European Association

of Schools ofOccupational Medicine

  

EASOM

Summer School 2006:

TEACHING PRACTICAL OCCUPATIONAL EPIDEMIOLOGY

Description of national situation

Current situation inthe Netherlands

Schools for occupational medicinein the Netherlands

(1) Radboud University Nijmegen:Dept. of Social Medicine [SGBO]

(2) Netherlands School of Public &Occupational Health [NSPOH],

Amsterdam

Radboud University Nijmegen, SGBO

Four-year curriculumTheoretical part in 13 modules

Epidemiology is part of module“Scientific research skills”

Second year, spread over six monthsNine course days

Radboud University Nijmegen, SGBOContents of module “Scientific research skills” (9 days)

Obligatory elements:• statistics• epidemiology• research methodology & study design• evidence-based medicine• assignment: appraisal of scientific article +

presentation• conclusive test (three hours)

Radboud University Nijmegen, SGBO

Contents of module “Scientific research skills” (9 days)

Facultative element:• a one-week training in literature search

Radboud University Nijmegen, SGBO

Obligatory:• Book ‘Introduction to descriptive statistics’• Book ‘Epidemiology for occ physicians’• Book ‘Basics of methodology & techniques’

Recommended:• Book ‘Epidemiology in practice’• Book ‘Evidence-based medicine’

Radboud University Nijmegen, SGBO

Conclusive [summative] test of module [3 hours]

Contents:• open questions• statistics: 20 MCQs & 2 open questions• epidemiology: case descriptions + questions• research design: what to choose in a specific

[given] situation.

Radboud University Nijmegen, SGBO

Practical part: Own Research Project + Report

• Manual & Protocol provided by institute• Literature search is part of research project• Logical order of chapters in report is emphasized

NSPOH, Amsterdam

Four-year curriculumTheoretical part in 5 modules

Epidemiology is part of module #4:“Evidence-based practice and quality of service”

Second year, spread over four monthsEight course days, of which five for epidemiology,

research models and evidence-based medicine

NSPOH, Amsterdam

Performance training: 3 x 3 hours

Issues:• analysis of sickness absence data• statistic & epidemiologic methods• study designs

NSPOH, Amsterdam

Facultative part: one course day

• research methods, more in-depth

[is also offerred as a CPD programme]

NSPOH, Amsterdam

Practical part: research project + report, by 1 – 3 students

Total time 180 – 200 hours, of which 10 – 15 hours of individual support by staff member

NSPOH, Amsterdam

CME / CPD programmes:

• one day course about research methods• one day course introduction into evidence-based practice• 3-days expert module about epidemiology & evidence-based practice• 15-days training course in research knowledge & skills

NSPOH, Amsterdam

General policy:

• plans to integrate public & occupational health training programmes

• the curriculum of Master of Public Health includes a research period of 4 months full time

• there are plans to incorporate a similar research period in the specialist training in occupational medicine.

Conclusions

• Course time for training classical epidemiology has partly been substituted by training evidence-based medicine.

• Both approaches are closely interrelated, but there are clear differences [epidemiology is inductive, while EBM is deductive].

• Separate training programmes with well-defined learning objectives and summative tests are recommended.