Consultation behavior survey after annual health checks in Japanese health care workers

Background and Purpose: All employers have a duty to conduct annual health checks to all staff by the Japanese laws. The purpose of the annual health checks is early detection of the disease. Participation rate of annual health checks of the employees have achieved 100% even in our hospitals, medical school. However, if any disorders are found in the annual health checks, the subsequent action is left to the individual. If a worker does not visit their doctor according to the results of health checks, there is no meaning of the annual health checks. Especially in the case of health care workers, they tend to do not visit their doctor compared with the general public. Therefore, we studied to their subsequent visit rate of those who was detected disorders with annual health checks in health care workers. We also investigated why they did not visit their doctor. Subject and method: Study subjects were 500 full-time employees working in Medical School Hospital who was required of scrutiny or treatment by annual health checks. Questionnaire survey was conducted about lifestyle and visit to their doctor of the subjects. Results and conclusion: Responses were obtained from 315 subjects (63%). 30.0% of men and 25.9% of women visited their doctor according to the results of health checks. Nurses and laboratory technicians had low visiting rate to their doctor compared with other occupations. Particularly, nurses had statistically significantly lower visiting rate. We must encourage them to visit their doctor.