You have made some good points Mark.

Of course the employee’s history should be taken into account and one result does not provide a full picture.

Are there not, however, generally recognised limits for cholesterol levels, the results of which could be helpful, along with CHD risk factor assessments? Maybe it would have been more appropriate for us to have posted the terms ‘within’ or ‘outside normal limits’? What are your thoughts on this?

I am sure that staff carrying out screening procedures do so professionally and strive to give feedback to the employees without causing undue anxiety.

Health promotion campaigns are not designed to cause anxiety, but to promote wellbeing by giving information, identifying risks to health and providing support and advice. I know that in my workplace, many (mostly) male employees avoid going to their GP. A workplace health screening programme can actually be the catalyst for them to go and get their medical problems sorted out, with ongoing support and advice from the OH service.

Regards

Roisin

Roisin Doherty RGN

Occupational Health Advisor

-----Original Message-----
From: Mark O'Connor [mailto:[log in to unmask]]
Sent: 22 January 2007 10:52
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: [OCC-HEALTH] FW: [OCC-HEALTH] Sending results to GP's

So tell me what a Normal or Abnormal result is?

Cholesterol is but one of a number of risk factors for ischaemic heart disease

Please tell me that you are not simply measuring cholesterol without taking into account age, sex, diabetes status, left ventricular hypertrophy, blood pressure, smoking status and past medical and family history

The joint societies produce some good software that helps to work out an overall 10 year risk factor for CHD which is a far more useful measure for primary screening that takes into account all these factors

I know that to get anything out of a GP costs and so from this point of
view I'm a little reluctant to send results free of charge

Go to most shops and they generally want some money for their goods

Are you seriously suggesting GP would want to pay for your cholesterol results?? No thanks - issues of quality control and the fact that I am paying for an infrastructure already to do this for my patients out of my own money

However I would be interested in seeing a copy of the letter that you send to your staff - could you post that here please?

Did anyone ever consider the anxiety produced by your screening programme?

Mark

On 22/01/07, Roisin Doherty <[log in to unmask]> wrote:

....Obviously having obtained informed written consent as per usual procedures

Regards
Roisin

Roisin Doherty RGN
Occupational Health Advisor

-----Original Message-----
From: Roisin Doherty
Sent: 22 January 2007 09:30
To: 'Occupational Health mailing list'
Subject: RE: [OCC-HEALTH] Sending results to GP's

Hi Glenn

I would advise the employee of the normal result and to take a copy of their result to the GP if they so wish. I wouldn't feel obliged to send them to the GP - unless the result is abnormal, or if there is a medical history where having a normal result would be meaningful.

Hope this helps

Regards
Roisin

Roisin Doherty RGN
Occupational Health Advisor

-----Original Message-----
From: Glenn Raybone [mailto:[log in to unmask] ]
Sent: 22 January 2007 07:45
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: [OCC-HEALTH] Sending results to GP's

Morning all

can I ask for opinions please? We are currently doing cholesterol checks
on staff as part of a health promotion campaign. All results are sent to
the individual with advice as appropriate. If the result is abnormal we
also send a copy to their GP. My question is should we automatically send
all results to the GP regardless of whether abnormal or not?

I know that to get anything out of a GP costs and so from this point of
view I'm a little reluctant to send results free of charge, as if the
process was in reverse we'd be paying for such information, but rather
than delve into politics what do others feel about this?

regards

Glenn

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Find out about Occupational Health Nursing Education in UK at http://home.wlv.ac.uk/~in6232/aohne/

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Find out about Occupational Health Nursing Education in UK at http://home.wlv.ac.uk/~in6232/aohne/