Health promotion – future challenges in occupational health services. A mixed method approach

Background Occupational health services (OHS) are often working from a pathogenic perspective, seeing the customer as a patient. To meet the future challenges in a more holistic way there is a need of changing perspective. The occupational health services must promote health and prevent the problems before they appear. The study will answer the following questions: What experiences do the employees at an OHS have regarding their daily work? What experiences do the employers have regarding the OHS? What challenges do the employers see for the future and how can OHS be supportive? Methods This study included a three-stage process; the first stage included qualitative data from diaries, collected during one and a half year, interviews with occupational health professionals (n = 12) in an occupational health service center as well as focus groups interviews with managers of the customer companies affiliated to the occupational health service center. The second stage was a quantitative part with a questionnaire to managers of the customer companies (n = 116) and the third stage will be a review of existing literature in occupational health. Results Findings from stage 1, 2 and 3 are presented in three categories: Balancing complex situations was e.g. about the difficulty between loyalty to the client and the company's profits and also that major changes in the workplace are leading to difficulties for many employees. Working with a proactive approach was e.g. about new approaches that are needed in the OHS. Collaborate internal and external showed e.g that more collaboration between companies, OHS and external actors was of importance. Conclusions a. Change and apply new perspectives in occupational health services. b. There is clearly a need for research in OHS using a comprehensive approach to health promotion. c. There must be interactions between the occupational health services and the management of the customer companies for designing new proactive health promotion interventions. Key messages It is significant for occupational health centers taking into account the importance of balancing complex situations, having a proactive approach and collaborating in working life To change perspective and approaches in occupational health centers are of importance in order to meet future challenges in working life © The Author 2015. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the European Public Health Association. All rights reserved.