Screening, staffing, and emergency preparedness at worksite wellness facilities

• Published in: Medicine and science in sports and exercise Vol. 34; no. 2; p. 239
• Main Authors: Morrey, Michael A, Finnie, Steven B, Hensrud, Donald D, Warren, Beth A
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States 01.02.2002
• Subjects: Cardiovascular Diseases - diagnosis; Emergency Treatment - standards; Fitness Centers - standards; Guideline Adherence - statistics & numerical data; Health Promotion - statistics & numerical data; Humans; Inservice Training - standards; Medical History Taking - methods; Medical History Taking - standards; Personnel Staffing and Scheduling - standards; Risk Factors; Surveys and Questionnaires - standards; United States; Workplace - statistics & numerical data; United States
• ISSN: 0195-9131
• DOI: 10.1097/00005768-200202000-00010

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.