Survey Research Design to Evaluate a Hospital-Based Occupational Health Program

摘要

A research survey was designed to evaluate the utilization of the Occupational Health Program (OHP) at Brookdale Hospital Medical Center, Brooklyn, New York by small industries in the area. The OHP services included treatment and followup care of injuries, preemployment physicals, periodic physical examinations, immunizations, and physical examinations for management personnel. An attempt was made to establish a construct relating the properties of small industries to utilization of the OHP as an aid in development of a research design and methodology for eventual evaluation. In the process of establishing the construct, indications of the impact of the OHP were offered. Practically all of the continual users of the program who only required injury care had totally unionized shops. Those who used injury care as well as other services of the OHP showed the highest proportion of non fully unionized shops, almost half of them reporting less than 90% unionization. The durable goods manufacturers with 20 or more employees were also shown to utilize the fuller range of OHP services if unionization was not a barrier. The continual utilizers of the fuller range of OHP services tended to be further away from the center of OHP activities than those who used the services for injury only.