Workplace monitoring of employee health using the workstation PC as a platform

A country´s biggest asset is its workforce, given the fact that a healthy workforce can contribute to rapid growth of the economy. Chronic illnesses reduce productivity, are responsible for rising healthcare costs, and should be managed by the employer to reduce healthcare expenditures. This can be done through employee health and wellness programs, and well-designed health management initiatives. In addition, new information and communication technologies make it possible to monitor employee health with wearable devices and tele-health assisted surveillance techniques. This paper introduces a unique new approach to workplace healthcare monitoring, using the office workstation PC itself to monitor worker health. The main benefits are: reduction in the number of visits to the doctor during office hours; reduced dependency on institutionalized health setting such as hospitals for check-ups; and prior knowledge of worsening symptoms, thereby leading to timely cure rather than last minute hospital visits, nursing home admissions, all of which result in lesser sick leaves, and more productivity per employee.