Is an occupational examination superior to an occupational health history alone for preplacement screening in health care settings?

Objectives: To determine whether preplacement recommendations following an occupationally focused medical history is different from those following an occupational consultation. Methods: This was a retrospective cohort study of 172 applicants to our institution. Results: Following provider review of occupational history survey alone, none of the applicants had restrictions recommended. In comparison, only 163 applicants (94.7%) were recommended to be hired without restrictions following provider review of the same patient's occupational history and examination (P = 0.0078). Conclusion: A well-designed questionnaire is useful for screening applicants for preplacement examinations and assures sufficient detail to allow for a large proportion of individuals to proceed to employment without an occupational examination. However, in this study, a small but statistically significant portion (5%) of applicants required occupational examinations for appropriate work recommendations.