Is an occupational examination superior to an occupational health history alone for preplacement screening in health care settings?

Abstract

To determine whether preplacement recommendations following an occupationally focused medical history is different from those following an occupational consultation. This was a retrospective cohort study of 172 applicants to our institution. Following provider review of occupational history survey alone, none of the applicants had restrictions recommended. In comparison, only 163 applicants (94.7%) were recommended to be hired without restrictions following provider review of the same patient's occupational history and examination (P = 0.0078). A well-designed questionnaire is useful for screening applicants for preplacement examinations and assures sufficient detail to allow for a large proportion of individuals to proceed to employment without an occupational examination. However, in this study, a small but statistically significant portion (5%) of applicants required occupational examinations for appropriate work recommendations.