Skip to main content
CMAJ : Canadian Medical Association Journal logoLink to CMAJ : Canadian Medical Association Journal
. 1986 Nov 1;135(9):985–988.

Guidelines for fitness-to-work examinations.

J W Cowell
PMCID: PMC1491271  PMID: 3756738

Abstract

Fitness-to-work examinations require an objective assessment of the physical and mental health of employees in relation to the requirements and working conditions of specific jobs, to ensure that the workers will not be a hazard to themselves or others. Whether conducted by specialists in occupational medicine or other physicians, the proper performance of these examinations requires a clear understanding of the types of examinations and their purposes and how to serve and protect the interests of all three parties: employee, employer and physician. The circumstances in which fitness-to-work examinations are required are listed, and a method to help physicians in judging fitness to work is described. This method balances the rights and obligations of both employee and employer without compromising the physician's need to practise medicine skillfully and ethically.

Full text

PDF
985

Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

  1. Campione K. M. The pre-employment examination: an evaluation. IMS Ind Med Surg. 1972 Mar;41(3):27–30. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Gadian T. Health monitoring in industry: medical considerations. R Soc Health J. 1980 Aug;100(4):130–132. doi: 10.1177/146642408010000404. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Guidotti T. L. Occupational health monitoring and surveillance. Am Fam Physician. 1985 Feb;31(2):161–169. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Hogan J. C., Bernacki E. J. Developing job-related preplacement medical examinations. J Occup Med. 1981 Jul;23(7):469–476. doi: 10.1097/00043764-198107000-00013. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Sackett D. L. Screening for early detection of disease: to what purpose? Bull N Y Acad Med. 1975 Jan;51(1):39–52. [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Schussler T., Kaminer A. J., Power V. L., Pomper I. H. The preplacement examination. J Occup Med. 1975 Apr;17(4):254–257. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from CMAJ: Canadian Medical Association Journal are provided here courtesy of Canadian Medical Association

RESOURCES