What is the Australian WorkHealth Program - Arthritis?
The Australian WorkHealth Program – Arthritis is a whole-of-system intervention designed to improve the health of Australian workers, from those on the shop floor to the CEO.
Part of a research project funded by the Commonwealth Department of Health and Ageing, this pilot program is a response to the enormous economic and individual burden chronic disease, particularly arthritis, creates for Australian workers.
The program is overseen by a national Steering Committee of experts and has significant input from an Industry Advisory Group of representatives from leading Australian companies.
Commencing in June 2008 and ending in December 2009, the program will be fully evaluated and the results will be available from this website and the Department of Health and Ageing website.
Guiding principles of the program.
The program is being developed according to the following guiding principles:
- Commitment to appropriate physical environment and working practices
- A sympathetic psychosocial environment
- Employees have the ability to perform their work
- Commitment to fair, non-discriminatory employment conditions for people with arthritis
- Healthcare providers provide care with integrity and honesty
- Workplace services are integrated with existing services
- Managers are aware of issues associated with workplace arthritis
- Evaluation and quality assurance
- Sound business case
- Innovative, flexible, evidence-based approach
- Multiple pathways of delivery of health interventions
Program structure
The development of the Australian WorkHealth Program – Arthritis is led by experts from Australia’s leading universities, including the University of Melbourne and Monash University. The project’s Chief Investigators bring significant national and international expertise in epidemiology, medicine, chronic disease self-management and health education. This academic expertise is complemented by high level and genuine industry involvement, in order to ensure that the program has impact and clear application in the workplace.
The program is specifically designed to be tailored to individual workplaces and takes into account the unique operational and environmental factors that impact on each business. The program will be:
- Whole-of-system, that is, appropriate for executive staff, team leaders and other staff
- Effective
- Evidence based
- Practical
- Appropriate for a wide range of settings
- Endorsed by a wide range of stakeholders.
Program elements
The Australian WorkHealth Program – Arthritis is an individually tailored, evidence-based suite of interventions which aim to improve employee effectiveness and wellbeing by addressing
- Healthy lifestyle management, including weight reduction, smoking cessation, regular appropriate exercise and stress management
- Prevention, recognition of signs and symptoms, self-management, early treatment, pain management and care for people with arthritis
- Accessing medical and allied health professionals
- Employer and employee rights and responsibilities
- Working practices and infrastructure to prevent and manage arthritis
- An authoritative overview of available health education/promotion resources and service providers
Delivery approaches will include, but not be limited to:
- Structured courses
- Multimedia information provision
- Within-organisation intensives
- Documentation of best practice
- Peer tutoring
