REGULATED PREEMPLOYMENT MEDICAL EXAMINATIONS AND THEIR EFFECT ON THE UTILIZATION OF HEALTH-SERVICES - THE EXPERIENCE OF 1,498 POLICE CADETS, QUEBEC, 1988

Persons seeking employment in a police department must submit to a pre -induction medical screening after they have qualified on a compulsory test of physical stamina. The effect of this imposition on the utiliz ation of health services was studied in a group of 1,498 police cadets whose use of medical and optometric services was monitored over a per iod of one year and compared with that of the general population of th e same age and sex. Cadets have used about as much care as women of ch ild-bearing age and were almost all exposed to physiological and radio logical procedures that have no known utility in the medical surveilla nce of workers. It is estimated that the cost of providing the protect ion that is apparently sought by the regulation varies between $6,285 and $66,000 per person.