An assessment of occupational health care in the Netherlands (1996-2005) pdf The business community is feeling an increasing demand for customized solutions to medical-social personnel problems. Intermedic is a consulting group which was created to meet this demand Since 1995 Intermedic focusses on multidisciplinar solutions for human related problems in organisatons and careers. Occupational physicians, psychologists, organisational health experts, quality sytem auditors and career counsellors work closely together for taylormade solutions. The staff members exchange ideas about these problems of organisations on a national and an international level. Problems relating to absence caused by sickness and the WAO (Incapacity for Work Act) result in loss of efficiency and extra costs for the industry and the government alike. The partners of Intermedic have recognized the importance of an integral approach. The consulting group provides a thorough examination and a solution based on an interdisciplinary analysis, linked to individual customized work. We have serious attention for the problems and we accept the situation as we find it. Our advisors offer certainty, but they also demand a fundamental commitment. They provide guidance to the organization and the individual climate. Our motto is: Bridging the gap. We close the gap between the parties. Services rendered Intermedic deals with human problems: problems which regularly occur within your organisation or business. These may relate to questions such as: Is our organisation optimally staffed? Do we meet all (legal) requirements? What do we do about personnel problems which seem to be insolvable? Intermedic deals with social-medical problems; with the reintegration of people who have been sick for a long time, with beneficiaries of a WAO allowance and of reduced pay. But also with organisational problems such as absence due to illness and uncertainties with regard to deployment and availability. Intermedic employs specialists with a vision of occupational medicine and psychology, personnel management and career counselling. Specialists who have access to national and international sources which are of relevance for efficient solutions and results. Legislation can have a complicating effect and result in high costs. Confidential aspects in the business, but also in the private atmosphere can play a role. Even distrust or other emotional factors can complicate things. The interdisciplinary approach of Intermedic provides openings towards a discreet handling. We do not embark on infeasible orders. As we involve you directly in a target-aimed plan we can guarantee that there will be clarity at short notice. Only when the circumstances invite us to do so, will we begin to work for you. In this way no money or energy is wasted. Services Social-medical problems are complex. For this reason Intermedic does not limit itself to an analysis. We also provide training courses, education courses and strategies for e.g. the counselling of absence due to illness. Our services include: * Status, Preliminary Examination * Fundamental Reorientation * Continued Reintegration Placement * Training and Education of Specialists * Sick-Leave Reduction * Individual Stress Management * Social Medical Team Project * Projects and Change Methods * Career Counselling Status Preliminary Examination We perform a fact finding mission at the (former) employer and the agencies concerned and submit a plan of approach on the basis of the results of this fact finding mission. We restore the trust and the motivation and we present a written report on the feasibility. We conduct a study into the capabilities, search for obstructing and stimulating factors, consider the medical-social aspects and include the person's skills and style in the discussion. In the Status Preliminary Examination we include the following aspects in the inventory: - The personal qualities / capabilities. - The physical / mental status. - Stress-coping Mechanism Analysis. - The style, the opportunities for growth and development. - The ambitions, the motivation. We also perform, if necessary, a fundamental psychological examination. Duration: I to 3 months. Back to index Fundamental Reorientation The fundamental Reorientation is meant as a follow-up of the Status Preliminary- Study. After mutual agreement we proceed with a career consideration and a reorientation. We give advice in the case of dilemmas, examine the employment law aspects of a reorientation and make preparations for reintegration. We anticipate continuation of the career elsewhere, orientate ourselves on the market and try to work the market if that is interesting. The fundamental Reorientation consists roughly of the following steps: - Setting up a marketing plan and marketing actions. - Career counselling. - Medical/social counselling. - Subsidy search. - Entrance into the market. Duration: 2 to 3 months Back to index Continued Reintegration/Placement If after 6 months a clear picture of the feasibility has been obtained, in case of continuation, and only if all parties are motivated, do we go on. We make an accurate analysis of the obstructions and use further possibilities to expand the orientation. The strategy is as follows: - nalysis of the obstructions. - Intensive continued counselling. - Active job spotting. - Intensive network management. Duration: 9 months Back to index Training and Education of Specialists We provide training and education courses