Employee Perspectives on Onsite Health Clinics in Semiconductor Company in South Korea.

Yun-Kyoung Song,Jung Mi Oh,Kyungim Kim,Boyoon Choi,Arim Kwak

doi:10.3390/ijerph19031433

Abstract

(1) Background: Onsite clinics are increasingly common features of corporate health promotion programs. These clinics allow employers to offer convenient care to employees at their workplaces, which can lead to reduced healthcare expenditure and improved productivity. The objective of this study was to build basic data by qualitatively exploring employees’ experiences and perspectives on onsite clinics in a semiconductor company, as one part of the project to examine and improve the health management system of a large semiconductor company in Korea. (2) Methods: This study adopted the methodology of “Consolidated Criteria for Reporting Qualitative Research” (COREQ-32 checklist). Semi-structured interviews were conducted for this study over a two-month period. For data analysis, a codebook was developed and the constant comparative method was used. (3) Results: Most employees perceived convenience and a sense of belonging as the benefits of onsite clinics, while barriers to the use of onsite clinics included a lack of communication, concerns about confidentiality, and a provider-centered system. Promotion of onsite clinic services and affiliated physicians, employee-centered service provisions, and trust-building in healthcare information privacy were considered necessary to strengthen the role of onsite clinics as a primary care provider in the workplace. (4) Conclusions: The results of this qualitative study help us to gain a better understanding of employees’ perspectives on the onsite clinic’s service and roles.

Highlights

Since employees spend an average of 41 h at their workplace every week in Korea, Worksite health promotion programs (WHPPs) play critical health promotion roles at the national level [8,9]
We explored employees’ experiences and perspectives on onsite clinics through 18 focus group interviews among 72 employees of a single semiconductor company and found that while most employees perceived convenience and a sense of belonging after using the onsite clinic service, a lack of communication, concerns about confidentiality and a provider-centered system were found to need improvement to improve the quality of the onsite clinic service and promote its use among the workers
There are reports associating shiftwork with coronary heart disease, and the risk of cardiovascular disease is 40% higher among shift workers than non-shift workers [38,39]. These results suggest the need to provide employee-centered services, for instance, by implementing an onsite clinic management system that considers the characteristics of shift workers

Summary

Introduction

Worksite health promotion programs (WHPPs) are expanding rapidly and becoming a core strategy for promoting better employee health behaviors and preventing disease, as evidenced by the National Prevention Strategy. It states that workplaces are key “partners in prevention” [2,3]. I would like to talk to you about your experience of using an onsite clinic and its services The purpose of this focus group interview is to hear your experiences, thoughts, and opinions about the clinic at this company. The interview will last about an hour, and it will be audio-recorded because I do not want to miss any of your comments. There are no right or wrong answers to my questions

Objectives

Methods

Results

Discussion

Conclusion