A computer-administered health screening interview for hospital personnel

We developed a computer-administered health screening interview for the employees of an urban teaching hospital. The interview is part of the integrated Center for Clinical Computing (CCC) clinical information system used throughout the hospital, and is available on any of 2000 terminals. Conducted in private and with protection of confidentiality, the interview seeks information on medical problems and patterns of living for which behavioral change is considered desirable. In a four-year period ending in May 1994, 1937 employees completed the interview. The results showed that stress and unhappiness were common: 57% of the employees reported high levels of stress, and 42% reported feeling sad, discouraged, or hopeless in the previous month; 6% indicated that life sometimes did not seem worth living. Eighty-six percent of the employees expressed an interest in the health-related programs offered by the hospital: 72% were interested in the fitness center, and 37% in the stress-reduction program. We conclude that if interactive health-promotion programs are easily available, they will be used and appreciated in the work place. The programs can be written to reveal the employees' health concerns and stimulate their interest in promoting their own health.