By O’Connor, Thea
MEDICAL CHECK-UPS CAN BE LIFE-SAVING FOR INDIVIDUALS AND ADD LIFE TO A WORKFORCE, WRITES THEA O’CONNOR As undignified and uncomfortable as they might be, pap smears and prostate checks can add years to your life and that of your workforce. Making an appointment to see a doctor when you’re feeling fine can seem counter-intuitive. But feeling good isn’t a guarantee that all is well. Silent killers, such as diabetes, heart disease, breast and bowel cancer can sneak up on you without any obvious symptoms in the early stages.
“You can have high cholesterol levels, high blood pressure, a lump in your breast or prostate without knowing it,” says Dr John Gullotta, a Sydney GP and chair of the public health committee of the Australian Medical Association. Left untreated these symptoms can be fatal.
That’s why regular medical checkups are vital. “The point of screening and prevention is to pick up disease states early so they can be treated, and ideally to prevent disease occurring in the first place,” says Gullotta.
Convinced of the productivity and personal health benefits, some workplaces are happy to invest in offering on-site health checks. Recent research indicates the investment pays off.
A Wesley Corporate Health study of 4800 employees found that the average Australian worker has heightened risk of heart disease, obesity, diabetes, cancer and depression.
This in turn reduces productivity by up to 7 per cent. The good news is that employees’ health risk factors can be reduced by up to 56 per cent – at a rate of 10 per cent a year – by implementing health screening and health promotion strategies in the workplace, according to the Wesley Corporate Health Study, The Future @Work Health Report, 2006.
Foster’s Australia is one organisation that is encouraging workers to stay on top of their health. “Knowing that half our employees at the Abbotsford site are 40 to 70-year-old men, who are traditionally poorer at preventative health than women, we’ve been really pushing health checks for a number of years now,” says Foster’s occupational health manager, Jo Spencer.
Foster’s employees can attend the on-site centre at any time for a range of health and wellness issues including blood pressure, cholesterol and blood glucose checks.
They also come in response to specific campaigns. “When we ran our drive for prostate cancer checks and provided free, on-site blood tests, we had about 50 per cent of employees come along,” says Spencer. “If we’d written out a referral slip and said, ‘Here, go to the doctor’, it just wouldn’t happen.”
Dreaming up new initiatives to keep workers coming back for health checks is part of Spencer’s job. The healthy weight and lifestyle campaign, “Abby’s Biggest Winner”, which attracted about 170 employees and resulted in a collective loss of more than 360kg, has just been completed.
Scott Davidson, Foster’s operations support manager, has such confidence in the health programs that he’s hiring more staff. “Better general health means less time off for illness, especially among an ageing workforce.”
Minter Ellison Lawyers is another firm that has a long history of offering health checks to its partners. For 20 years it’s been a requirement that partners have a full medical examination at least every two years, with those aged 50 plus encouraged to have an annual assessment. “The firm foots the bill, as there’s obvious merit in having those who are leading the organisation as healthy as possible,” says Neil Hibble, director of partner services.
Using a provider that specialises in health assessments (Good Health Solutions) allows Minter Ellison to ensure a thorough and consistent set of tests, while guaranteeing confidentiality, which Hibble says is vital for participation.
Hibble has undergone the two-to-three-hour full physical examination himself. “You definitely come out at the end knowing what shape you are in,” he says. “No one needs to be frightened of participating -there’s much more to be lost by not getting it done.”
For those workplaces keen to get the best return on any investment in staff health, Gullotta has some advice: “Make sure you match the tests to the age and health of your workforce.” Doing electrocardiogram stress tests on fit and healthy symptom-free 20 to 30-year-olds might not be the best use of money. And if you are using expensive tests, such as a total body scan, make sure you understand how to interpret the results and what benefit they will be to you. For example, if a scan picks up a problem, great. But if it doesn’t, you can’t assume there’s nothing wrong with you since it doesn’t pick up everything. Also make sure that you organise good follow-up, so that when staff get their results, they can talk to a health professional about them, especially if the results have serious implications.”
Health checks: What to have when
N.B. These are guidelines only. Your doctor is best placed to tailor a medical examination that best suits your needs.
All adults
Check-ups for adults of all ages should include a review of smoking, alcohol, diet, exercise, medication, mood checks, blood pressure, cholesterol and skin cancer. Sexual health check-ups are recommended with any change of sexual partner.
Gender-specific tests
Women
* Pap smear two years after first sexual encounter, then every two years until age 70
* Mammogram every two years from age 50 until 70
Men
* Prostate cancer check from age 50 then every two years
Acknowledgements to Dr John Gullotta.
How often do you need a check-up?
Two check-ups per decade for people in their 20s, three check- ups for people in their 30s, four for people in their 40s, then annually for people aged 50 plus.
(American Medical Association)
Thea O’Connor is a health promotion consultant, writer and speaker, www.thea.com.au
Copyright CPA Australia Jul 2008
(c) 2008 Australian CPA. Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning. All rights Reserved.
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