Public Health

Generic Job Families

Specialist Areas

Functional Requirements

Details/Health and Safety Indicators

General public health work

Doctors could work for a rural community, a city, or the global population. A Public Health doctor will “undertake prophylaxis, diagnosis and treatment of infectious diseases of public importance”

Ability to prioritise work, and work well against a background of change

 

Ability to practice in challenging environments and

uncertainty

May present problems for doctors suffering from psychological problems such as depression and anxiety, or fatigue from any cause or cognitive impairment.

 

Travel to and from work areas

Driving to peripheral sites (public transport not always available)

May present problems for doctors who are unfit to drive for a variety of medical conditions e.g. epilepsy

 

See DVLA recommendations

http://www.dft.gov.uk/dvla/medical/aag.aspx

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Clinical administration

Hand written tasks e.g. writing reports, filling in forms

 

Display screen equipment tasks e.g. comuterised notes, results, email

May present problems for doctors with upper limb disorders especially in dominant hand, neck and lower back conditions and problems of vision/visual acuity

 

May cause problems for doctors with dyslexia

 

 

Talking and listening on phone

May present problems for doctors with hearing loss or wearing hearing aids.

 

 

Dictating and reading letters

May present problems for doctors with problems of vision/visual acuity

May present problems for doctors with dyslexia

 

Doctor-staff interaction

Communicating with other staff members both verbally and by phone

May present problems for doctors with visual or hearing problems

Communicable Disease Control

Contact with infectious diseases

Contact with blood and body fluids

 

Contact with infectious patients

Risk to all healthcare workers from needlestick injuries and splashes

 

 

May cause problems for doctors who are immunosuppressed due to variety of causes including medication, radiotherapy, HIV etc

Specific concerns during pregnancy (e.g. parvovirus, measles, whooping cough)

 

 

Doctor-patient consultation

Communicating with patients and relatives

May cause difficulties for doctors with visual or hearing problems

 

 

Sitting for defined periods

May present problems for doctors with musculoskeletal conditions especially neck and lower back