Province of Ontario Medical Surveillance Database

Abstract

The Ministry of Labour (MOL) for the Province of Ontario has developed an occupational exposure database to facilitate implementation of appropriate regulations respecting worker health and safety, and to identify trends in exposures leading to potential problems. The MEdical SUrveillance (MESU) database was designed, written, and implemented by MOL staff. Although initially perceived as a tool to monitor medical surveillance test results, the primary utilization of the database is much more critical to daily operations of MOL's consulting health professional field staff. Data obtained by the consulting health professionals are submitted to MOL's central office, where they are entered into the system by a core group of staff. All data, excepting confidential personal medical information and respective identifiers, are available to MOL's consulting health professionals via on-line computer, in a variety of formats, as needed.

Since the primary intent and use of the database is to facilitate MOL personnel function, this objective has been the predominant criterion in designing data input and retrieval. Data are recorded and supplied by MOL hygienists, physicians, nurses, and other consulting professional field staff, and entered into MESU at our central office. Specific forms for transferring the information have been developed, and although they require the recording of a great amount of detail, they have been designed to limit the time demand placed on the consulting health professional field staff. Similarly, the field staff can retrieve any information from the system in a variety of formats, which greatly facilitates performance of daily routine functions. Lubek, B.M.: Province of Ontario Medical Surveillance Database. Appl. Occup. Environ. Hyg. 10(4):251–256; 1995.