Objective criteria for evaluating occupational health programs.

An objective scoring system is proposed as a single and flexible method of evaluating occupational health programs to appraise the extent to which existing programs approach a basic standard of excellence as defined by a theoretical model based on published and professionally acceptable guidelines and standards. This proposed system emphasizes the importance of an interdependent relationship between four program components: (1) guiding philosophy and policy; (2) organizational structure; (3) resources; (4) occupational health services, and it stresses the importance of long range health commitments to employee health status in contrasts to short range health commitments aimed primarily at an economic payoff to a sponsoring agency, institution, or company. The proposed evaluation scheme should enable self-evaluation by individual programs. Additionally, programs can utilize this evaluative tool to examine their influence on such important questions as employee hospital utilization and other specific elements of employee health in an objective, relatively simple manner.