Occupational Health & Safety

This study used covert observers to determine health worker adherence to hand hygiene compliance for hospital infection control.

This issue covers why TB infection control is an important issue for nurses; how TB is spread; creating an enabling environment for TB infection control; and administrative, environmental and personal controls. [adapted from author]

This guide is intended to help health-care personnel adapt their working methods to the exigencies of armed conflicts and other emergencies. [from author]

Caregivers constitute an important informal workforce, often undervalued, facing challenges to maintain their caring role, health and wellbeing. This study investigates the physical and mental health of Thai adult caregivers. [from abstract]

This study was carried out to determine whether the selected government health facilities in Nepal satisfy the conditions for safe injections in terms of staff training, availability of sterile injectable equipment and their proper disposal after use; and to assess knowledge and attitudes of healthcare workers in these health care facilities with regard to injection safety. [from abstract]

The aim of this study was to assess the incidence, magnitude, consequences and possible risk factors for workplace violence against nurses and physicians working in public Palestinian hospitals. [from abstract]

The work of pathologists is associated with potential health hazards including injuries involving infectious human tissue, chemicals which are assumed to be carcinogenic or long periods of microscope and computer work. This study aimed to provide a comprehensive assessment of the health situation of pathologists in Switzerland. [adapted from abstract]

Needlestick injuries and other sharps-related injuries which expose health care professionals to bloodborne pathogens continue to be an important public health concern. This article presents comprehensive information on needlestick injuries (NSI), post exposure prophylaxis, precautions and suggestions for prevention of NSI in dentistry. [from abstract]

This research set out to explore with frontline health workers and their managers how working conditions affect attitudes, behaviour and practices. It also sought the positive side of the health worker experience. The report documents the experiences and views of 122 nursing health workers in all regions of Uganda covering government, not-for-profit and private ownership organisations. [adapted from author]

Exploring risk factors of nurse’ burnout is important to improve nurses’ health and to increase the quality of health care services. This study aims to explore the relationship between work-family conflict and burnout among Chinese female nurses and the mediating role of psychological capital in this relationship. [from abstract]

This report outlines an intervention that utilized supportive supervision in 86 facilities around Ethiopia that aimed to: enable healthcare workers to practice new skills in infection prevention and control (IPC) following formal trainings; coach health care facility staff to improve their performance in order to meet recommended IPC standards; improve the skills of supervisors for independent program monitoring; integrate IPC into the routine health care supervision system; and monitor the changes in program performance as a result of these activities. [adapted from author]

This paper examines the particular issues of self-testing for HIV among health workers in sub-Saharan Africa, where high levels of interest and motivation for self-testing among health workers has been reported and informal self-testing already practiced. [from summary]

This report examines working conditions of health workers in Nepal in relation to income and incentives, work supplies and equipment, issues on safety and security and the role of local authorities and the community. [from summary]

This study investigates the association between job stress, psychological morbidity and quality of life in healthcare workers in three military hospitals in Taiwan. [from abstract]

The aim of this study was to examine the relationship between quality of work life and turnover intention of primary health care nurses in Saudi Arabia. [from abstract]

Quality of work life (QWL) is defined as the extent to which an employee is satisfied with personal and working needs through participating in the workplace while achieving the goals of the organization. The purpose of this study was to assess the QWL among primary health care nurses in the Jazan region, Saudi Arabia. [from abstract]

This study was conducted to estimate the prevalence of burnout syndrome among primary healthcare physicians in Qatar, and to identify its determinants. [from abstract]

The aim of this study is to determine factors associated with the acceptance and uptake of voluntary HIV testing among healthcare workers in a public hospital in KwaZulu-Natal. [from abstract]

Interns are a vulnerable group of healthcare workers, cited as having the highest incidence of accidental needle-stick injuries and splashes with blood or body fluids. This study compared the incidence of occupational exposure between first- and second-year interns in South Africa to estabilsh the severity of the problem. [adapted from abstract]

This paper discusses the ethical and legal constraints on a healthcare worker who has been occupationally exposed to possible HIV infection in circumstances where the patient will not/is not in a position to give consent to be tested to establish his/her HIV status, which is a prerequisite for the healthworker to receive postexposure prophylaxis in South Africa. [adapted from abstract]

Healthcare workers (HCWs) can play an important role in assisting patients to stop smoking, but this role is undermined if they themselves smoke. The study determined the prevalence of tobacco smoking and alcohol use among HCWs in public hospitals in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. [from abstract]

Although all occupational hazards are important, the risk of laboratory-associated infection in employees of clinical laboratories is greater than it is in many other occupations. This survey was conducted in Pakistan to assess the awareness of biosafety measures and the practices performed by laboratory technicians during their routine laboratory work. [adapted from introduction]

This study aimed to describe the patterns, severity and outcomes of incidents of workplace violence among employees of a large correctional health service, and to explore the help-seeking behaviours of staff following an incident. [from abstract]

This technical brief illuminates the numerous hazards that health workers face on the job. The authors outline ways to make health workers’ safety a higher-level policy issue and show how to create working environments that prioritize occupational health. [adapted from publisher]

The objective of this study was to determine the prevalence of workplace violence in oral healthcare centres against Nigerian dental professionals. [from abstract]

The aim of this study was to compare health status and exposure to different work environmental factors among ambulance personnel and the core work force in Denmark; and to examine the association between physical and psychosocial work environment factors and different measures of health among ambulance personnel. [from abstract]

Healthcare workers including physicians, nurses, medical technicians and administrative staff experience high levels of occupational stress as a result of heavy workloads, extended working hours and time-related pressure. The aims of this study were to investigate factors associated with work stress among hospital staff members and to evaluate their health-promoting lifestyle behaviors. [from abstract]

The goal of this study was to explore the factors associated with the burnout syndrome in Cypriot nurses working in various clinical departments. [from abstract]

This brief outlines the concepts of flexible working practices, which are being promoted by governments, employers and unions as an important element of efforts to recruit and retain skilled employees and to improve the deployment of available nursing skills. [adapted from author]

This study investigates how physical space, level of staffing, staff burnout, staff absenteeism, staff experience and facilities’ experience with ART provision are associated with levels of adherence to clinical protocol as part of Zambian HIV care and treatment program. [adapted from author]