Factors influencing healthcare worker's participation in physical ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

African Journal for Physical Activity and Health Sciences ... in one public hospital in South Africa: Do healthcare workers have barriers to exercise? ... Binary logistic regression was used to determine the association between barriers, attitude, ...

Tuberculosis and latent tuberculosis infection among healthcare workers in Kisumu, Kenya.

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Agaya, Janet; Nnadi, Chimeremma D; Odhiambo, Joseph; Obonyo, Charles; Obiero, Vincent; Lipke, Virginia; Okeyo, Elisha; Cain, Kevin; Oeltmann, John E

2015-12-01

To assess prevalence and occupational risk factors of latent TB infection and history of TB disease ascribed to work in a healthcare setting in western Kenya. We conducted a cross-sectional survey among healthcare workers in western Kenya in 2013. They were recruited from dispensaries, health centres and hospitals that offer both TB and HIV services. School workers from the health facilities' catchment communities were randomly selected to serve as the community comparison group. Latent TB infection was diagnosed by tuberculin skin testing. HIV status of participants was assessed. Using a logistic regression model, we determined the adjusted odds of latent TB infection among healthcare workers compared to school workers; and among healthcare workers only, we assessed work-related risk factors for latent TB infection. We enrolled 1005 healthcare workers and 411 school workers. Approximately 60% of both groups were female. A total of 22% of 958 healthcare workers and 12% of 392 school workers tested HIV positive. Prevalence of self-reported history of TB disease was 7.4% among healthcare workers and 3.6% among school workers. Prevalence of latent TB infection was 60% among healthcare workers and 48% among school workers. Adjusted odds of latent TB infection were 1.5 times higher among healthcare workers than school workers (95% confidence interval 1.2-2.0). Healthcare workers at all three facility types had similar prevalence of latent TB infection (P = 0.72), but increasing years of employment was associated with increased odds of LTBI (P Kenya which offer TB and HIV services are at increased risk of latent TB infection, and the risk is similar across facility types. Implementation of WHO-recommended TB infection control measures are urgently needed in health facilities to protect healthcare workers. © 2015 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

The challenges of training, support and assessment of healthcare support workers: A qualitative study of experiences in three English acute hospitals.

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Sarre, Sophie; Maben, Jill; Aldus, Clare; Schneider, Justine; Wharrad, Heather; Nicholson, Caroline; Arthur, Antony

2018-03-01

Ever-growing demands on care systems have increased reliance on healthcare support workers. In the UK, their training has been variable, but organisation-wide failures in care have prompted questions about how this crucial section of the workforce should be developed. Their training, support and assessment has become a policy priority. This paper examines: healthcare support workers' access to training, support and assessment; perceived gaps in training provision; and barriers and facilitators to implementation of relevant policies in acute care. We undertook a qualitative study of staff caring for older inpatients at ward, divisional or organisational-level in three acute National Health Service hospitals in England in 2014. 58 staff working with older people (30 healthcare support workers and 24 staff managing or working alongside them) and 4 healthcare support worker training leads. One-to-one semi-structured interviews included: views and experiences of training and support; translation of training into practice; training, support and assessment policies and difficulties of implementing them. Transcripts were analysed to identify themes. Induction training was valued, but did not fully prepare healthcare support workers for the realities of the ward. Implementation of hospital policies concerning supervision and formal assessment of competencies varied between and within hospitals, and was subject to availability of appropriate staff and competing demands on staff time. Gaps identified in training provision included: caring for people with cognitive impairment; managing the emotions of patients, families and themselves; and having difficult conversations. Access to ongoing training was affected by: lack of time; infrequent provision; attitudes of ward managers to additional support workforce training, and their need to balance this against patients' and other staff members' needs; and the use of e-learning as a default mode of training delivery. With the

Job Stress and Presenteeism among Chinese Healthcare Workers: The Mediating Effects of Affective Commitment

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Tianan Yang; Yina Guo; Mingxu Ma; Yaxin Li; Huilin Tian; Jianwei Deng

2017-01-01

Background: Presenteeism affects the performance of healthcare workers. This study examined associations between job stress, affective commitment, and presenteeism among healthcare workers. Methods: To investigate the relationship between job stress, affective commitment, and presenteeism, structural equation modeling was used to analyze a sample of 1392 healthcare workers from 11 Class A tertiary hospitals in eastern, central, and western China. The mediating effect of affective commitment o...

