Work-related asthma: Doctors 'ethically bound' to notify employers
A new position statement sets out best practice for management of the disease
A diagnosis of occupational asthma should prompt a physician to contact the patient’s employer to discuss the safety of other workers, according to leading respiratory physicians.
A new position statement, endorsed by the Thoracic Society of Australia and New Zealand (TSANZ) and the National Asthma Council Australia, says work-related asthma is underdiagnosed and under-reported.
“All occurrences of work-related asthma are potentially preventable,” the authors say.
“Because a new diagnosis of occupational asthma is a sentinel event, the