Lung Function in Traditional Shellfish Divers in Southern Chile-A Cross-Sectional Study.

The long-term effects of diving on human lung function are controversially discussed. We investigated the lung function of traditional shellfish divers in southern Chile and identified risk factors for reduced lung volumes in divers. In a cross-sectional study, we assessed lung function in traditional shellfish divers and fishermen from two fishing communities. Male divers and fishermen aged 18-60 years were recruited. Participants' health and diving habits were assessed via standardized questionnaires. Descriptive statistics, chi-squared tests and multiple linear regression models were applied. Through door-to-door sampling, we recruited 112 divers and 63 fishermen (response 67%). Valid spirometries were obtained from 98 divers and 52 fishermen. Divers had higher values of forced vital capacity (FVC, Beta = 0.28, 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.09; 0.47) and forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV1, Beta = 0.23, 95%-CI: 0.07; 0.39) compared to fishermen. Among divers, lower values of FVC (Beta = -0.35, 95%-CI: -0.65; -0.05) were found in those with a high diving frequency, while diving depth was associated with higher values of FVC (Beta = 0.28, 95%-CI = 0.04; 0.52). Professional divers had better lung function compared to fishermen. However, among divers, lung function decreased with cumulative diving exposure, warranting approval in future studies to ensure the safety and health of divers.

Executive Function among Chilean Shellfish Divers: A Cross-Sectional Study Considering Working and Health Conditions in Artisanal Fishing.

Knowledge about professional diving-related risk factors for reduced executive function is limited. We therefore evaluated the association between decompression illness and executive functioning among artisanal divers in southern Chile. The cross-sectional study included 104 male divers and 58 male non-diving fishermen from two fishing communities. Divers self-reported frequency and severity of symptoms of decompression illness. Executive function was evaluated by perseverative responses and perseverative errors in the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test. Age, alcohol consumption, and symptoms of depression were a-priori defined as potential confounders and included in linear regression models. Comparing divers and non-divers, no differences in the executive function were found. Among divers, 75% reported a history of at least mild decompression sickness. Higher frequency and severity of symptoms of decompression illness were associated with reduced executive function. Therefore, intervention strategies for artisanal divers should focus on prevention of decompression illness.

Adaptation of an international virtual patient collection to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The COVID-19 pandemic posed new global challenges for teaching. We met these challenges as an international collaboration by adapting a collection of virtual patients for clinical reasoning training to this novel context.

Courses on Basic Occupational Safety and Health: A Train-the-Trainer Educational Program for Rural Areas of Latin America.

Integrating basic occupational health services into primary care is encouraged by the Pan American Health Organization. However, concrete initiatives are still scarce. We aimed to develop a training program focusing on prevention of occupational risks for primary healthcare professionals. This train-the-trainer program was piloted at four universities in Chile and Peru. Occupational health or primary healthcare lecturers formed a team with representative(s) of one rural primary healthcare center connected to their university (Nparticipants = 15). Training started with a workshop on participatory diagnosis of working conditions. Once teams had conducted the participatory diagnosis in the rural communities, they designed in a second course an active teaching intervention. The intervention was targeted at the main occupational health problem of the community. After implementation of the intervention, teams evaluated the program. Evaluation results were very positive with an overall score of 9.7 out of 10. Teams reported that the methodology enabled them to visualize hazardous working conditions. They also stated that the training improved their abilities for problem analysis and preventive actions. Aspects like time constraints and difficult geographical access were mentioned as challenges. In summary, addressing occupational health in primary care through targeted training modules is feasible, but long-term health outcomes need to be evaluated.