Prevalence of Hepatitis B Antibodies in Health-Care Workers in Yasuj Hospitals

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B Sarkari

2007-01-01

Full Text Available ABSTRACT: Introduction & Objective: Hepatitis B is a common infection in the world and one of the main health problems in our country. Over 350 million people are infected with Hepatitis B virus in the world and are chronic carriers of this infection. Health care workers are at risk of infection with blood born viruses including hepatitis B (HBV. This study was conducted to find out the rate of anti-HBs antibodies among the health-care workers (HCW in Yasuj hospitals, Southwest of Iran. Materials & Methods: This is a cross sectional descriptive study in which 212 staff was randomly selected from different wards of the hospitals in Yasuj. Blood samples were taken from each individual and tested for hepatitis B surface antibody (anti-HBs by ELISA. Those who had anti-HBs titer > 10 IU/ml were considered as positive. Collected data were analyzed by SPSS software using descriptive data analysis and chi-square test. Results: 61.3% of the subjects were female and 38.7% were male. 93.9% of the subjects had a history of one to three doses of hepatitis B vaccination. Results of this study showed that 185 (87.3% of the staff have anti hepatitis B antibodies (Anti-HBs. Among the staff that was negative for anti-HBs antibody, 12 had a history of hepatitis B vaccination (at least one dose. Female employees were more positive than males (93% vs. 78% and this difference was statistically significant (p<0.05. Moreover, a positive correlation was found between the titer of antibody and sex where females had a higher titer of antibody in comparison with males (p<0.05. No correlation was found between the workplace of HCW and positive anti-HBS. Conclusion: Result of this study indicates that more than 85 percent of the health-care workers in Yasuj have reasonable immunity against hepatitis B infection. A small proportion of HCWs had no immunity against HBV. The second course of hepatitis B vaccine should be delivered to those who had no immunity against hepatitis B

New working conditions and consequences on activity of home healthcare workers.

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Van De Weerdt, Corinne; Baratta, René

2012-01-01

Home healthcare is steadily growing in Europe. There are a number of reasons for this development: aging population, rising hospital costs, preference to stay in one's own home. Nevertheless, it has been known that home healthcare workers are frequently exposed to a variety of potentially serious occupational hazards. Furthermore, emotional labor is frequently high in this profession. This paper describes an ergonomic study conducted at a home healthcare service. The research focuses on analyzing working conditions of home healthcare aides and nurses, as well as the impacts of their work in terms of job satisfaction, well-being, emotions at work, relationships with the others and occupational stress. The study show that employee strategies are specifically centered around preserving the relationship between patients and workers and coping with the job demands. This paper also shows that home healthcare workers express emotions and conceal them from others. Finally, recommendations discussed with the manager and workers to improve working conditions in this sector led to practical proposals: for example, implementing certain equipment items better suited to difficult care, encouraging assistance between healthcare workers when operations require this through adequate organizational measures, extending work emotion-focused discussion groups with management involvement.

Recommended Vaccines for Healthcare Workers

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... Vaccination Resources for Healthcare Professionals Recommended Vaccines for Healthcare Workers Recommend on Facebook Tweet Share Compartir On ... for More Information Resources for Those Vaccinating HCWs Healthcare workers (HCWs) are at risk for exposure to ...

Why is patient safety so hard in low-income countries? A qualitative study of healthcare workers' views in two African hospitals.

