Health Handouts : Health Screening

The backbone of wellness programming at the workplace is health assessment. It is the first primary exercise a corporation must do when first starting a wellness program. Health assessment is often used in conjunction with the administration of a Health Risk Appraisal (HRA).

The most effective way to screen is to utilize a health professional trained in wellness screening techniques and counseling to privately and individually assess participants. This wellness professional takes a brief health history and measures Blood Pressure and cholesterol. With computerized cholesterol desktop analyzers, results are obtained in about four minutes.

Immediate feedback, consultation, and educational materials are given. For those identified at-risk, follow-up appointments can be scheduled at this time. The whole process takes about twenty minutes per individual. The screening also supports an immediate opportunity to register participants in various health improvement programs based on their interests and identified health risks.

Health screening can be done on an yearly basis and used as a means of monitoring health risks within the workplace.

A health assessment program needs to offer multiple opportunities for participation. The service should be offered for all the various shifts of a employer. The assessment program should be conducted in highly visible areas so the process can be inspected.

Reluctant employees frequently like to be able to see what the program is about before they participate. When wellness screeners are not busy, they should perform outreach going to areas where employees gather and attempt to recruit employees.

When well-planned and promoted, health screening can attract participation rates of 60 percent to 100 percent. These high participation rates have a beneficial influence on management producing reinforcement for further programming.