Incheon Occupational Disease Surveillance System in Korea-Providing Updated Information and Education

The occurrences of occupational illness and injury have been seriously underestimated in Korea. Surveillance systems for occupational diseases have recently emerged as important strategies for the control of occupational hazards and the implementation of intervention programs to protect workers. However, health service providers do not actively diagnose occupational diseases and are unwilling to report occupational diseases. With the rapid growth of Internet usage in Korea, the computer network has become the predominant means of communicating and sharing information. Therefore, we developed a web-based updated information and education network to assist the health services providers in reporting occupational diseases. Information systems for occupational disease surveillance were also designed to support occupational disease reporting. Commonly available database systems, such as web databases, are useful to manage occupational diseases data efficiently. Standardized case definitions and report guidelines were also established, which included cumulative trauma disorder, occupational asthma, occupational contact dermatitis, and occupational cancer. This system may provide the basis of an efficient and continuously updated source of educational information and provide specific information concerning the occurrence of occupational diseases in specific areas. Background information on occupational diseases obtained in this way will be invaluable for preventing hazards and enforcing occupational disease prevention programs. Moreover, our experiences in establishing these information systems will be of great use in other countries and settings.