Is occ health data being misinterpreted by others?
Don't give the goods away
If someone asks you for data on how many physicals you did this year, or how many drug tests were given to employees, this may sound like a pretty straightforward request. However, you need to think twice before handing it over.
"If you give your data to other departments, those departments may report occupational health metrics to key stakeholders. You don't know what the end results are going to be," says Tamara Y. Blow, RN, MSA, COHN-S/CM, CBM, FAAOHN, a Richmond, VA-based manager of occupational health services.
"When those business partners are reporting our metrics, they are not always motivated to give the appropriate credit to occupational health services," she adds.
Without input from occupational health, someone in senior management could easily misinterpret occupational health metrics.
"They may conclude that FMLA [Family Medical Leave Act] utilization is high because the administrator or nurse is not exercising due diligence and is allowing employees to abuse FMLA," she says. "There is a tendency for people to think that occupational health nurses are enabling absenteeism because they are soft touches."
Another issue is that others may try to take credit for data that reveals how occupational health programs have saved the company money. "We have the goods, and we give them away," she says.
Take ownership
While you can't simply refuse to give out data from occupational health services, you can do some things to protect yourself. "What we need to do is take ownership of our own data," she says.
Tell others that you are glad to give them what they need, but stay in the loop. Blow says to ask, "Why do you need this information?" and "Who are you giving this information to?"
"Others can't answer questions about our metrics or our data," she says. "Many of us have become very business savvy. We don't have analysts in our department, so we have to function as business analysts when articulating the value of occupational health programs."
There is another reason that occupational health services needs to interpret its own data. Information can be easily misinterpreted by those who do not possess a medical background.
"Many times, occupational health nurses have to coach their non-medical bosses that medicine is not a cookbook," says Blow. "Some employee situations have to be managed on a case-by-case basis."
Offer to help the person asking for your data. "They've got to see what is in it for them," she says. "Tell them, "I will be glad to come and help answer questions. Allow me to be in these meetings so I can assist you."
If someone asks you for data on how many physicals you did this year, or how many drug tests were given to employees, this may sound like a pretty straightforward request. However, you need to think twice before handing it over.You have reached your article limit for the month. Subscribe now to access this article plus other member-only content.
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