Medical Solutions: SOAP-ing Your Wellness Program? - The "P" of SOAP

Your patience has served you well gentle reader. You have made it to the final installment of “SOAP-ing your wellness program.” We are ready to look at the “P” of SOAP. P represents plan. Remember those apples that you have been wanting to bring into the break room? This is the point in the SOAP process where this type of intervention would come in.

Now that your assessment report is complete, you should have a clear picture of the state of health and wellness in your workplace. The assessment report can serve as the reference tool to guide decisions when creating your plan.1 Additionally, it should identify and prioritize what health/safety concerns exist in your business. The workplace health assessment report is the springboard for your plan and your plan is the road map that provides direction for your health, safety, and wellness programming.

Considerations for any plan should include a system for prioritizing activities before developing a workplace improvement plan. This is different than prioritizing the greatest risk. How should you determine what trend should be addressed first? The easiest? The quickest? The least expensive? The one everybody likes? Apples in the break room?

The Centers for Disease Control has some guidelines for prioritizing activities. It is suggested that the employer contemplate the burden, impact, and feasibility when considering activities for workplace health improvement. In this case, burden means to consider the number of employees affected by a health risk or condition, the magnitude of the health effects for the employees such as risk for disability, quality of life or even death. Lastly, burden also refers to the direct or indirect health care and/or economic obligations.

Impact, amongst other things, is the potential health benefit of the program including the proportion of employees who might be benefited. Lastly, feasibility refers to the level of difficulty in implementing the intervention or strategy. What is the cost in dollars and time needed to plan and implement the strategy? Are the employees interested in participating? Do they see a need for this program or activity?

Once priorities have been set, then you are ready to develop a plan. Now instead of SOAP you are ready to move onto GOIE.

I know, it doesn't sound nearly as fun as SOAP.

Stay tuned...

1 (www.CDC.gov/workplacehealthpromotion-improvementplan)