General

To avoid missing an occupational aetiology, physicians should routinely ask their patients a set of standardized questions to determine if a condition may be work-related. Because time with patients is limited, the following are a few, simple questions that should be regularly asked,
  1. "What kind of work do you do?"
  2. "Are your symptoms better or worse when you are at work?"
  3. "Do you think your health problems are related to your work?"
If a patient’s responses to the above questions indicate that it is unlikely that the condition is work-related, inquiries along this line can stop. However, if the answers to one or more of these questions arouses suspicion that a patient's symptoms are work-related, a comprehensive occupational health history should be taken.

Note that there are standardized questionnaires available to ensure that nothing is overlooked. Click here to download the Disabilities of the Arm, Shoulder and Hand (DASH) questionnaire. This questionnaire covers symptoms as well as occupational and non-occupational activities.