Over the past two decades, corporate wellness programs have grown into an effective and efficient solution that can help millions of employees. Benefits leaders at thousands of companies across the country are instrumental in promoting healthy behaviors within their organizations, improving access to preventive health services, and increasing the utilization of appropriate health screenings. Live screenings in the office – before and after work, during lunch or during employee breaks –become commonplace.
That changed when the Covid-19 pandemic moved work from offices to employees’ homes. The same preventive screenings that were once offered in the workplace now require a visit to a doctor. This has a particular impact on men, a subtle but important influence of the new work-from-home culture. research shows Men are less likely than women to use preventive health care services and do not seek immediate treatment for their many unique health problems.
As workplace screening decreases, there are practical consequences. For employer managers of self-pay insurance plans, a new concern has emerged: Male employees working from home haven’t had in-person prostate screenings for more than a year. According to Johns Hopkins Medicine, the earlier prostate cancer is detected, the more likely a man is to receive successful treatment and remain disease-free. Losing a year in the fight against the disease is a potentially major setback.
Prostate cancer screening isn’t the only preventative measure to retreat from Covid-19.according to American Cancer Society, the pandemic has caused many elective procedures to be put on hold, including a drastic drop in all cancer screenings. Medical facilities have offered cancer screenings during the pandemic and taken many safety precautions, but men were reluctant to schedule such tests even before the pandemic began.
Prostate cancer poses a particular threat to men. It mainly affects men over the age of 40. Overall, it is the second leading cause of cancer death among men in the United States, after lung cancer. ACS project There will be approximately 268,490 new cases of prostate cancer and 34,500 deaths in 2022.
Fortunately, prostate cancer is curable, with an estimated five-year survival rate of 98%, According to ACSThe Prostate-Specific Antigen (PSA) Test∞ is a take-home blood test—often in place of a traditional doctor’s rectal exam. According to ACS, both PSA and rectal exams can be used as prostate cancer screening tools.
But there are other compounding factors that prevent men from being screened. In addition to the growing work-from-home trend, One in four men do not have a primary care physicianWithout this basic channel of communication, men who need a prostate exam may not know they can get a PSA test from the comfort of their home.
This conundrum puts well-meaning executives in a similar position to when they were initially introduced to workplace screening. It is well known that the health of employees directly affects performance. Consider the many health-focused solutions available to help employees working from home.
Employers have implemented a variety of digital health and telehealth solutions to help their employees manage and reverse chronic diseases. Subscriptions to smartphone apps that promote healthy behaviors (Calm, Noom, etc.) are often included in today’s benefit packages. These offer a way to bypass the hurdles of a doctor’s office and are an excellent way to promote the health of employees working from home.
When it comes to prostate health, new solutions are also needed. Easy access to discrete care is important for men. Combined with telehealth appointments, PSA exams can give men a fresh look at their prostate health without leaving their home office. Men are less likely to proactively schedule these tests, so employers are better off leveraging technology to facilitate at-home screenings.
For men with undiagnosed prostate cancer, waiting until next year for a check-up can be dangerous. The average five-year survival rate for prostate cancer detected at stage IV is 28%. This is why preventive solutions that meet the needs of the entire workforce must be promoted.
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