Employee Health Screening Tools: Uses and Importance

By John Bates

When an employee Health Screening test is administered, it covers standard measurements of vital function.  Most often, employees are aware that they have health issues, but have not been tested to determine the level of severity or the risk to their health that these problems represent. The extent to which their health has deteriorated is often an ignored variable. Chronically ill employees have come to accept their present level of illness as normal. The documentation of health risks is necessary in order to be processed for treatment and accessible for admission in employee health care initiatives.

Most employee Health Screening Tests, employee Health Risk Appraisals and employee Health Risk Assessments take into account the following measurements:

• Blood Glucose Level - Blood tests review for the presence of Diabetes.
• Blood Pressure - Both readings are taken using the sphygmomanometer (yes, that is what it is called). Background medical information and previous blood pressure history is noted.
• Cerebrovascular/Stroke Condition - Blood is taken to determine if there are blood vessel abnormalities
• Cholesterol - Healthy cholesterol and unhealthy cholesterol readings are screened using a blood sample. Diet choices and use of medication is recorded.
• Coronary Disease - Routine questioning detects heart health or previous heart failure.
• Demographic Information - Gender, age, weight, height, shift, department, race, marital status, and geographical location should all be part of the data collection process. This kind of information makes further study of and improvements to wellness programs more accurate.
• Family History - Thorough investigation of past health issues, previous surgeries and patterns in the family tree help to detect the probability of future health issues.
• Feedback - In order to promote an awareness of self-help options, the employee health screener elaborates on the significance of any discovered health risks and the solutions to reduce their impact.
• Forms - All participants have the option to enroll in wellness programs and must agree in writing to submit blood work and medical information for the purpose of pursuing health promotion.
• Physical Activity - The amount and duration of exercise has a direct impact on health risks
• Referrals - If participants have health issues, a referral form should be filled out and signed by the employee. A requisition to ascertain the referral visit occurred accompanies this form.
• Stress - Workplace stress has a huge impact on health and wellness. Determining where the stress is generated can begin a solution-based plan to deal with and reduce the incidence of work-related stress.
• Surveys - Data collection and its application is the foundation of every successful workplace wellness plan. Internal promotion of surveys and recruiting employees to participate in them can be pursued during the employee health screening.
• Tobacco Use - Nicotine addiction is a major focus in the wellness industry. Employees will be assisted, at their prerogative, to get help to stop tobacco use.
• Weight - Body weight, height and fat ratios should be recorded for tracking purposes and demographic referencing.

The Purpose of Blood Tests

There are government standards to adhere to for extracting and testing blood samples for physical fitness and employee health screening. Extracting should only be done by a qualified professional. A blood pressure reading exposes two categories: systolic and diastolic. Systolic pressure is the higher/top number in the result. It is a measurement of the rate at which the blood circulates through the arteries. Diastolic pressure is the lower/bottom number and is a value for the rate at which the blood circulates through the arteries between heartbeats.

Normal blood pressure is approximately 120 (systolic) over 80 (diastolic). Normal blood pressure fluctuates a bit over the course of a day and should be lower during resting times. High blood pressure does not follow this sort of pattern; it remains high during resting phases. This is called hypertension.

National guidelines for blood pressure can be found at NHBLI

The Purpose of Cholesterol Testing

Blood testing to determine cholesterol levels is a task for a skilled medical professional. It requires a specialized program and applied field knowledge to interpret the results. Similar to blood pressure testing, there are national guidelines to follow for testing and evaluation. Some cholesterol in the diet is considered healthy. These levels show up as HDL cholesterol readings. Other cholesterol in the diet is unhealthy and is observable as LDL cholesterol readings. A normal blood cholesterol is between 200 and 40; anything higher or lower than this is cause for a referral to a physician for follow-up testing and treatment.

Both blood pressure and cholesterol testing are key indicators of cardiovascular disease. If there is a family history of heart disease and if the employee uses tobacco, alcohol, has a high cholesterol reading and/or high blood pressure, this places the employee in a high risk category as well as indicates a need for health promotion efforts, nutrition counseling, exercise options and education.

National guidelines for healthy cholesterol levels can be found at NHLBI

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Writer Bio: Written by John Bates for Wellness Proposals. John is a former insurance agent who spent more than 20 years specializing in employee benefits and group health insurance. John's work can also be found on Infinite Health Coach website and on Infinite Wellness Solution's website.