Objective To analyze a case of violations by an occupational medical examination (OME) institution and to explore the key control points for the supervision and management of OME institutions, as well as the core role of quality assessment in this context. Methods An OME institution suspected of illegal activities was used as the study subject. Retrospective analysis was conducted. Clues of suspected violations were identified by an on-site quality assessment. After investigation and verification by the local health authorities, legal action was taken against the institution for its violations. Results During an on-site quality assessment, the Guangdong Province OME quality control expert group discovered that the OME institution violated regulations, including unqualified personnel file, exceeding the scope of services category, issuing false reports, failing to report suspected occupational diseases on time, and failing to notify workers about suspected occupational diseases as required. The evidence was then submitted to the Guangdong Province OME Quality Control Center, which subsequently forwarded the case to local health administration department for filing and investigation. After the investigation, penalties were imposed on the OME institution for its illegal activities. Conclusion The key supervision and inspection points in the quality assessment of OME institutions include personnel file configuration, the quality control management system and its implementation, the quality of OME reports, and information reporting. Quality assessment plays a pivotal role in ensuring the legal and compliant practice of OME institutions, safeguarding the health rights and interests of workers, and enhancing the overall standard of the OME industry.

This study analyzes the legal application of a dispute over employer identification in a case of occupational heat illness caused by part-time work to clarifying matters related to employer determination in occupational disease diagnosis using a case analysis method and factual reconstruction. The analysis is based on relevant civil laws and regulations, occupational disease diagnosis laws and regulations, and jurisprudential theories. The occupational disease diagnostic institution identified the part-time employer as responsible for the patient′s heat illness, which was both reasonable and lawful. This attribution safeguarded the rights of the worker, the primary employer, and the part-time entity. In occupational disease diagnosis, attention should be paid to de facto employment relationship, and the principle of "accountability lies with the actual employer at the time of the incident" should be followed to standardize employer identification. The health administrative department has supervisory responsibilities over occupational disease diagnoses. Workers′ compensation rights can be protected through the advance payment mechanism for work-related injury insurance. It is recommended to further improve internal procedures for occupational disease diagnosis, strengthen the dissemination of relevant laws and regulations and enhance the capabilities of occupational disease diagnosis physicians, to further protect workers' occupational health and their associated legal rights.

Objective To analyze the influencing factors of hospitalization costs in patients with occupational noise-induced deafness (ONID), and provide evidence for health policy development. Methods A total of 109 ONID patients in a hospital for occupational disease prevention and treatment in Guangdong Province were collected from 2018 to 2022 as the study subjects using a retrospective analysis method. Hospitalization information was collected, and influencing factors of hospitalization costs were analyzed. Results The average hospitalization cost per admission from 2018 to 2022 was 26 948.1, 27 805.0, 25 291.1,20 741.2 and 18 865.1 yuan, respectively, showing a downward trend. Grey relational analysis showed that the top three cost components most closely associated with the average hospitalization cost per admission were treatment expenses, medical service fees, and other expenses, with correlation coefficients of 0.786 1, 0.720 4, and 0.654 3, respectively. Univariate logistic regression analysis indicated that length of hospital stay was the primary influencing factor for average hospitalization cost per admission (P<0.01). Conclusion It is recommended to optimize clinical care pathways, improve diagnostic and treatment techniques, and reduce hospital stay duration, to lower the hospitalization costs of ONID patients.

Objective To analyze the problems found in the on-site quality assessment of occupational medical examination (OME) institutions in Guangdong Province. Methods A total of 150 OME institutions were selected as the research subjects from Guangdong Province in 2023 using a random number table method. The on-site quality assessment was conducted by listening to reports, meeting discussion, on-site inspection, data review and human-machine assessment. The relevant assessment results were analyzed. Results Occupational disease prevention and treatment institutes (institutes, centers) and disease control and prevention centers (hereinafter referred to as "occupational prevention institutions"), public hospitals, and private institutions accounted for 8.7%, 51.3%, and 40.0% respectively. The top three categories of registered inspections were physical factors, chemical factors and dust, accounted for 98.0%, 96.7% and 96.0%, respectively, among the 150 OME institutions. A total of 1 063 rectification items were identified, and the average number of rectification items identified per occupational prevention institutions, public hospitals and private institutions was four, six and nine, respectively. The rectification rates of the four modules of quality assessment from high to low were OME work quality control, quality management system, organizational structure, and OME information reporting, accounted for 53.2%, 23.3%, 13.7% and 9.7%, respectively. The coincidence rate from high to low of occupational reporting of noise-exposure, dust-exposure, and other hazard-exposure was 92.5%, 91.1%, and 93.4%, respectively. The on-site failure rate of quality control director, technical director, chief physician, pneumoconiosis film reader, audiometry reader and pulmonary function examination operator accounted for 15.3%, 12.7%, 8.0%, 6.7%, 6.0% and 2.7%, respectively. Institutions capable of conducting registered and partially registered OME accounted for 90.7% and 6.0%, respectively. The five institutions that were unable to conduct registered OME were private institutions. A total of five private institutions were found to be suspected of illegal and irregular activities. Conclusion The problems of OME in the on-site quality assessment of OME institutions in Guangdong Province were mainly quality control. Private institutions had more prominent problems in various aspects. It is necessary to strengthen the training of key personnel such as technical directors, quality control directors, and chief physicians.

