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Occupational Medicine Advance Access published online on August 8, 2006
Occupational Medicine, doi:10.1093/occmed/kql074
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© The Author 2006. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Society of Occupational Medicine. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oxfordjournals.org

Article

An assessment of occupational health care in the Netherlands (1996-2005)

M. M. A. De Valk 1 *, C. Oostrom 1, and A. J. P. Schrijvers 2

1 Adviesgroep Intermedic, Koninginnegracht 101, 2514 AL The Hague, Zuid Holland, The Netherlands
2 Department of Public Health, University of Utrecht, Julius Centre, Stratenum, Heidelberglaan 100, 3584 CX Utrecht, The Netherlands

* To whom correspondence should be addressed.
M. M. A. De Valk, E-mail: m.devalk{at}intermedic.nl


  Abstract

Background The extensive Dutch occupational health care system of the past decade has not led to the desired outcomes, namely, a decrease of work absenteeism and the associated costs.

Aim To assess the differences between in-house and external occupational health care services in the process quality of occupational health care provided.

Methods In total, 26 interviews were conducted with chief executive officers of occupational health services (OHS). The responses and other relevant policy documents were analysed and described. A key component of this process was to compare differences between in-house and external services.

Results Notable differences in quality were found to exist between in-house and external occupational health care systems, with the in-house occupational health care services offering the highest process quality.

Conclusion Our findings suggest that the effectiveness of OHS is mainly dependent on their structure (in-house versus external) and on economic factors (profit driven versus not for profit).

Keywords: In-house and external occupational health care services; occupational health care; process quality of care; the Netherlands.
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