Health Screenings

Health Screenings: An Accurate Measure of Employee Health

Health screenings are a fundamental component of employee wellness programs. It is generally the first big activity that an employer should provide when creating a wellness program. Health screenings are often used in conjunction with paper-based or web-based Health Risk Assessments.

Health screenings are most effective when handled by trained health professionals. This will work to ensure the accuracy of the health screenings. Employees should be given confidential access to the health professionals handling the health screenings in order to assess the employee's current health. This health professional will take a brief health history and measure the blood pressure and the cholesterol of the participant. Health screenings generally last between three and eight minutes.

Most health screenings provide immediate feedback through consultation with the health professional and by receiving educational materials. For employees identified as high risk, follow-up appointments may be scheduled. The full process generally takes about twenty minutes per participant. Health screenings also provide an immediate opportunity to enroll employees in various employee wellness programs based on their personal interests and any identified health risks.

Health screenings can be done annually and may be used as a means for monitoring employee health risks within the workplace.

Health screenings should be scheduled to give more than one opportunity for employees to participate. Health screenings should be provided for all shifts within a company. Health screenings occur in highly visible areas so that the process can be easily observed.

Employees who are reluctant to participate will often decide to participate after seeing how health screenings are handled. When the health screeners are not busy, they should go to areas where employees tend to gather and try to recruit additional participants.

Health screenings that are planned well and promoted to the employees can have high participation rates. This is a good thing as it can cause upper management to provide additional funding to further support employee wellness programs.

Heart Health Screenings

The most common health screenings performed in employee wellness programs are heart health screenings.

Heart health screenings can include written heart health tests, blood pressure checks, cholesterol testing, glucose (blood sugar) testing, weight checks, educational materials related to diet, exercise, nutrition, weight management and smoking.

The health professionals conducting the health screenings will then provide a private consultation and may help individual's establish health goals.

Health Screening Vendors

There are literally thousands of companies offering health screening services. Prices and service can vary widely so you must be very careful when selecting a vendor to provide biometric testing services. It is always recommended that you talk to more than one reference from the potential vendor in order to get a feel for the quality of the services they offer.

Since health screenings are generally the first exposure that many employees have to a wellness program it is vital that they have a good experience. Poor quality health screeners can cause employees to opt out of further wellness programs.

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