Core competencies in occupational medicine from the perspective of the different fields of professional activity.

Occupational physicians are expected to be ethical, technical, and humanistic professionals, working to promote and prevent work-related illnesses and to preserve worker's health. The Competências Essenciais Requeridas para o Exercício da Medicina do Trabalho (Core Competencies Required for the Practice of Occupational Medicine) guidelines should be a reference in their professional practice. This article aimed to analyze whether the domains currently proposed in the competencies of the specialty are reflected in the professional practice of those interviewed.

[Occupational exposure and occurrence of pneumoconioses in Campinas, Brazil, 1978-2003].

Objective: To develop and consolidate a comprehensive database on the occurrence of pneumoconioses in an industrialized region of Brazil, with a special focus on the activities most frequently related to these diseases.

Methods: A retrospective, observational study was conducted in order to gather data on cases of pneumoconioses treated at the outpatient clinic of the State University at Campinas Hospital das Clínicas between 1978 and 2003. Individuals diagnosed with pneumoconiosis, based on their occupational history and on chest X-ray findings of abnormalities consistent with interstitial lung disease involving the parenchyma, in accordance with the 1980 and 2000 recommendations of the International Labour Organization, were included in the study.