In response to the comments on pre employment assessment.
There is already a substantial body of evidence, much of which is
based on research, some carried out in this country and some
abroad on pre employment assessment.
see, for example, Alexander, de Kort, Battigelli, Braddick,
Whitaker, Buckley, Carel, Chaffin, Chohen, Collings, Cosens,
Dignan, Duncan, Evason, Floyd, Goldman, Hanks, ILO,
McElerney, Lewy........................... etc. etc. etc.
including the principles of screening, by Wilson & Jungner adopted
by the WHO, modified for occupational health by Halperin et. al.
that discuss issues such as sensitivity and specificity in screening
(why we ask broad questions and why more narrow ones).
We also need to be very clear about the precise aim of pre
employment assessment (there are around 5 potential reasons for
carrying out pre employment assessment that emerge from the
published literature that are often cited as potential reasons or
benefits for carrying out this type of assessment) in order to be
clear about the process. In fact the pre employment assessment
has been made illegal in some European countries for groups other
than emergency personnel or safety sensitive jobs, in Denmark you
are required to have state authorisation to people about their health
in relation to employment.
I find it difficult to understand why those professionals, mainly
occupational health nurses, who carry out the pre employment
assessment day in and day out do not know the research in this
area - it is so fundamental to understanding good practice.
It is not a debate on practice that is needed, it is the use of the
research based evidence that is already readily available to
professionals that is needed. Any debate that does not take
account of the published literature is likely to be an ill informed
discussion based on anecdote and opinion. It seems to me that
we, as occ. health nurses, do need to move beyond such an
approach if we are to be considered as professionals, and are to be
able to carry out the core tasks of an OH nurse to a high standard.
We could discuss how to access the info, what are the obstacles
to good practice etc. and these issues are rarely addressed in the
literature.
Stuart
Dr. S.C. Whitaker
Senior Research Fellow
Head of Health Services Research Unit
Institute of Occupational Health
University of Birmingham
Birmingham B15 2TT
Tel (44) 0121 414 6010
Fax (44) 0121 414 6217
e-mail [log in to unmask]
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