Introduction

Non-attendance at medical appointments is a widely recognized problem in healthcare systems, and it is associated with various factors. Occupational health examinations have distinct characteristics from medical appointments in other specialties due to their mandatory nature, legally required for both the employer and the employee. However, despite efforts, a considerable number of absences persist.

Objectives

To understand the underlying reasons for absences from these examinations.

Methodology

This was a cross-sectional observational study conducted in a public hospital institution. Employees of the hospital who missed their appointments in the first half of 2023 were contacted in July of the same year to conduct a telephone survey consisting of three multiple-choice questions related to the study's theme. Microsoft Excel and SPSS Statistics programs were used for data analysis.

Results

A total of 278 absences were identified during the aforementioned period out of a total of 1589 scheduled health examinations, resulting in an absenteeism rate of 17.5%. Among the 212 telephone responses obtained, the primary reasons for non-compliance with occupational health examinations were mainly due to absence caused by acute illness, vacation, or time off, accounting for 20.3% of occurrences (n=43); lack of awareness of the appointment or it not occurring in a timely manner, representing 19.8% of responses (n=42); prolonged absence due to chronic illness, pregnancy, or parental leave, comprising 17.9% (n=38); inability to be absent from work in 16.5% of cases (n=35), and forgetfulness in approximately 12.7% (n=27). Additionally, only 26.9% of the workers rescheduled their health examination. Approximately 59.9% of the working population considers themselves insufficiently informed about the purpose and importance of health examinations, as well as the areas of Occupational Health intervention, showing receptiveness to further training in this area.

Conclusion

This study provided a deeper understanding of the underlying reasons for absences from occupational health examinations, opening an opportunity for the implementation of interventions aimed at minimizing this organizational problem, which has a substantial impact on the surveillance of workers' health.

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