Human Health Risk Assessment assesses the possible health impact of a person, group, or community. Clinicians use factual and technical information to determine and understand possible health effects, then design a solution that helps mitigate them.
Each HRA varies depending on the situation and population healthcare providers access. For instance, they may focus on the whole community or pick segments like children, workers, older people, or individuals with a particular health condition.
As the first stage in many comprehensive health promotion initiatives, Health Risk Assessment is one of the most popular screening techniques available.
What is the Role of Health Risk Assessment?
HRA offers various benefits both to patients and healthcare providers. These include:
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Prevention of a Disease
This is the main reason why health risk assessments are essential. Through these checks, assessors can uncover the possible health risks linked to medical issues that might be a problem in the future.
Many people are unhappy with their decisions about their lifestyle and its impact on their health. While we may understand the impact, we don’t fully acknowledge it. Many of us tend to ignore the prevention measures and wait until a problem develops before seeking help.
Although this is a natural human attribute, it leads to avoidable pain and suffering. Prevention is always the best step toward medical problems and always pays in the future. So, through HRA, potential risks can be identified and mitigated before they become a big issue.
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Better Health Outcomes
Health risk assessments help identify potential medical problems. Therefore, clinicians can develop intervention methods to help mitigate the issues before they worsen. Treating a disease in its early stages is way easier and cheaper than treating it when it has already advanced. So patients can respond better to the medications and treatments.
Cancer has become a widespread disease, with more than a million new cases every year. Sadly, most cases are diagnosed late when the disease has already progressed. Many cancer types are curable if caught early. Such programs like HRAs are crucial to help diagnose a disease in its starting stage and treat it, leading to a better health outcome.
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Helps Develop a Great Health Strategy
An excellent health strategy starts with a health risk assessment that quantifies to the involved parties the risks and where to put most of their effort and focus on. As a result, it helps them develop a well-planned health strategy that reduces costs and improves outcomes.
The Role of HRAS in Workplace Wellness
HRAs play a crucial role in workplace wellness in various ways. First, they help workers increase their awareness of their habits and behaviors. Through this self-awareness, individuals can make better and healthier choices. Some HRA programs offer educational feedback and recommendations. As a result, employees will feel more motivated to make better lifestyle choices. This makes them more productive and reduces absenteeism since people who eat healthily and exercise are likely to perform better at work and unlikely to be absent from work.
Additionally, these programs are essential for the company’s wellness program as they help attract new talent. A 2018 study by Global Talent Trends revealed that employees prefer companies that prioritize their well-being.
What Are the General Steps of Human Health Risk Assessment?
HRA involves five general steps:
- Identification of the issue- assessors identify the problem and the situation
- Assess the hazard- this involves determining the possible health effects associated with the identified issue.
- Understanding the dose-response relationship for every identified negative effect and the available studies to provide the information.
- Exposure assessment- involves developing a model that connects each hazard source to the affected group. Researchers collect and analyze data about the identified hazard and the population that may be affected by each hazard.
- Characterize the risk- the step analyzes the information found in the above processes to estimate the size and nature of the risk on the past, current, and future population.
Who Conducts Health Risk Assessments?
The people behind these assessments usually have science, engineering, and medical qualifications and relevant experience to the problem being assessed. The assessors work with experts in epidemiology, toxicology, and chemistry, especially when the situation involves using dangerous materials.
They are trained to break down each risk assessment step and analyze the issues rationally. They categorize the assessment into parts and solve each piece with logical reasoning. Governments and agencies may participate in the assessment depending on the problem in question.
Conclusion: When Are HRAs Required?
Whether to conduct or not a Health Risk Assessment varies on a case-by-case basis. But generally, these risk assessments are necessary when an activity seems to pose risks to people’s health. They help investigate the whole situation and determine the actions to take to protect human health. During the investigation, they may access past, present, and future exposures to food, water, chemicals, and other materials.
