Stroke

A stroke occurs when blood flow is blocked to the brain or when blood bleeds into the brain tissue. A stroke is a medical emergency: the sooner the medical treatment is administered, the higher the chance of recovery. If help is not received quickly, the person could be left with permanent disability.

The Stroke Foundation recommends the F.A.S.T. test as an easy way to recognise the most common signs of a stroke:

Face - Check their face. Has their mouth drooped?
Arms - Can they lift both arms?
Speech - Is their speech slurred? Do they understand you?
Time - Is critical. If you see these signs call 000 straight away.

A stroke can occur in both blue collar and white collar workers. In SA, strokes have been found to be compensable when they have occurred during work duties. A stroke claim can be quite costly due to the prolonged recovery time and associated permanent disability.

Strokes share common risk factors to Heart Disease, including high blood pressure, high cholesterol levels, obesity, mental stress, poor diet and lack of physical activity. All of these risk factors can be managed to some degree with the right lifestyle changes.

There are two proactive ways to reduce the risk of stroke disability in your workplace:

1) a health assessment where a health professional attends your workplace to measure your worker’s blood pressure, blood cholesterol, blood glucose, body composition, diet and mental health, then provides advice to that worker on how to reduce these risk factors; and

2) an onsite stroke awareness session delivered by a health professional which teaches your workers to recognise the warning signs of a stroke in a co-worker and the step-by-step action plan to improve that co-worker’s chance of recovery.

Ideal Health Profile

The following score are considered ideal for good health when measured during a CHG Health Assessment:

• Blood Pressure - 120/80 mmHg
• Total Cholesterol - <5.0 mmol/L
• Fasting Glucose - 4-6 mmol/L
• Body Mass Index (BMI) - 18.5-24.9
• Waist Hip Ratio - males <0.85, females <0.75

If you would like to learn more about these stroke prevention strategies, read the CHG Case Study - Onsite Health Assessments below, or contact CHG.

Independent Medical Examination (IME)

An Independent Medical Examination (IME) is a once-off assessment performed by a Specialist Physician who is independent from the worker’s treating Medical Practitioner.

In general, an IME is requested by the Case Manager (CM) when a worker’s recovery is not progressing as expected or there is clarification needed on:

• injury causation;
• clinical diagnosis;
• recovery prognosis;
• treatment plan; and/or
• capacity for work.

The CM can refer for an IME at any stage in the injury claim process, including before a claim has been approved. Likewise, an employer can discuss directly with the CM whether an IME is warranted for their worker.

A worker must attend an IME if it is requested by the CM. After consulting with the worker, the Specialist Physician writes a report back to the CM with their findings and recommendations.

CHG have Specialist Physicians in the discipline of Occupational Health, Pain and Rehabilitation Medicine who can perform IME’s. For an overview of CHG’s Specialist Physicians, please see the January 2019 edition of CHG News.

Progress at 103 Henley Beach Road

You may have heard that the CHG Mile End Clinic (10 Railway Terrace) and the CHG Specialist Centre (69 Henley Beach Road) are combining into the new purpose built CHG Clinic at 103 Henley Beach Road Mile End (103 HBR). There will be no discontinuation of services, only a change in service delivery location to 103 HBR. The building is currently under construction – please stay tuned for updates.

CHG Gillman Clinic Overview

CHG has served our Clients in the Port Adelaide area for over 40 years, with our Gillman Clinic delivering occupational health and injury managment services including:

• medical management;
• Specialist Physician assessment;
• pre-employment assessment;
• hearing assessment;
• drug and alcohol testing;
• physiotherapy,
• psychology,
• occupational therapy,
• hand therapy; and
• exercise physiology.

CHG’s Medical and Allied Health team regularly visit local employers to understand their workplace and job demands, in order to improve return to work outcomes for their workers.

A CHG Case Study

Onsite Health Assessments

CHG facilitate onsite health and wellbeing programs for many employers across SA, part of which includes onsite health assessments. During a health assessment, a worker’s health profile is measured, identifying risk factors for major diseases including diabetes and heart disease.

Data from a CHG Client demonstrated a consistent improvement in the health profile of their workforce over a ten year time span, with significant improvements being seen in:

• body composition;
• nutrition;
• physical activity;
• blood pressure;
• blood cholesterol levels; and
• blood glucose levels.

Their client testimonial also highlighted the pivotal role that the CHG Health Assessment had in addressing one of their worker’s health; because of the CHG Health Assessment, the worker performed follow up tests with their GP as recommended by the CHG Health Consultant. A heart condition was subsequently identified in that worker early enough that it was able to be effectively treated, with a successful return to work outcome.

For information about health assessments and other CHG health and wellbeing services contact CHG.

Staff highlights for February include:

3 Years of Service
Adele Kopsaftis (Psychologist)

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