Medical Surveillance vs. Medical Screening

The terms "medical surveillance" and "medical screening" are often used interchangeably even though they are two different concepts.

OSHA defines medical screening as a method for detecting disease or illness before an individual would normally seek medical care. Its purpose is early diagnosis and treatment. Screening tests are typically for employees who do not show symptoms of an illness, but who could be "at high risk for certain adverse health outcomes."

Medical screening is one part of a comprehensive medical surveillance program. Medical surveillance is "the analysis of health information to look for problems that may be occurring in the workplace that require targeted prevention.

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