What financial impacts can health screenings create for your company?

Health check-ups are common in both primary care and occupational health services, but their usefulness has been questioned. Is there any value in them at all? The answer is yes. If they are done in the right way, and combined with other measures, they can improve workplace health and create positive economic effects.

In 2014, Karolinska Institutet (KI) published a report on workplace health examinations. It is based on summaries of 467 original articles and provides some important lessons for companies that plan to work with health check-ups. For example, carrying out health examinations as the only measure, without other interventions, is not recommended. Another insight is that health examinations often have a low participation rate and that those with poorer health and work ability are not reached by the examinations to the same extent. But there are also several advantages – if the examinations are done correctly.

So, how should you work with health examinations in your company to achieve results? It is important to understand that the purpose should be to change lifestyle habits in order to prevent future ill health, rather than working retroactively and trying to influence the effects on health outcomes. The report from KI also shows that health examinations in combination with other initiatives have a number of positive effects on both health behaviors and sickness absence. One of the biggest advantages is the employer’s opportunity to tailor measures for specific individuals, work groups, or problem areas identified in the health examinations. Companies that simultaneously work with health-promoting messages and information, encourage physical activity, and make adjustments to the work environment will see positive effects on employees’ health.

Only positive economic effects

There are other studies that have looked at the economic effects of conducting health examinations (HLU). For example, the benefits in relation to the costs associated with ill health (such as sickness absence, productivity losses, and healthcare costs) have been studied. The results showed that the economic benefit per employee and year ranged between 93 and 695 US dollars. None of the studies showed any negative economic effects. The economic benefit is also supported by an earlier publication from ISSA, which concluded that for every krona invested in occupational health, the employer gets two back.