Highlights of Michigan study
• The employees interviewed reported visiting their company’s health/medical department on average 10 times per year.
• 73% of those surveyed regularly experienced headaches and cold and sinus symptoms while at work.
• More than half (55%) of those surveyed experienced muscle and joint pain at work.
• Almost half (46%) of employees experienced cuts and burns on their skin while on the job.
• 98% of those surveyed believed the over-the-counter (OTC) medications provided by occupational health nurses (OHNs) helped them feel well enough to complete their shift.
• Employees strongly agreed with the statement: "I highly recommend having OTC medications available to workers in other work sites that currently do not have them in place."
• 70% of employees surveyed were influenced by the choices and recommendations of their company’s OHN regarding OTC medications.
Other facts about health care costs and lost work time:
• According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, there are 358 million work loss days each year related to acute conditions.
• Each year, there are more than 192 bed days due to influenza and more than 75 million work loss days due to flu.
• In 1997, there were more than 4 million emergency department visits for work-related injuries.
• According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, health care costs in private industry account for $1 of every hour an employee works.
• Health care costs for companies are increasing nearly 2.5 times faster than any other benefit cost.
Source: Yvonne Abdoo, University of Michigan School of Nursing, Ann Arbor.
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