Occupational Health & Safety

Guidelines for Occupational Safety and Health, Including HIV in the Health Services Sector

These guidelines target all health workers at the different levels of the health care delivery system and apply to both the formal and informal workplaces within the health sector. This document covers the basic principles that are required to ensure workplace safety and health including hazard identification, risk management, prevention and management of exposures and incidents. [from foreword]

Conflict Among Iranian Hospital Nurses: a Qualitative Study

This study explores the experience of conflict as perceived by Iranian hospital nurses in Tehran, Islamic Republic of Iran. Although conflict-control approaches have been extensively researched throughout the world, no research-based data are available on the perception of conflict and effective resolutions among hospital nurses in Iran. [adapted from abstract]

Measuring and Managing the Work Environment of the Mid-Level Provider: the Neglected Human Resource

Our study aimed to explore a neglected but crucial aspect of human resources for health in Africa: the provision of a work environment that will promote motivation and performance of mid-level providers. This paper explores the work environment of mid-level providers in Malawi, and contributes to the validation of an instrument to measure the work environment of mid-level providers in low income countries. [from abstract]

Key Characteristics of Positive Practice Environments for Health Care Professionals

This document presents a checklist of key characteristics of quality workplaces for health care professionals. It is intended for use by employers, professional organizations, regulatory bodies, government agencies as well as health sector professionals. It is designed as a reference tool to enable these groups to assess the quality of their practice environment, identify any deficiencies and develop strategies to address priority gaps. [adapted from introduction]

TTR Plan and Measures to Protect Health Workers

This presentation covers the World Health Organization’s Treat, Train and Retain activities in terms of the key elements for health worker safety and protection. [adapted from author]

Effects of Job Rotation and Role Stress among Nurses on Job Satisfaction and Organizational Commitment

The motivation for this study was to investigate how role stress among nurses could affect their job satisfaction and organizational commitment, and whether the job rotation system might encourage nurses to understand, relate to and share the vision of the organization, consequently increasing their job satisfaction and stimulating them to willingly remain in their jobs and commit themselves to the organization. [from abstract]

What about the Health Workers? Improving the Work Climate at Rural Facilities in Kenya

In health facilities across Kenya, many workers are struggling to do their jobs in less-than-ideal conditions. Work climate issues such as poor working environments, unfriendly colleagues, disorganized facility functions and ineffective supervision have been hindering workers’ performance and productivity and contributing to low retention. [from author]

Relationship Experiences of Professional Nurses with Nurse Mangers

This qualitative study was undertaken to explore and describe the experiences of professional nurses in their relationships with nurse managers. [from abstract]

National Impact: Local Ownership of Health Workforce Initiatives in Uganda

This document discusses the in-country ownership of health initiatives from the Health Sector Strategic Plan focusing on critical areas such as retention, recruitment and occupational safety.

Psychosocial Health Risk Factors and Resources of Medical Students and Physicians: a Cross-Sectional Study

Epidemiological data indicate elevated psychosocial health risks for physicians, e. g., burnout, depression, marital disturbances, alcohol and substance abuse, and suicide. The purpose of this study was to identify psychosocial health resources and risk factors in profession-related behaviour and experience patterns of medical students and physicians that may serve as a basis for appropriate health promoting interventions. [from abstract]

Caring for Caregivers: an HIV/AIDS Workplace Intervention for Hospital Staff in Zambia, Evaluation Results

There has been little research on HIV incidence or prevalence among hospital staff worldwide, and even less on modes of transmission among those infected. Recent evidence from South Africa suggests that HIV prevalence among health care personnel may not differ greatly from the general population. This evaluation study describes the significant effect of HIV morbidity and mortality among the workers in Zambia’s health care system. [adapted from introduction]

Swaziland Nurses the Wellbeing of Its Health Workers

Swaziland has taken the lead in caring for overburdened health workers with the opening of the first Wellness Centre in Manzini for them and their families. This article reports on this innovative response to the deepening crisis in human resources for health in sub-Saharan Africa. [adapted from author]

Kenya Health Workers Survey 2005

This survey is the first attempt to examine the preparedness of the health
system to implement guidelines for HIV testing in clinical settings, and to provide comprehensive AIDS management. This includes availing HIV testing in clinical settings to both adult and pediatric patients, and providing treatment for HIV disease. The survey also examines the working environment in health care facilities, with an emphasis on HIV infection control and access to post-exposure prophylaxis for health workers themselves. [from foreword]

Role of the Physical and Social Environment in Promoting Health, Safety, and Effectiveness in the Healthcare Workplace

The objective of this study was to examine how the physical environment, along with other factors such as culture and social support, impact the health and safety of the care team, effectiveness of the healthcare team in providing care and preventing medical errors, and patient and practitioner satisfaction with the experience of giving and receiving care. [adapted from abstract]

Within Our Grasp: Healthy Workplace Action Strategy for Success and Sustainability in Canada's Healthcare System

The health and well-being of the health workforce and the quality of the healthcare work environment has a profound impact on the effectiveness and efficiency of healthcare services. This resource identifies priority actions that are known to improve the workplace and that can be implemented quickly and efficiently. The actions focus on both system wide and organizational performance improvement on specific areas relating to quality work life. [from executive summary]

Creating an Enabling Working Environment for Good Management in the District

This presentation was given at the First Forum on Human Resources for Health in Kampala. It outlines the internal and external environmental issues for district medical officers and describes what these officers need in terms of support.

