When it comes to working wellness into your workforce, you want someone who knows the ins and outs of wellness, and who can counsel workers and provide primary care – all within the context of the current regulatory and legal environment.
AAOHN’s survey reported that more than half of employees (61 percent) want to receive wellness information from a health care expert, such as a advisor or an onsite occupational health nurse (OHN), compared to flyers or flyers (18 percent) or human resources (HR) staff (15 percent).
OHNs can develop, implement and evaluate components of work site wellness programs such as screening programs, exercise/fitness courses, stress management, smoking cessation, nutrition and weight control programs, in addition to chronic disease management programs.
Plus, OHNs can help workers navigate through complicated health plans and might even serve as a triage point between workers and their personal health care providers.
Staff Members might refrain from seeing their health care provider when it means time away from work, inconvenient parking, waiting time in the office and co-pays.
In situations where workforce are under treatment for chronic conditions like heart disease, onsite nurses can routinely monitor risk factors like blood pressure (BP) or cholesterol on a regular basis.
It’s often easier for an staff member to ask an onsite nurse for information about signs or prescription medication than it’s to schedule a follow-up visit to an individual health care provider.
Benefits realized by employers include enhanced worker morale and retention, a recruitment advantage, increased productivity and decreased time away from work.
In corporations with a safety department, the OHN can evaluate and address work-related health issues, including participation in workstation examinations to correct potential ergonomic problems, and proactively addressing muscle strains by developing stretching programs and involving personnel in leading stretches.
Leave a Reply