented the German Society for Occupational and Environmental Medicine. The Association of Commercial Physicians was representd by Dr. C. Bernhard-Klimt. For the professional organizations which are most frequently engaged with occupation-related skin diseases, the following persons attended the conference: Professor Dr. jur. Stephan Brandenburg, Professional Organization for Health Service and Welfare Work; Dieter Dienstbach, Professional Organization of the Chemical Industry; Dr. med. K. H. Frank, Professional Organization of the Building Industry; Dr. rer. nat. Peter Kleesz, Professional Organization for Food and Restaurants; Ass. Wilfried Pappai, Professional Organization for Engineering and Metall; Dr. jur. Wolfgang Römer, Professional Organization for Metall North South; Ass. Joachim Sacher, Professional Organization of the Chemical Industry. © 2009 Dustri-Verlag Dr. Karl Feistle.