When you're part of a health care team caring for occupational patients, it is like working in a hospital emergency department. On any given day in our Occupational Health Centers and through our assistance helping companies deal with injuries remotely, we will see trauma, heart attacks, chemical exposures, burns, loss of limbs, loss of sight and, unfortunately, even fatalities. Though these scenarios are difficult to see, the well-being of the worker takes precedence over emotion. While the medical team rushes to treat the injury successfully, you know the employee is worried about things that we often do not appreciate: Is my hand injury permanent? Will I be able to earn a living for my family? Will this chemical cause cancer? Did this injury just cost me my job?
We, as medical providers, cannot fully do our jobs without the assistance of the employers. It's a unified partnership among the employee, employer and provider that allows us to effectively form an accurate diagnosis, treatment plan and, ultimately, a return to work. Without the communication and alliance with the employer, we would not be able to determine what the job entails, what modifications can be made and what the long-term plan capabilities are for that employee when it comes to his or her occupation. A lot of the time, the employee fears for his or her job and wants to get back to work immediately. This may not be the best course of action for a particular injury, and that is where the relationship among all parties is key.
Any clinic can just take someone off of work for a week, but oftentimes that is not in the best interest of the employee either. The majority of the time, a soft-tissue injury heals best when the activity of the patient gets back to normal as quickly as possible; lying on a couch at home can actually be harmful for the healing process. There are also personal economics involved. In the state of Texas, workers' compensation pays nothing -- zero -- to the employee for the first seven days if he or she is taken off of work. This means that if a provider says to take four days off of work for an ankle sprain, that employee gets no pay from workers' comp for those four days. Health care providers often do not understand all of the repercussions of frivolous decisions. This is where that partnership is crucial to the overall well-being of the patient.
The word "occupation" has no sole part. It encompasses all aspects of work, including environment, hazards, personal interactions, tasks, skills, health and knowledge, to name a few. Our local region is extremely fortunate in that we have resources such as the Houston Area Safety Council that assure every employee who leaves its doors has been fully trained, examined and equipped to enter a jobsite safely. These aspects are not mutually exclusive. You can know all of the safety education training required to enter a site, but if your blood pressure is 200/200, you should not be entering that gate. Not all regions and locales have resources such as this, and the employer is oftentimes left at the mercy of local providers and resources.
As a physician, I cannot do my job effectively without first understanding from you, the employer, what you need from me. I have to know the details of the worker, workplace and any concerns you might have that the employee may be at risk for health-related problems. I then take that information, along with the information given by the employee, and make a thorough assessment of his or her well-being. The majority of the time, the worker who presents for a physical exam is healthy and cleared to work; however, there are times when I have to be the bearer of bad news that my medical opinion is they pose a risk to themselves and others, and I cannot allow them to work. This conversation is not easy, but it is crucial to protecting everyone involved in that unified partnership.
At the end of the day, my job is protect lives. That is my oath. I pride myself in protecting the lives of the workers and, by default, protecting the integrity of the workplace and employer.
For more information, visit www.Hasc.com or call (281) 476-9900.