Positive Practice Environments

Positive practice environments are settings that support excellence and decent work. In particular, they strive to ensure the health, safety and personal well-being of staff, support quality patient care and improve the motivation, productivity and performance of individuals and organisations. [from author]

Caring for Healthcare Workers: a Global Perspective

This article reflects on the state of the art in providing a safe working environment for HCWs and to consider a future path towards equitable access to its basic elements. [author’s description]

Positive Practice Environments: Quality Workplaces, Quality Patient Care: Information and Action Tool Kit

This toolkit explores the nurse/workplace interface, overlapping factors that shape nurses’ work environments, the cost of unhealthy workplaces, and the characteristics and benefits of positive practice environments. A list of recommended actions and tools to help nurses negotiate for improved environments is also included. [from introduction]

Lone Working Survey

The National Health Service published guidance to help protect staff who work alone and who do not have access to immediate support from colleagues or others. This guidance provides a template from which local employers can develop procedures and systems to protect lone workers. It contains information on how technology can be used to help provide a safer environment and to help nurses feel more confident about their personal safety. The RCN wanted to find out if the situation for nurses working in the community has improved since 2005, their perception of risk, their experiences of assault and abuse, whether technology has been provided, and how incidents are handled.

Creating High-Quality Health Care Workplaces

The question guiding the paper is: “What are the key ingredients of a high-quality work environment in Canada’s health care sector and how can this goal be achieved?” Synthesizing insights from a variety of research streams, the paper identifies many ingredients needed to create a high-quality workplace. We take a multidisciplinary and holistic approach, which complements other research initiatives on health human resources. [from abstract]

Occupational Health and Safety Management Programme for Nurses

Nurses are falling ill, incurring workplace injuries, and suffering disabilities from exposure to workplace hazards. As a result, the global community is losing critical members of the health care team, compounding the already existing nurse staffing crisis and adversely affecting the health and well-being of the world’s population. Yet, despite the evidence of broad support for health and safety programmes, nurses worldwide continue to be exposed to serious and preventable work place hazards. [from introduction]

At Breaking Point: a Survey of the Wellbeing and Working Lives of Nurses in 2005

The RCN commissioned a survey of 6,000 members in 2000 to explore nurses’ wellbeing and working lives. The results subsequently helped shape RCN policy and materials for members on topics such as bullying and harassment, violence, needlestick injury and employee-friendly working practices. Five years later, the RCN has commissioned a second survey looking at a similar range of issues. This report documents the findings of that survey, and describes differences between the 2000 and 2005 survey findings. [introduction]

Creating Healthy Health Care Workplaces in British Columbia: Evidence for Action

The intent of the report is to stimulate creative discussions among [British Colubia’s] health system stakeholders about opportunities for coordinated action on employee and workplace health. The best available evidence suggests that the scope and depth of workplace health challenges today require solutions that go beyond traditional workplace health promotion programs.

Losing the "Eyes in the Back of Our Heads": Social Service Skills, Lean Caring, and Violence

Violence in the social services work place in general, and the developmental services in particular, has increased in the last several years. Findings from an ethnographic study suggests that new, lean forms of work organization remove opportunities to use or learn many of the tacit or practice skills workers previously used to keep themselves and their clients safer in the work place. This article describes many of these skills and the new management schemes that remove the possibility to develop or transmit these praxis skills.

Prevalence of Workplace Violence Against Nurses in Hong Kong

To objective of this article was to determine the prevalence and nature of workplace violence against nurses, how nurses deal with such aggression; and to identify the risk factors related to violence in the hospital environment. [author’s description]

Physical and Psychological Violence in Jamaica's Health Sector

This study was done to determine the prevalence of experiences with physical violence and psychological violence that health staff have had in the workplace in Jamaica, and to identify factors associated with those experiences of violence. [from abstract]

Workplace Violence in Health Care: Recognized but Not Regulated

Workplace violence is one of the most complex and dangerous occupational hazards facing nurses working in today’s health care environment. This article includes critiques of the conceptual, empirical, and policy progress of the past decade, a discussion of the need for methodologically rigorous intervention effectiveness research, and a description of a joint-labor management research effort aimed at documenting a process to reduce violence in a state mental health system. [from abstract]

Zero Tolerance Response to Violence in the NSW Health Workplace: Policy and Framework Guidelines

The purpose of this policy and guidelines is to ensure that in all violent incidents, appropriate action is consistently taken to protect health service staff, patients and visitors, and health service property from the effects of such behaviour. The guidelines are provided as a reference tool and should be used to develop local policies and procedures that reflect the intent of this document, and that are specifically targeted at and adapted to local workplace cultures, situations and needs. [from introduction]

Prevention of Occupational Violence in the Health Workplace

The incidence and severity of occupational violence varies across health care occupations because risk factors differ between locations and according to job tasks. Patterns of violence also vary because some health workplaces adopt improved prevention. This discussion paper provides an overview of some of the strategies that may reduce the incidence and severity of occupational violence. [adapted from author]