Objective To analyze the epidemic status of newly diagnosed occupational diseases in Guangdong Province during the “13th Five-Year Plan” period, and scientifically evaluate the critical risk factors for occupational disease prevention and control. Methods The data of newly diagnosed occupational diseases reported by internet in Guangdong Province from 2016 to 2020 was collected from Report Card of Occupational Diseases using Occupational Diseases and Health Hazard Factors Monitoring Information System under China Disease Prevention and Control Information System. Data was used to determine the epidemic status and identify key risk factors. Results A total of 4 846 cases of occupational diseases were reported in Guangdong Province during the “13th Five-Year Plan”period, with an increase rate of 39.13% compared with the “12th Five-Year Plan” period (3 483 cases). The annual distribution of newly diagnosed occupational disease cases showed a trend of increasing and then declining. The top five percentage on types of occupational diseases were occupational noise-induced deafness, occupational silicosis, occupational chronic benzene poisoning, other occupational pneumoconiosis and occupational hand-arm vibration disease, accounting for 45.23%, 16.28%, 11.52%, 7.92% and 4.60%, respectively. Cases from the Pearl River Delta region accounted for 92.76%, while five non-Delta cities had “zero reported cases”. Regarding industry sector, cases were primarily concentrated in manufacturing, construction, and mining, accounting for 84.21%, 5.49% and 3.59%, respectively. Regarding industry categories, cases were concentrated in metal products, non-metallic mineral products, manufacturing of cultur, education, art, sports and entertainment goods, manufacturing of computer, communication and other electric devices, and manufacturing of specialized equipment, accounting for 11.70%, 10.17%, 8.60%, 7.82%, and 4.81%, respectively. A total of 196 enterprises (accounting for 7.39%) reported an average of three or more new cases per year, while 19 enterprises (accounting for 0.72%) reported an average of ten or more cases per year. Conclusion The epidemic status of occupational diseases in Guangdong Province showed a “triple concentration” characteristic in disease types, regions, and industries during the “13th Five-Year Plan” period. Particular attention should be paid to epidemic status of occupational noise-induced deafness, occupational silicosis, occupational chronic benzene poisoning, other occupational pneumoconiosis, and occupational hand-arm vibration disease, and also pay special attention to the prevention and control of occupational diseases in the Pearl River Delta region, cities with “zero reported cases”, manufacturing industry and occupational disease-prone enterprises.

As the management system of Occupational Medical Examination (OME) institutions is moving to a record-filing model, the traditional management approach might not fulfill the current policy requirements. There is a pressing need for development of high-quality occupational health management system. In this context, the Guangdong Provincial Occupational Health Examination Quality Control Center (hereinafter referred to as the "Provincial Quality Control Center") pioneered the integration of the Performance Excellence Model (PEM) framework into the macro-quality management of OME institutions in Guangdong Province. In light of the current research gaps in the field of macro-quality management for OME institutions, the Provincial Quality Control Center, based on the core principles and standards of PEM, has closely aligned with the professional characteristics of occupational health examinations. The established macro-quality management innovation in OME institutions in Guangdong Province consists of seven dimensions: strategic direction, leadership development, identification of key management subjects, data analysis and management, human resources allocation, process optimization, and the application of quality control outcomes. This system has provided a robust impetus for the ongoing improvement of quality control efforts. The initial implementation of PEM demonstrated notable improvements in macro-quality management for OME institutions. Moving forward, the Provincial Quality Control Center will continue to strengthen the development of key technical personnel, innovate training models, harness the advantages of big data technology, restate and upgrade the system continuously, and refine the macro-quality management mechanisms of OME institutions to ensure that the health rights and interests of workers and employers are effectively safeguarded and enhanced.

ObjectiveTo establish a managing mode for illegal and irregular acts of occupational medical examination (OME) institutions to the requirements of the new situation. Methods The OME institutions from the “Guangdong Province Key Occupational Disease Monitoring and Management Platform” were selected as the study subjects using the judgment sampling method. The clues of suspected illegal and irregular acts of OME institutions were found and submitted to the local health commission for investigation and managed according to the case information monitoring and on-site quality assessment. The OME institutions found to have illegal and irregular acts were filed and investigated according to the national law after investigation and verification. A “follow-up inspection” was conducted on five OME institutions for closed loop management. Results A total of 12 OME institutions were found to have suspected illegal and irregular acts, including seven institutions that did not meet the filing requirements for effective personnel, five institutions that conducted projects beyond the scope without filing to the provincial health authorities within 15 work days from the start of the project, and two institutions that failed to fulfill the obligation of informing and reporting to the health authorities, employers, and workers as required. After submitting relevant clues and evidence to the local health commission for investigation and management, seven institutions were not given penalty, and five institutions were given administrative penalties including two institutions were fined and warned, and three institutions were warned. No illegal or irregular acts were found in the five institutions inspected during the “follow-up inspection”. Conclusion It is beneficial to explore the managing mode of “clue discovery, clue submission, investigation and disposal, follow-up inspection” for OME institutions suspected of illegal and irregular acts, which helps urge OME institutions to work in accordance with laws and regulations and effectively protect the legitimate rights and interests of workers' occupational health.

