Screening, staffing, and emergency preparedness at worksite wellness facilities
The purpose of this survey was to examine compliance of worksite health and fitness facilities with the American Heart Association/American College of Sports Medicine (AHA/ACSM) recommendations for cardiovascular screening, staffing, and emergency policies for health and fitness facilities. A survey...
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Published in | Medicine and science in sports and exercise Vol. 34; no. 2; p. 239 |
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Main Authors | , , , |
Format | Journal Article |
Language | English |
Published |
United States
01.02.2002
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Subjects | |
Online Access | Get more information |
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Summary: | The purpose of this survey was to examine compliance of worksite health and fitness facilities with the American Heart Association/American College of Sports Medicine (AHA/ACSM) recommendations for cardiovascular screening, staffing, and emergency policies for health and fitness facilities.
A survey was developed and sent to 529 worksite health and fitness facilities.
A total of 221 surveys were returned (42% response rate). Twelve percent of facilities had no staff supervision. Among facilities with staff, 12% were not certified in basic life support, and 6% had no national professional certification. Ninety-two percent of facilities followed a health history screening policy although 13% of these facilities administered it irregularly or not at all. Of a total 187 responding facilities, 122 (65%) defined "at risk" as two or more risk factors for heart disease. Of these, 97% either required or recommended new members obtain physician clearance before participation. Four (3%) responding facilities did not require physician clearance. Twenty-five percent of facilities experienced at least one emergency that required ambulance support in the previous year.
Although this was a low response rate, most responding worksite health and fitness facilities appear to be in compliance with the AHA/ACSM recommendations yet have inconsistencies in some specific practices. There appears to be a need for further consistent implementation of these recommendations into worksite settings. |
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ISSN: | 0195-9131 |
DOI: | 10.1097/00005768-200202000-00010 |