Objective: In this research, we aimed to evaluate the support for asbestos health consultation in health centers.
Method: In this exploratory descriptive study, a self-administered original questionnaire was developed and used. Among all 517 health centers, valid responses were returned from 323 (62.5%) consenting centers.
Result: Consultations in the previous year ranged from 0–108 cases, with a facility median of 3.0 cases. Among staff members, 86.4% did not receive training and 35.4% had never used the manual. Workplaces that use asbestos within their jurisdiction were recognized by 39.2% of staff members, and 16.7% of these members always supported consultants psychologically. The staff members were not confident about asbestos health consultation: 71.2% for general questions, 76.2% for questions about asbestos-related diseases, and 76.4% for questions about risk of asbestos-related diseases; 51.4% were not confident about the Asbestos-Related Health Damage Relief System. Health center staff members who were significantly more confident were those who had more staff to work with; dealt with many consultations in the previous year; recognized the workplaces using asbestos within their jurisdiction; often used the manual and often psychologically supported consultants. According to the covariance structure analysis model, the ‘use of support systems’ consisting of ‘the use of manual’, ‘training attendance’ and ‘recognition of workplaces that use asbestos’ positively affected the frequency of psychological support (p<0.01) which promoted the confidence of staff members (p<0.01). The use of support systems also promoted the confidence of staff members directly (p<0.05).
Conclusions: The support systems such as training, use of manual, and a list of workplaces using asbestos were effective in building the confidence of health center staff in relation to asbestos health consultation, although the use of these support systems was low.