Wellness Program Follow-Up.

The keys to a successful wellness program are persistent one-on-one outreach and follow-up counseling to encourage health improvement, adherence to treatment programs, changes in lifestyle behaviors, and to prevent relapse.

Periodic outreach and follow-up procedures provide workers with a safety net which keeps them involved in the program and avoids treatment dropout and relapse.

Counselors should follow up on employees at least every 6 months throughout the career of the worker at the worksite. the goals of follow-up are to –  

• Involve staff members who have health risks in treatment and risk reduction programs.

• Involve all employees in health betterment programs and worksite-wide wellness activities.

• Support employees in carrying out the risk reduction or health betterment activities they have chosen.

• Make sure to help workers follow their treatment programs.

• Prevent relapse.

• Avoid employees from dropping out.

• Make sure to help staff members maintain behavior changes.

Follow-up can be conducted in person, by phone, mail, and via computer when the technology is available. Most preferable is an in-person contact.

Computer programs which could do case load management are available to help counselors track information and perform follow-up.

Priorities for Follow-Up

Individuals  with multiple health risks must be at the top of the list. Individuals  in key positions like union leaders or department heads with health risks should also be contacted early so that they learn what the program is about and can share the information with others.

People  who need a medical examination for high blood pressure (BP) or cholesterol should also be targeted early. Many staff members will have seen their physicians thus of the screening, but some will need more encouragement to do so. Those with no health risks can be followed up each year.

A follow-up counseling session can take 20 to 45 minutes. at minimum, follow-up must include those who were told to seek medical analysis for high blood pressure readings, high cholesterol readings, or borderline high blood cholesterol readings with 2 or more other risk factors.

It may include those who were identified as at-risk for one or more of the other major risk factors –  at-risk levels of alcohol consumption, being overweight, and having low HDL.

Follow-Up With Physicians

A letter (see forms) must be sent to the doctor or clinic of each worker who has high blood pressure, high cholesterol, or is under a doctor’s care.

The letter ought to explain the program and ought to include the employee’s relevant, current health measurements.

Along with the letter, send a self-addressed return envelope. Follow-up with the physician ought to be repeated every 6 months until it is determined that the staff member is under satisfactory control.

Contacting the physician is important for three reasons –

• the physicians receive employees’ health measurements taken at the worksite.

• You receive the blood pressure and cholesterol readings the physician takes and information on the treatment the physician prescribes.

A lot of times the worker doesn’t have this information or doesn’t remember it. the information could be used when counseling the worker.

• Follow-up encourages physicians to pay closer attention to heart disease risk factors among their patients.