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Objectives The Network on the Coordination and Harmonisation of European Occupational Cohorts (OMEGA-NET) was set up to enable optimization of the use of industrial and general population cohorts across Europe to advance aetiological research. High-quality harmonized exposure assessment is crucial to derive comparable results and to enable pooled analyses. To facilitate a harmonized research strategy, a concerted effort is needed to catalogue available occupational exposure information. We here aim to provide a first comprehensive overview of exposure assessment tools that could be used for occupational epidemiological studies. Methods An online inventory was set up to collect meta-data on exposure assessment tools. Occupational health researchers were invited via newsletters, editorials, and individual e-mails to provide details of job-exposure matrices (JEMs), exposure databases, and occupational coding systems and their associated crosswalks to translate codes between different systems, with a focus on Europe. Results Meta-data on 36 general population JEMs, 11 exposure databases, and 29 occupational coding systems from more than 10 countries have been collected up to August 2021. A wide variety of exposures were covered in the JEMs on which data were entered, with dusts and fibres (in 14 JEMs) being the most common types. Fewer JEMs covered organization of work (5) and biological factors (4). Dusts and fibres were also the most common exposures included in the databases (7 out of 11), followed by solvents and pesticides (both in 6 databases). Conclusions This inventory forms the basis for a searchable web-based database of meta-data on existing occupational exposure information, to support researchers in finding the available tools for assessing occupational exposures in their cohorts, and future efforts for harmonization of exposure assessment. This inventory remains open for further additions, to enlarge its coverage and include newly developed tools. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Health practitioners and decision makers in the medical and insurance systems need knowledge on the work-relatedness of burnout. To gather the most reliable information regarding burnout diagnosis and recognition in Europe, we used an 8-item standard questionnaire sent by e-mail to occupational health specialists identified via the Network on the Coordination and Harmonization of European Occupational Cohorts (OMEGA-NET) within the European Cooperation in Science and Technology (COST) Action. Participation rate was 100%, and the questionnaire was completed for 37 countries. In 14 (38%) countries burnout syndrome can be acknowledged as an occupational disease. However, only one country included burnout on the list of occupational diseases. The results showed a high variability in burnout diagnosis, in assessment of its workrelatedness, and in conditions allowing compensation of patients. These results reflect a lack of graded evidence on burnout and its determinants. The ongoing research on burnout conducted in the frame of the OMEGA-NET COST Action should be helpful through facilitating standardization of both existing and new data on burnout, a priority outcome requiring harmonization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]