A stitch in time saves nine.

An apple a day keeps the doctor away.

An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.

The value of preventing issues before they arise - especially health issues - has been common wisdom for centuries. 

And yet individuals commonly do not take action to prevent health issues. Taking preventive health screenings as an example, only 8% of American adults ages 35 or above had received all of the high-priority, appropriate clinical preventive services recommended for them. 

Why does preventive care often fall by the wayside?

Factors that increase (and decrease) participation

First and foremost, awareness.

A study investigating why people hadn’t participated in free community-based screenings for chronic disease offered by a top medical facility in the area discovered that 50% of the people asked didn’t know that the medical facility offered such screenings.

Once people are aware that preventive health screenings are recommended and available, factors that increase willingness to participate include: 

• convenience of screening site locations
• affordability
• other considerations related to healthcare providers and diagnostic facilities (e.g. reputation)

Our contribution to preventive health

The mission that drove us when building the Fijoya platform was to enable individuals to get the personalized healthcare needed for their health and wellbeing. Since preventative care is an important part of achieving overall, long-term health - that can also decrease the need for costly medical services in the future - we were determined that Fijoya should further users’ involvement in preventive healthcare.

The result was Fijoya Care: our platform module that offers tailored health recommendations to every user, based on their self-reported information and outcomes. 

The recommendations are all drawn from up-to-date recommendations from official health organizations, such as the United States Preventative Services Task Force (USPSTF) and the Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion (ODPHP). 

Fijoya Care recommendations are shown to users based on shared personal information (i.e. age, gender, any conditions they are dealing with) as reported by the user in the onboarding process or through their continued interaction with the Fijoya platform. For example, a recommendation to women of specified ages to look into cervical cancer screening, or screening for lung cancer in people ages 50-80 who report heavy smoking in the present or recent past.

The goal of these preventive care recommendations, first and foremost, is awareness. As we saw above, lack of knowledge about preventive screenings is often the primary reason why people don’t participate. The Fijoya Care suggestions are prompts to increase awareness and encourage discussions with healthcare providers. 

The second goal is convenience, which we also saw above was a major factor in people’s participation in preventive care. Convenient access via the Fijoya platform to products or services with which the user can act on the Fijoya Care recommendations makes follow-through more likely.

Self-reported outcomes

In the evolving landscape of workplace wellness, a paradigm shift is emerging. The contemporary approach to workplace wellness increasingly recognizes the importance of user or patient-reported outcomes (PROs) in assessing the impact of health benefits on employees' quality of life and productivity.

This perspective is well-established in the medical and health community.

• Holistic health metrics: Current health research supports the use of quality of life measures, such as diet, exercise, sleep and stress levels, as integral components in evaluating the effectiveness of health benefits. These metrics provide a comprehensive view of an employee's well-being, going beyond traditional clinical outcomes.
• Productivity and wellbeing: The correlation between employee well-being and productivity is well-documented. Insights from patient and user-reported outcomes help understand the broader impact of health benefits on both mental and emotional aspects of employees, which are crucial for their overall performance and job satisfaction.
• Personalized health programs: Emphasizing PROs provides employers insights as to how to tailor health programs more effectively, addressing specific employee needs. This customization and personalization leads to a more involved, engaged and healthier workforce.
• Economic Efficiency: Ultimately, a more engaged and healthier workforce can ultimately lead to significant long-term financial benefits for organizations, including reduced healthcare costs and improved employee retention.

In conclusion

Overall, the shift towards adoption of user-reported outcomes in workplace health assessments is a recognized and endorsed strategy within the health community for enhancing employee well-being and organizational productivity. Fijoya leverages similar approaches to track user reported outcomes across various user journeys within its product.

Fijoya Care stands as a partner for your employee health program, offering a blend of insights driven by proven health practices and the unique information employees share with us. Together, we can empower employees with knowledge and convenient options that make it seamless to participate in preventative care.