Shield - Surveillance Scheme for Occupational Asthma

Shield is the Midland Thoracic Society's Surveillance Scheme of Occupational Asthma. The scheme, which was set up in January 1989, was established to meet three main objectives. 1) To study the general and specific incidence of occupational asthma within a defined geographic area, 2) To determine proposed mechanisms of asthma, and 3) to determine the employment state of workers at diagnosis. Chest physicians, the Medical Boarding Centre (respiratory disease), and members of the West Midlands Group of the Society of Occupational Medicine implemented the scheme, by reporting each new case using a questionnaire format. The questionnaire covered personal information on the patient, details of the diagnosis, information about their occupational history, and the outcome after diagnosis. The introduction of the data protection act in the UK required consent for personal data to be reported. This reduced the number of reports. In 2010 Shield was revised to allow online reporting. Only anonymous data is transmitted so no specific consent from the worker is required. This has reduced the data available. We no longer collect information on the proposed mechanism or the employment state following diagnosis. The agent thought to cause the occupational asthma remains, in addition the audit criteria from the BTS standards of care have been added.

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Number of Cases reported to Shield

Shield Notification

Shield notification changed in 2010 and now is linked to the Oasys peak flow plotter, downloadable at (www.occupationalasthma.com/occupational_asthma_pageview.aspx?id=4443). Shield notification can be used without any peak flow. After opening Oasys click on view and then Oasys audit patient data. Either enter a new patient or click on one of your previously entered patients. If you wish to notify without using Oasys please download the postal notification form. As the information transmitted is anonymous no patient consent is required. Any patient specific information which you enter on your computer will not be uploaded, but will help you with your records. The internet Shield database has been approved by our Caldicott guardian as being truly anonymous.

Shield Reports

Occupational asthma: Shield report 2013 Shield report 2013
Occupational asthma: Shield report 2012 Shield Report 2012
Occupational asthma: Shield Report 2011 Shield 2011
Occupational asthma: Shield Report 2010 Shield Report 2010
Occupational asthma: Oasys Usage 2010 Oasys Usage 2010

Form for paper notification of occupational asthma cases in the West Midlands

Full Text Available for Fifteen-year trends in occupational asthma: data
from the Shield surveillance scheme Bakerly ND, Moore VC, Vellore AD, Jaakkola MS, Robertson AS, Burge PS, Fifteen-year trends in occupational asthma: data from the Shield surveillance scheme, Occup Med (London), 2008;58:169-174,
Sherwood Burge, Oasys, an author of 'Fifteen-year trends in occupational asthma: data
from the Shield surveillance scheme' Vicky Moore, Oasys, an author of 'Fifteen-year trends in occupational asthma: data
from the Shield surveillance scheme' Alastair Robertson, Selly Oak Hospital, an author of 'Fifteen-year trends in occupational asthma: data
from the Shield surveillance scheme' Arun Dev Vellore, Oasys, an author of 'Fifteen-year trends in occupational asthma: data
from the Shield surveillance scheme' Maritta Jaakkola, Oulu University Finland, an author of 'Fifteen-year trends in occupational asthma: data
from the Shield surveillance scheme' Nawar Bakerly, Birmingham Heartlands Hospital, an author of 'Fifteen-year trends in occupational asthma: data
from the Shield surveillance scheme'

Full Text Available for 15 Years of SHIELD: a reporting scheme for occupational asthma Moore V, Robertson A, Jaakkola M, Pantin C, Burge PS, 15 Years of SHIELD: a reporting scheme for occupational asthma, Eur Respir J Suppl, 2006;28:245s,
Sherwood Burge, Oasys, an author of '15 Years of SHIELD: a reporting scheme for occupational asthma' Charles Pantin, Keele, UK, an author of '15 Years of SHIELD: a reporting scheme for occupational asthma' Vicky Moore, Oasys, an author of '15 Years of SHIELD: a reporting scheme for occupational asthma' Alastair Robertson, Selly Oak Hospital, an author of '15 Years of SHIELD: a reporting scheme for occupational asthma' Maritta Jaakkola, Oulu University Finland, an author of '15 Years of SHIELD: a reporting scheme for occupational asthma'

Abstract Available for Occupational asthma in a highly industrialized region of UK: report from a local surveillance scheme Di Stefano F, Siriruttanapruk S, McCoach J, Di Gioacchino M, Burge PS, Occupational asthma in a highly industrialized region of UK: report from a local surveillance scheme, Allerg Immunol (Paris), 2004;36:56-62,
Sherwood Burge, Oasys, an author of 'Occupational asthma in a highly industrialized region of UK: report from a local surveillance scheme' Jennifer McCoach (now Croft), Oasys, an author of 'Occupational asthma in a highly industrialized region of UK: report from a local surveillance scheme' Somkiat Siriruttanapruk, Ministry of Public Health, Thailand, an author of 'Occupational asthma in a highly industrialized region of UK: report from a local surveillance scheme' Fabio Di Stefano, Ospedale G.Bernabeo, Ortona, an author of 'Occupational asthma in a highly industrialized region of UK: report from a local surveillance scheme'

Abstract Available for Occupational asthma: measures of frequency from four countries Meredith SK, Nordman H, Occupational asthma: measures of frequency from four countries, Thorax, 1996;51:435-440,
Henrik Nordman, Finnsh Institute of Occupational Health, an author of 'Occupational asthma: measures of frequency from four countries'

Full Text Available for The SHIELD scheme in the West Midlands Region, United Kingdom Gannon PFG, Burge PS, The SHIELD scheme in the West Midlands Region, United Kingdom, Br J Ind Med, 1993;50:791-796,
Sherwood Burge, Oasys, an author of 'The SHIELD scheme in the West Midlands Region, United Kingdom' Paul Gannon, Dupont, an author of 'The SHIELD scheme in the West Midlands Region, United Kingdom'

Abstract Available for A preliminary report of a surveillance scheme of occupational asthma in the West Midlands Gannon PFG, Burge PS, A preliminary report of a surveillance scheme of occupational asthma in the West Midlands, Br J Ind Med, 1991;48:579-582,
Sherwood Burge, Oasys, an author of 'A preliminary report of a surveillance scheme of occupational asthma in the West Midlands' Paul Gannon, Dupont, an author of 'A preliminary report of a surveillance scheme of occupational asthma in the West Midlands'

View all references / papers from occupational asthma surveillance schemes

Scottish SHIELD (Surveillance of occupational asthma, bronchitis and rhinitis)
This is a Surveillance Scheme to establish the incidence of occupational asthma, bronchitis and rhinitis in Scotland. A pilot study is being undertaken in the first instance in the North East of Scotland (Aberdeen and Inverness) with the intention of rolling the scheme out Scotland wide.

SWORD (Surveillance of Work-Related and Occupational Respiratory Disease)
The SWORD scheme aims to determine the scale and patterns of work-related respiratory disease in the UK and to identify the agents thought to be responsible along with information on industry and occupation. It does this by storing and analysing reports of occupational respiratory disease from a large number of respiratory physicians. This is a pilot site.

SENSOR (Sentinel Event Notification System for Occupational Risk)
Surveillance for Occupational Asthma, Michigan and New Jersey, 1988-1992.

SENSOR (Sentinel Event Notification System for Occupational Risk)
Surveillance of Work-Related Asthma in Selected U.S. States (California, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Jersey) Using Surveillance Guidelines for State Health Departments, 1993-1995.

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