for the middle and the higher staff and activities which require a multi-disciplinary approach. With Intermedic you have access to all specialists and experts; our network guarantees the most up-to-date transfer of knowledge. We can advise you especially with regard to stress-related problems and projects involving stress at work prevention. We provide education courses in: - Social skills. - Consulting skills. - Legislation and regulation in the social-medical field. The education courses are products of our interdisciplinary team. Project duration: Depending on the need: at least I day part. Back to index Sick-Leave Reduction Sick-Leave Reduction is a hot topic in personnel management. As a consulting group we assist you with a systematic, transparent and durable approach of your absence problems. We use the most sophisticated and advanced methods, basing ourselves on your specific problems. Our philosophy is that through an adequate management we should be able to trace the core of the problem and solve it. We aim our attention specifically at cost control. Therefore we will inform you in advance about the prognosis and the feasibility of our approach. We can also give you a second opinion on projects within your organisation. Project duration: Depending on the size of the organisation. A minimum of 6 months applies. Back to index Individual Stress Management Specialists of Intermedic have developed in recent years a method to learn to cope with stress. If employees are coached in a target-oriented and adequate manner, the results are certainly interesting from a financial but also from a human viewpoint. The approach of stress management consists of the following stages: - Diagnosis and analysis (physician and psychologist). - Target-aimed psychological therapy. - Follow-up on individual and organisation level. The basis for success is confidence and motivation of all parties concerned. We make clear arrangements about this in advance. The result is a substantial and structural improvement of the resistance capacity of the employee. Intermedic can carry out a medical screening program if there is an indication to do so. Duration: I to 3 months of therapy and counselling. Back to index Social Medical Team Project Many medical personnel problems arise at inconvenient times. It is important that there is a specific and structural attention for these problems within the organisation. Many organisations already have consultation structures in this field (Social Medical Team). Intermedic can help you to organise this consultation in the most efficient and most productive way possible. Our consulting group sees to it that existing structures are improved or revised and, when small organisations are concerned, Intermedic can provide specialists to assist you in the consultation. Duration: Depending on the demand. Back to index Projects and Change Methods Organisations and individuals can only change themselves. About choices e.g. we can only indicate whether they are rational or irrational, we can try and remove resistances. Support, information, counselling can all contribute actively to an effective task force. Our consulting group serves as a facilitator and as a sounding board to start processes and keep these going. Intermedic works on: - The organisation level. - The management and department level. - The individual level. Intermedic gives consults in the field of: - Medical/social themes. - Stress management. - Top and team training (coaching). The results are: - Improved usefulness. - Signalling stress indicators, management of stress. - Decline of absence due to illness. The purpose is to optimize the capacities of employees at each stage of life. It is our experience that people are prepared to think about their position and to cross thresholds if an adequate climate is created and if realistic, attractive alternatives are available. Project duration: Customized. Back to index Career counselling The services rendered by Intermedic are aimed at consciously dealing with work and career. An event due to which an employee is forced to search for a new, suitable living and work environment can be very drastic. The more so when the level of the function implies a wide network of contacts and respect. This implies the risk of a temporary block of the individual. Characteristic is the temporary loss of grip on the own living situation with downward effects. This must be avoided. Intermedic Career-Counselling concentrates, at the instruction of the employer or agency, at intensive counselling in order to reverse the negative spiral. The goal is a reorientation at the shortest possible notice, followed by finding a new entrance into a suitable work environment, either or not at the present employer. Programs: Career Counselling follows a steps plan which looks as follows: - Orientation/Getting acquainted. - Reorientation by means of medical/psychological counselling in case of coping problems. - Capacities examination (self assessment). - Establishing feasible goals and wishes on the basis of results which can be realistically achieved. - Reporting. Project duration: Customized. Back to index Emotional Exhaustion Syndrome This article has been selected to be included in the Congress Scientific Program of the 27th ICOH International Congress on Occupational Health Iguassu Falls, Brazil, February 23-28, 2003 Exhaustion syndrome with signs of depression. E.E.S., also described in most countries as Burnout, is an