Medics as a channel for worksite health promotion in remote global locations

In the energy and mining sectors, it is common for employees to work in geographically remote locations, often with a medic for emergency response. This study evaluated an intervention to increase the number of medics conducting health promotion in remote worksites.

Interviews were conducted to gather data for informing intervention and survey development. The intervention was evaluated in a quasiexperimental posttest-only comparison group design using survey data collected at baseline and again after 12 months.

The intervention was implemented in remote worksites (N  =  201). There were 96 worksites in the intervention condition and 105 sites in the control condition.

The target population was medics, including nurses, doctors, and paramedics, operating in remote worksites in 44 countries.

The intervention was a series of campaign tool kits. The tool kits were adapted to the remote environment and could be customized for culture, language, and education level.

The survey assessed frequency of health promotion activities, satisfaction with the intervention, and barriers to implementation.

Survey data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and χ(2) tests. Interview results were coded to identify themes.

Most medics (88%) in the intervention group reported running "tool box talks" (short education sessions) on at least a monthly basis, compared with 78% in the comparison group (p  =  .056). The trend was similar for displaying posters (71% vs. 55%; p  =  .021) and advocating for policy changes (84% vs. 71%; p  =  .027). Medic satisfaction was high. Difficulty distributing tool kits was the main barrier to implementation.

When provided with appropriate tools, medics may be an ideal channel for health promotion in remote worksites.