When it comes to working wellness into your workforce, you want someone who knows the ins and outs of wellness, and who can counsel staff members and provide primary care – all within the context of the current regulatory and legal environment.
AAOHN’s survey stated that more than half of staff (61 percent) want to receive wellness information from a health care expert, like a advisor or an onsite occupational health nurse (OHN), compared to flyers or flyers (18 percent) or HR staff (15 percent).
OHNs can develop, implement and evaluate components of work site health promotion programs such as screening programs, exercise/fitness courses, stress management, use of tobacco cessation, nutrition and weight control programs, in addition to chronic disease management programs.
Plus, OHNs can help staff members navigate through complicated medical plans and might even serve as a triage point between staff members and their personal health care providers.
Workers might refrain from seeing their healthcare provider when it means time away from work, inconvenient parking, waiting time in the office and co-pays.
In situations where personnel are under treatment for chronic diseases 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 employee to ask an onsite nurse for information about symptoms or prescription medication than it is to schedule a follow-up visit to an individual health care provider.
Benefits realized by businesss 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 evaluations to correct potential ergonomic problems, and proactively addressing muscle strains by developing stretching programs and involving personnel in leading stretches.