anomaly, which usually appears between the ages of 30 and 40. It is characterised by feelings of exhaustion of both body and mined (mental and physical) usually triggered by extreme stress after a significant life event or a series of shock.ng events (small shocks) when there is no opportunit y for recuperation. Listening to peers and colleagues in ones immediate social circle, the victim appears emotionally flat and tired. There is at that time dissociation between emotion and reason (lack of feeling) Significant is the fact that the normal anxiety and depression criteria cannot be applied. It can only be diagnosed clinically and be assessed by a questionnaire or psychological test. ICD 10 work related neurasthenia does not fully describe EES because not only the work of the victim but also not being able to cope with the family or the normallife circumstances or leisure. Disbalance between having doing and being appears. Often a lack of time and structural selfmagement, selfreflection and selfanalysis have been the basic cause of the syndrome. Aetiology Personal characteristics of the victim can be described as slight narcissistic perfectionist (not ready to take advice) and usually not aimed at seeking for social support. An active coping style always wanting to always carry on, keep going despite problems. Usually the only style of coping employed but sometimes in combination with pa!liative approach i.e. having a drink, use of leisure (sports, dancing). Clinical signs Defined by a slow onset and subjective and objective deterioration of normal function in relation to normal work and social demands. In relation to fatigue which cannot be explained by a somatic (viral) or psychiatric (depression) disease. It is obvious that we see both mental and somatic fatigue. Muscular pain which has been caused by the constant unconscious tension of the striped muscles. This has to be interpreted as a natural but inadequate defence mechanism. Sometimes a headache mainly centred in the shoulders and neck appear but are not accompanied by nausea and vomiting. Typical of this type of headache is not related to time of day or physical exertion or relaxation. When there is nausea or dyspepsia it is said to be caused by vaso- vagal reaction to stress. Mentally the clinical picture is dominated by cynicism pessimism about the future and over sensitive reaction to criticism. Prognosis and therapy The prognosis is fairly good when therapy is started early : Recuperation within 6 months time is the average when appropriate therapy is applied. Therapy should be mainly aimed at restoring the balance between emotion and reason. It is very important to address in the early stages of therapy a!l the non-realistic feelings of guilt. It has been shown t.lat Iwhen the therapy is focussed on defining personal goals the chance of recurrence is reduced. Individual therapy in combination with structured colleague support groups have been shown to prevent and cure the syndrome. Anti depressants and sleep medication should not be administered under any circumstances. Therapy should be in an interdisciplinary setting : Led by a clinical psychologist and occupational Physician. MMA de Valk, Occupational Physician 1999 English version produced in cooperation with Mary Manolias, Occupational Psychologist, Surrey England 2002 Ref. Utrecht Coping List Back to index THE ESSSENCE OF BEING, FOOD FOR THE MIND AND SOUL In times where people started to work more and more complex, tasks of familycare have to be integrated with working tasks, human beings are searching for sense in life and work. On the other hand businesswise thinking, technocracy and scale enlargement just seem to be Increasing day by day. We have to face that moneydriven organisations seem to be dominant to valuedriven organisations. This result in professionals who do not (want) to cope mentally any more and who suffer from stress and burnout. Research shows that young professionals are at risk to fall over the edge and cannot participate in the working process. This is a very serious signal to our modern western society. In his daily occupational health practice Maurice de Valk made some interesting observations which can be of great importance to those professionals who are seeking for sense in work and life. Religious values and personal principles in our career and emphasis in Being show to help us survive in the hectic of ou modern age. The book aims towards those who want to implement a practicle way of sense giving. Readers of this book will be feeling a warm support in the stories and refections on modern life. The author gives some practicle tips about how to live in a healthy and spiritual way and to reveal sources of inspiration to the reader. Maurice de Valk (1955) is managing director of the Advisory Group Intermedic he founded in 1995 this unique Centre for Health Sense and Work. President of The International Forum for Organisational Health and lecturer at the Universities of Leiden, Utrecht and Nyenrode Business Universiy in Breukelen he participaties and leads the international discussion about how to cope with and survive but even more important how to stay healthy and in a good balance in the constant changing world of business and commerce and also in the non profit sector. © 2004 De Zin van Zijn , Voedsel voor de Ziel. (not yet translated in English) Editor : Bookcentre Meinema Zoetermeer The Netherlands www.meinema.nl NUR 740 ISBN 978021 139616 Back to index HomePage