BEHAVIOURAL MEDICINE: MANAGING INDIVIDUAL OR CORPORATE HEALTH? (Comment on Cott and Pavloski)

ABSTRACT In this issue, Cott and Pavloski criticize the current problem-oriented approach of behavioural medicine on a number of grounds and propose a "behavioural medicine process model" as a more general application of behavioural medicine to health-related problems. However, the model that they propose appears to have little to do with the essential goals of behavioural medicine. Rather, their model could more properly be referred to as a model for corporate health since it seeks to maximize productivity by minimizing health-related performance deficiencies and absenteeism. Since they fail to present evidence demonstrating that their intervention process results in improved health, any changes in productivity cannot be attributed unequivocally to a "behavioural medicine" intervention. The observed productivity changes may be a product of altered environmental contingencies with respect to illness behaviour rather than any amelioration of disease processes.