Semmelweis Caring University Model Program Based on the Development of a Center of Preventive Services: Health for All Employees at a University Occupational Setting

Abstract

The leadership of the Semmelweis University as a leading institution of higher education in Hungary and the Central Eastern European region within the area of medicine and health sciences has decided to reflect on the unfavorable public health situation in the country as well as the deteriorating health behavior and health status indicators in the Hungarian population by the development of an occupational setting-based personalized public health model program targeting its about 8500 employees. Based on its infrastructure and human resources the core element of the program is the establishment of the Center of Preventive Services (CPS) with units providing health risk assessment for each employee, and whenever necessary consultation with medical specialist in preventive medicine and public health, as well as counseling with dietician, physiotherapist and/or health psychologist. The service providers are the staff members of the relevant faculties in collaboration with partner primary and occupational care physicians. The units of the CPS can also serve as practical training sites for students at various levels of medical and health sciences training, and strongly contribute to the development and improvement of their skills to be able for working as a team in service provision. The employees are not only beneficiaries of health risk assessment and screening repeated on a regular basis and adequate interventions at the right time, but they also serve as a sample for a longitudinal cohort study and further ad hoc surveys for defining and implementing interventions to support health protection, disease prevention and healthy aging among them.

The Semmelweis Study: a longitudinal occupational cohort study within the framework of the Semmelweis Caring University Model Program for supporting healthy aging

“…Furthermore, there is a perceived benefit of receiving a free health check at 5-year intervals by highly trained professionals. In addition, a university-wide benefit program is underway in the framework of the “Semmelweis Caring University Program” [ 42 ].…”

“…Guided by the Okanagan Charter [ 68 ], it decided to develop a new model program based on the “Health Promoting University” initiative, adapted to a health sciences university environment. The Semmelweis “Caring University” model program is designed to improve the health and promote the well-being of all the university’s employees using cutting-edge approaches to public health and preventive medicine [ 42 ]. The “Caring University” model program also serves as a pilot project for national health promotion/disease prevention programs implemented in occupational settings.…”

“…Although the Semmelweis Study is run using its dedicated team separate from other Semmelweis University–related activities in order to maintain the high quality and confidentiality of the collected data, it is an important part of the overall Semmelweis Caring University Model Program. If a participant is diagnosed with an incident chronic disease based on the laboratory evaluation during Semmelweis Study or is found to have an elevated vascular risk, he/she has the opportunity to visit the Centre of Preventive Services (CPS) of Semmelweis University [ 42 ]. The Health Risk Assessment Unit of the CPS provides care for employees with elevated cardiovascular and metabolic risk without manifest chronic disease diagnosis.…”

“…A secondary goal was to define the prevalence of important risk factors for cardiometabolic diseases, and that of chronic non-communicable diseases (NCDs) [ 41 ]. While these population-based surveys are able to estimate the prevalence of NCDs and their risk factors in Hungary, they were not designed to examine the temporal relationship between risk factors (including novel biomarkers) and disease outcomes as well as determinants of healthy aging [ 42 ].…”