Occupational Health & Safety

Hospitals are established to attend to the health needs of people as well as to treat the injured and the sick. However, health workers are sometimes faced with occupational health and safety issues which give a bad image to the socio-economic importance of the hospitals.
This study assessed how the health and safety issues of health workers in the public health facilities of Ghana are addressed. [from abstract]

The aim of this paper is to assess the occupational health hazards faced by healthcare workers and the mitigation measures. [adapted from abstract]

This study found that the hospitals attempted to make significant use of Crime Prevention through Environmental Design (CPTED) approach (including natural surveillance, natural access control, territorial concern, and management & maintenance) but that CPTED usage was at least partially ineffective because of poor implementation of its principles and because employees were not sufficiently educated in CPTED to exploit the CPTED engineering and design features. [from abstract]

Globally, health-care workers experience high rates of violence and abuse in the workplace. More focus should be put on preventing such attacks, say experts. [from introduction]

This self-report questionnaire study was carried out in Al-Hassa, Saudi Arabia to highlight the magnitude, predictors, and circumstances of workplace violence against primary health care (PHC) workers. A total of 1,091 workers completed a self-administered questionnaire. [from abstract]

The incidence of patient-doctor disputes are alarmingly increasing in China, this article reviews the current status and causes of violence against medical workers in China, six strategies to tackle the daily worrying problems have been proposed and hopefully could improve the medical working environment in China. [from abstract]

The objective of SICOT is “to promote the advancement of the science and art of orthopaedics and traumatology at international level in particular for the improvement of patient care; to foster and develop teaching, research and education; to facilitate and encourage exchange of professional experience and to promote good fellowship among its members.” [from introduction]

Although international scientific research on health issues has been dealing with the problem of aggression and violence towards those employed in health care, research activities in Germany are still at an early stage. In view of this, the aim of this study was to examine the frequency and consequences of aggressive behaviour towards nurses and health care workers in different health sectors in Germany and to assess the need for preventive measures. [from abstract]

In 2013, new data collected by the ICRC7 showed that the vast majority of violent incidents against health services that took place during 2012 – more than 80 per cent of the 900 or so incidents recorded in twenty-two countries – affected local health-care professionals. A quarter of the people affected by these incidents were killed or wounded, while the remainder of the incidents consisted of beatings, threats, arrests, kidnapping, and other violent occurrences. [from introduction]

This interview study aimed to explore perceived facilitators and barriers influencing patient safety among nurses involved in the direct provision of care. Considering the importance of nurses with regard to patient safety, this knowledge could facilitate the development and implementation of better solutions. [from abstract]

Health care workers are exposed to different kinds of occupational hazards due to their day to day activities. The most common occupational exposure like body fluids are a potential risk of transmission of blood born infection like human immunodeficiency virus. [from abstract]

The purpose of this study was to determine the nurses’ knowledge and practices regarding risk factors, prevention, and management of pressure ulcers at a teaching hospital in Uganda. The study employed a descriptive cross-sectional design. [from abstract]

This report offers a review of the rich and varied discussions that took place during the course of the 3-day
conference that resulted in a Call for Action, including a global research agenda.[from introduction]

he tragic and excessive attack on a doctor at the Western Hospital in Australia in February has brought the issue of violence in health care settings back into the spotlight, writes the magazine of the Australian Medical Association (Victoria). This latest attack serves as a stark reminder of the unacceptable risks health care workers are exposed to just by turning up to work each day, with emergency departments in particular described in recent times as ‘war zones’. [from summary]

The Ministry of Health/Ghana Health Service in collaboration with the World Health Organization (W.H.O.) country office commissioned the development of this policy and guidelines on occupational health and safety (OHS) of health workers in view of the tremendous risks posed to these workers in the process of rendering invaluable services to mankind. We wish to express our appreciation to the W.H.O. for supporting this effort. [from introduction]

This study aimed to highlight the shortcomings in knowledge, attitudes, and practices about infection control of recent graduates of clinical health sciences who started their one-year internship in Uganda so as to recommend areas in which infection control training could be improved. [adapted from author]

This study’s objectives were to investigate the implementation of tuberculosis (TB) infection control measures at primary healthcare facilities, the smear positive TB incidence rate amongst primary healthcare workers and the association between TB infection control measures and all types of TB in healthcare workers. [from abstract]

Health care associated infections are most commonly transmitted by the hands of Health care workers and other hospital personnel. Therefore, this study investigated compliance with hand hygiene guidelines and methods of hand hygiene practice among community health officers in Rivers State Nigeria. [adapted from abstract]

The main objective of this study was to estimate the risk of HIV transmission and examine the practices for preventing occupational exposures among health care workers at Tumbi and Dodoma Hospitals in Tanzania. [from abstract]

The aim of this study is to evaluate the efficacy of a strategy for prevention of work-related musculoskeletal disorders to enhance the physical capacity of health care workers. [adapted from abstract]

The objective of this study was to investigate to which extent general practitioners work alone in emergency primary care centers in Norway, and to estimate the prevalence of other preventive measures against workplace violence. [from abstract]

The purpose of this study was to clarify the impact of long nurse working hours on patient safety culture in Japan, the US, and Chinese Taiwan using the Hospital Survey on Patient Safety Culture assessment tool. [adapted from abstract]

The authors explore the different contexts of violence against polio vaccination workers and make policy proposals on how to respond to attacks on vaccination workers and to other factors that are impeding the final push for polio eradication. [adapted from author]

This article summarizes the key role that lady health workers play in polio eradication; outlines the problems faced by these workers such as the risk to their lives through shootings and bombings, the lack of a living wage and dearth of advancement opportunities; and offers suggestions to improve the situation.

This study aimed to explore whether a participatory work-design intervention involving hospital physicians is effective in improving working conditions and quality of patient care. [from abstract]

The many functions of health human resources include identifying and managing burnout risk factors for health professionals, while also promoting effective coping. This study of physician burnout aims to show which correlates are most strongly associated with emotional exhaustion and depersonalization, and whether the associations vary across regions and specialties. [adapted from abstract]

The article reports on the development of an instrument to assess barriers and levers to hand hygiene and to allow the subsequent tailoring of theoretically informed implementation strategies. The study has produced encouraging findings suggesting the potential for improved hand hygiene and resulting effects on the human and financial costs of healthcare associated infection. [adapted from author]

With increasing age, physical capacity decreases and the time needed for recovery increases, while the demands of work do not change with age. The aim of this study was to evaluate the association between physical activity and work ability of health workers using both cross sectional and prospective analyses. [adapted from author]

Providing education and training to healthcare staff is an important strategy in implementing a tuberculosis infection prevention program. This manual and training curriculum provide information to begin improving infection prevention practices in health facilities and home based care. [adapted from publisher]

This guideline emphasises measures that reduce the risk of transmitting tuberculosis (TB) to managers, health care workers, patients, visitors and other persons in the health care facilities and households. It focuses on the safety of health care workers and reduction of patient-to-patient transmission. [adapted from author]