With the increasing demand for rehabilitation medical care, medical education has taken on the important mission of cultivating high-quality rehabilitation talents for "Healthy China", and it is necessary to make attempts to explore the reform of rehabilitation majors in line with social needs and develop a professional layout that fits better with social needs. After more than 20 years of development, a certain scale has been formed for the establishment of rehabilitation majors, but the analysis of related data has revealed the problems such as mismatch of professional disciplines, mixed attributes of professional institutions, and unstable quality of talent training. Based on the setting of rehabilitation majors in the catalogues of undergraduate majors in colleges and universities adjusted and promulgated in 1998, 2012, and 2020 and the addition of majors in different types of colleges and universities in each catalogue, this article summarizes the rules, trends, and characteristics of the development of rehabilitation majors in higher education institutions in China and discusses the current status and existing problems of such majors, so as to provide a theoretical reference for the optimization and adjustment of rehabilitation majors in China.

Objective: To analyze the status of occupational medical examination (OME) institutions in Guangdong Province and the critical control points affecting their future development. Methods: A total of 211 OME institutions registered in Guangdong Province were selected as the research subjects. Their current statue was investigated, and the risk assessment of their future development was carried out based on hazard analysis and critical control point theory. Results: The OME institutions were mainly concentrated in the Pearl River Delta, accounting for 72.0%. The public and private medical and health institutions accounted for 70.6% and 29.4% respectively. The filing rates of different OME categories from high to low in the order were physical factors, chemical factors, dust, other, radiation factors, biological factors (P<0.01), and the filing rates were 89.6%, 88.6%, 84.8%, 63.0%, 7.1% and 1.0%, respectively. The rates of excellence in the field assessment from high to low in the order were hearing atlas analysis personnel, lung function examination operators, chest film reading personnel, chief examination physician, technical director, quality director (P<0.01), and the rates of excellence were 49.4%, 26.2%, 20.6%, 10.8%, 8.2% and 4.6%, respectively. A total of 37 institutions did not submit OME information, of which 23 institutions did not carry out OME work after filing. The required diagnosis rate and confirmed diagnosis rate of suspected occupational diseases in 2020 were 34.3% and 55.3%, respectively. In 2021, the detection rate of suspected occupational diseases was only 1.1‰. Among the institutions with biological monitoring records, 64.1% did not participate in external quality assessment program in laboratory, and the unqualified rate of 38 participating institutions was 55.3%. The risk assessment results show that the future development of OME institutions needs to focus on private institutions, institutions that have not reported OME information, institutions that have missed diagnosis and missed reporting of suspected occupational diseases, institutions that have not participated in external quality assessment program in laboratory and core personnel such as quality managers, technical leaders, and main inspection physicians. Conclusion: OME institutions in Guangdong Province show the characteristics of centralized filing category, centralized filing region and centralized filing institution nature. Combined with the potential risks of OME institutional capacity building, it is necessary to implement classified management, strengthen information construction, supervision and management, implement post responsibilities, and promote the high-quality development of OME institutions.

The Prevention and Control of Occupational Diseases Law revised in 2017 abolished the qualification test and approval for occupational health examination institutions, and replaced it with record management. The record does not belong to any type of administrative permit and does not require the premise of “general prohibition”. Its core idea is that “the public law actively acts as an obligation”, which does not prohibit administrative counterpart from carrying out specific tasks, mainly information collection, supervision and management of follow-ups, and emphasizes on simplifying procedures, improving working efficiency and stimulating market vitality. It is a strategic measure of the government's reform on “release, control and service”. It has the functional significance of alleviating information asymmetry, cultivating market credit mechanism and reflecting the government's flexible supervision and management mechanisms. However, China has not yet unified legislation on record management, and individuals on the theoretical and practical circles have different understandings on the concept, operation principle, and management effectiveness of the record management. There are practical dilemmas in the record management of occupational health examination institutions, such as alienation of record management into licensing, insufficient regulation of record management procedures, and weak in-process and post-process supervision and management capabilities. It is suggested to clarify the legal nature of record management, unify and improve the record management procedures, and improve in-process and post-process supervision and management capabilities. By building a legal, scientific and systematic regulation for the record management of occupational health examination institutions, adhering to the unity of “discharge” and “control”, it could effectively safeguard the legitimate rights and interests of occupational health examination institutions, workers and employers.