Collaboration Between General Practitioners and Occupational Physicians

Objective: To study the perceptions that general practitioners (GPs) and occupational physicians (OPs) have of GPs' role in occupational health and their willingness to work together to prevent the exclusion of patients with disabilities from the workplace. Methods: Cross-sectional telephone survey of two randomly selected national samples of GPs and OPs was conducted. Results: The majority of GPs and OPs are in favor of cooperation, especially to prevent exclusion from the workplace. However, some GPs lack trust in OPs' independence, an attitude associated negatively with the practice of GP referral to OPs to anticipate disability-related problems likely to occur when returning to work after a prolonged sick leave. Conclusions: There are some barriers to cooperation, on the part of both OPs and GPs. Initiatives are needed to encourage cooperation between these two types of physicians.