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 regimens, changes in lifestyle behaviors, and to prevent relapse.

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

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

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

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

• Support workers in carrying out the risk reduction or health improvement activities they have chosen.

• Be certain to help workers comply with their treatment regimens.

• Avoid relapse.

• Avoid workers from dropping out.

• Be certain to help staff members maintain behavior changes.

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

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

Priorities for Follow-Up

People  with multiple health risks must be at the top of the list. People  in key positions such as 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 investigation for high blood pressure (BP) or cholesterol should also be targeted early. A lot of employees will have seen their physicians so of the screening, but some will need more encouragement to do so. Those with no health risks can be followed up yearly.

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 might 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) should be sent to the physician or clinic of each worker who’s high blood pressure, high cholesterol, or is under a physician’s care.

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

Along with the letter, send a self-addressed return envelope. Follow-up with the physician should be repeated every 6 months until it’s determined that the employee is under satisfactory control.

Contacting the physician is important for three reasons –

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

• You receive the blood pressure (BP) and cholesterol readings the doctor takes and information on the treatment the doctor prescribes.

Many times the staff member doesn’t have this information or doesn’t remember it. the information may be used when counseling the staff member.

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