As global business travel increases, many companies still overlook the health risks tied to employees’ medical history. The Healix Risk Radar for 2024 survey revealed that only 43% of risk and security managers require medical disclosures before approving international trips, leaving 57% of companies unprepared. This gap in risk management exposes employees to preventable health issues and operational disruptions.

Why medical history matters

While travellers often research vaccinations, they rarely consider how pre-existing conditions, including mental health issues, could affect them abroad. Contrary to popular opinion, most serious travel-related illnesses stem from common health problems like heart attacks, strokes, and infections – not exotic diseases. Yet many companies fail to incorporate this into their risk planning.

Pre-existing conditions such as diabetes, heart disease, and mental health disorders can lead to significant travel disruptions if not managed properly. Understanding an employee’s medical history helps companies plan, ensuring employees avoid environments that might exacerbate their conditions or lack adequate healthcare. For instance, sending someone with a serious respiratory condition to a high-altitude destination could prove hazardous.

This is even more critical for expatriate assignments, where employees and their families relocate for extended periods. Consider an asthmatic employee sent to a city with high pollution, like Beijing, or a family with a teenager who has a history of serious mental health issues moving to a country with limited psychiatric care, such as Japan. These risks, if ignored, can lead to costly medical evacuations, operational disruptions, and even legal liabilities.

The reluctance to mandate medical disclosure

Despite the risks, many companies hesitate to require medical history disclosures. Concerns about privacy, potential discrimination claims, or the belief that environmental and security threats are the only significant risks can make organisations reluctant to examine employees’ personal profile. However, all too often, medical-related emergencies – both physical and mental – could have been predicted and prevented.

Rather than viewing medical history disclosure as a compliance burden, risk managers should see it as a proactive tool for preventing complications. Pre-travel assessments could recommend vaccinations, prescriptions, or local healthcare access tailored to the traveller’s needs. For those with complex health conditions, including mental health issues, a detailed management plan could be established, ensuring ongoing care and access to medication in the destination country.

Framing these precautions as part of employee wellbeing, rather than an invasion of privacy, encourages a culture of safety and care.

Balancing privacy and protection

A key challenge is balancing privacy concerns with the need for protection. Companies can safeguard employees’ privacy by limiting the scope of medical disclosures to relevant conditions, ensuring confidentiality, and involving independent medical professionals in the assessment. This approach respects employee privacy while equipping the company with the information needed to manage risks effectively.

Ultimately, making medical history a standard part of travel risk management creates a more resilient, informed approach. Involving a third-party provider such as Healix allows sensitive information to be handled without sharing it directly with the employer. This ensures compliance while prioritising employee safety.

Companies that integrate medical history into their risk management processes make smarter decisions about where to send employees and how to support them. In turn, they reduce preventable disruptions and strengthen their duty of care. The long-term payoff is fewer medical emergencies, reduced operational disruptions, and improved employee wellbeing, both physically and mentally.

(Photo copyright: Photo by Frank Schrader on Pexels.)