Data Sources

E interest in health care cost containment has led to the search for effective employer-controlled cost reduction strategies (Hayes, 1986; Schuler, 1982; Thelan, 1985). The objective of these strategies is to employ risk management (Bernstein, 1983a; 1983b) to decrease health care and related costs resulting from high incidence and high cost medical events, whether generated at the worksite (eg, back injuries) or through employee lifestyles (eg, smoking). Occupational health nurses can and do playa central role in this cost containment effort (Christensen, 1985; Kirkpatrick, 1985; Nemcek, 1986). This article will discuss the sources of data available to an occupational health nurse to use in the selection of worksite health and safety programs, which will help reduce the health care costs paid by an employer. The Figure demonstrates the centrality of the occupational health nurse's position as a critical link between employees and management. On the employee side, the experienced occupational health nurse knows worksite hazards and the occupational injuries and illnesses generated by these hazards, the patterns of employee work behavior and lifestyles, and the rehabilitative activities necessary to return injured employees to the job. On the management side, the experienced occupational health nurse has a good understanding of the costs and problems associated with handling these issues due to interaction with the health care staff, human resources personnel, and insurance carriers. As a consequence, the A number of excellent references describe the basic steps and mechanics of cost/benefit analysis.