A computer-administered health screening interview for hospital personnel.

TitleA computer-administered health screening interview for hospital personnel.
Publication TypeJournal Article
Year of Publication1995
AuthorsSLACK WV, Safran C, Kowaloff HB, Pearce J, Delbanco TL
JournalMD Comput
Volume12
Issue1
Pagination25-30
Date Published1995 Jan-Feb
ISSN0724-6811
KeywordsBoston, Computers, Female, Health Promotion, Health Status, Humans, Incidence, Life Style, Male, Medical History Taking, Occupational Health, Personnel, Hospital, Software, Stress, Psychological, User-Computer Interface
Abstract

We developed a computer-administered health screening interview for the employees of an urban teaching hospital. The interview is part of the integrated Center for Clinical Computing (CCC) clinical information system used throughout the hospital, and is available on any of 2000 terminals. Conducted in private and with protection of confidentiality, the interview seeks information on medical problems and patterns of living for which behavioral change is considered desirable. In a four-year period ending in May 1994, 1937 employees completed the interview. The results showed that stress and unhappiness were common: 57% of the employees reported high levels of stress, and 42% reported feeling sad, discouraged, or hopeless in the previous month; 6% indicated that life sometimes did not seem worth living. Eighty-six percent of the employees expressed an interest in the health-related programs offered by the hospital: 72% were interested in the fitness center, and 37% in the stress-reduction program. We conclude that if interactive health-promotion programs are easily available, they will be used and appreciated in the work place. The programs can be written to reveal the employees' health concerns and stimulate their interest in promoting their own health.

Alternate JournalMD Comput
PubMed ID7854075