Employers are increasingly opting to implement workplace wellness programs to help employees quit smoking, achieve a healthy weight and reduce healthcare costs. However, the effect of such programs, as well as the role of employers in influencing employee health decisions, has been a subject of debate.
SERMO, a global social network exclusively for physicians, asked 1,580 physicians to weigh in on workplace wellness and its impacts on patients' health.
Here are five findings from the poll.
Physicians showed support for wellness programs.
1. Eighty percent of responding physicians believe wellness programs help patients live healthier lives.
2. Eighty-three percent of responding physicians believe it is appropriate for employers to be involved in employee health through corporate wellness programs.
However, physicians also expressed concerns about privacy, and many don't participate in wellness programs.
3. Only 34 percent of responding physicians currently participate in an employer wellness program.
4. Twenty-six percent of responding physicians believe employer wellness programs violate employee privacy.
5. Twenty-nine percent of responding physicians believe employers are getting too involved in employees' health.
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