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 employees with a safety net which keeps them involved in the program and prevents treatment dropout and relapse.

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

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

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

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

• Make sure to help staff members follow their treatment regimens.

• Avoid relapse.

• Prevent staff members from dropping out.

• Be certain to help employees maintain behavior changes.

Follow-up may 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 may 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 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 investigation for high blood pressure or cholesterol should also be targeted early. Many staff members will have seen their doctors so of the screening, but some will need more encouragement to do so. Those with no health risks could 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 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’s high blood pressure, high cholesterol, or is under a doctor’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 must 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 doctors receive employees’ health measurements taken at the worksite.

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

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

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