The Action Research for Developing Occupational and Environmental Diseases Surveillance System in Order to Support Trat Special Economic Zone (SEZ)

Abstract

The Objective of this study was to develop occupational and environmental disease surveillance system in order to support Trat Special Economic Zone (SEZ) by using participatory action research. Method : The research was set into three phases to conduct this research as follows : Phase I : Situation and problem awareness/Phase II : Participatory action research operation to develop the potential of public health officers in field of occupational and environmental diseases surveillance/ Phase III : The surveillance system development evaluation It came out with three - step process to operate the research : Step I : Situation and problem analysis/Step II : Surveillance system developing model determination/ Step III : The model usage

Result: 1. The occupational and environmental disease situation and 43 – folders data problem showed that the highest number of sickness was working injury. The public health officers had low knowledge and low participation in occupational and environmental disease surveillance system. There was just 9.37% of encoding Y96 data. There was just 3.21% of encoding ICD – 10 data in the 5th position : external causes of injury (code 2 : while working for income). There was no confirmation of disease diagnosis and encoding accuracy before sending data to HDC system. 2. This surveillance system format was about the participatory development, the 3 – most important surveillance disease determination (occupational accident, pesticide, musculoskeletal from working), and the confirmation of disease diagnosis and encoding accuracy in 43 – folder data. The suggestion was to bring corrective data to the consideration of district Health board. 3. It was found out that after the development, the public health officers had more knowledge and participatory. Encoding Y96 increased to 88.88%. The correction of encoding IDC – 10 in the 5th position increased to 87.50%

Conclusion To develop the public health officers by using these three strategies : advocacy, enabling, and mediating can encourage the development of occupational and environmental disease surveillance system in order to support Trat Special Economic Zone (SEZ)