title: [Cost-benefit analysis of practical occupational medicine service].
abstract: Cost problems in business, industry and government service force everyone to probe into the economy of traditional patterns of work and procedures. Occupational medicine is no exception. However, there has been a lack of criteria for assessing the economic aspects of occupational medicine. We are therefore suggesting an approach. Caring for the "human capital" factor is a cornerstone of free socioeconomy. Workers should not only be suitably qualified for their job but there must be the smallest possible minimum of absenteeism. Occupational medicine can do something to positively influence the following factors: by preventing incapacity to work by preventing job accidents and professional diseases by reducing the time required to cover distances between or within workflow phases or stages by reducing waste of time by waiting. Model calculations, based on highly plausible basic postulates, show that fully integrated occupational medical services are throughout economic and cost-saving. Using a concrete example, we arrived at a cost/benefit ratio of 1:2 while confining ourselves to benefits attainable within a relatively short time. We ignored other, future benefits requiring certain preventive measures, as well as other parameters that are difficult to assess, such as corporate identity. At present occupational medicine faces a certain amount of identity crisis which should not be counteracted by pointing to legislation that justifies its existence, but rather by proving that it is indeed highly economical because it saves time and money.
authors.affiliation: IAS Institut für Arbeits- und Sozialhygiene Stiftung, Karlsruhe.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kentner
mesh_terms: D000041:Absenteeism; D000062:Accidents, Occupational / Q000191:economics / Q000517:prevention & control; D003362:Cost-Benefit Analysis; D005858:Germany; D006801:Humans; D009784:Occupational Diseases / Q000191:economics / Q000517:prevention & control; D009786:Occupational Health Services / Q000191:economics*