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Aveling, Emma-Louise; Kayonga, Yvette; Nega, Ansha; Dixon-Woods, Mary

2015-02-25

The views of practitioners at the sharp end of health care provision are now recognised as a valuable source of intelligence that can inform efforts to improve patient safety in high-income countries. Yet despite growing policy emphasis on patient safety in low-income countries, little research examines the views of practitioners in these settings. We aimed to give voice to how healthcare workers in two East African hospitals identify and explain the major obstacles to ensuring the safety of patients in their care. We conducted in-depth, face to face interviews with healthcare workers in two East African hospitals. Our sample included a total of 57 hospital staff, including nurses, physicians, technicians, clinical services staff, administrative staff and hospital managers. Hospital staff in low-income settings offered broadly encompassing and aspirational definitions of patient safety. They identified obstacles to patient safety across three major themes: material context, staffing issues and inter-professional working relationships. Participants distinguished between the proximal influences on patient safety that posed an immediate threat to patient care, and the distal influences that generated the contexts for such hazards. These included contexts of severe material deprivation, but also the impact of relational factors such as teamwork and professional hierarchies. Structures of authority, governance and control that were not optimally aligned with achieving patient safety were widely reported. As in high-income countries, the accounts of healthcare workers in low-income countries provide sophisticated and valuable insights into the challenges of patient safety. Though the impact of resource constraints and weak governance structures are particularly marked in low-income countries, the congruence between accounts of health workers in diverse settings suggest that the origins and solutions to patient safety problems are likely to be similar everywhere and are

Workplace Violence against Health Care Workers in North Chinese Hospitals: A Cross-Sectional Survey.

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Sun, Peihang; Zhang, Xue; Sun, Yihua; Ma, Hongkun; Jiao, Mingli; Xing, Kai; Kang, Zheng; Ning, Ning; Fu, Yapeng; Wu, Qunhong; Yin, Mei

2017-01-19

This research aimed to determine the prevalence of workplace violence (WPV) against healthcare workers, explore the frequency distribution of violence in different occupational groups, and determine which healthcare occupation suffers from WPV most frequently. Furthermore, the current study aimed to compare risk factors affecting different types of WPV in Chinese hospitals. A cross-sectional design was utilized. A total of 1899 healthcare workers from Heilongjiang, a province in Northeastern China, completed the questionnaire. Of the respondents, 83.3% reported exposure to workplace violence, and 68.9% reported non-physical violence. Gender, education, shift work, anxiety level, and occupation were significantly correlated with physical violence ( p gender, age, profession, anxiety, and shift work were predictive of workplace violence toward healthcare workers. Doctors appeared to experience non-physical workplace violence with particularly higher frequency when compared to nurses and other workers in hospitals. For healthcare workers, interventions aimed at WPV reduction should be enacted according to the types of violence, profession, and other factors underlying the various types of WPV in hospitals.

Risk of bloodborne pathogen exposure among Zambian healthcare workers

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Elayne Kornblatt Phillips

2012-06-01

Full Text Available Purpose: Understanding the risks of bloodborne pathogen transmission is fundamental to prioritizing interventions when resources are limited. This study investigated the risks to healthcare workers in Zambia. Design: A survey was completed anonymously by a convenience sample of workers in three hospitals and two clinics in Zambia. Respondents provided information regarding job category, injuries with contaminated sharps, hepatitis B vaccination status and the availability of HIV post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP. Results: Nurses reported the largest number of injuries. The average annual sharps injury rate was 1.3 injuries per worker, and service workers (housekeepers, laundry, ward assistants had the highest rate of these injuries, 1.9 per year. Injuries were often related to inadequate disposal methods. Syringe needles accounted for the largest proportion of injuries (60%, and 15% of these injuries were related to procedures with a higher-than-average risk for infection. Most workers (88% reported the availability of PEP, and only 8% were fully vaccinated against hepatitis B. Conclusions: The injury risks identified among Zambian workers are serious and are exacerbated by the high prevalence of bloodborne pathogens in the population. This suggests that there is a high risk of occupationally acquired bloodborne pathogen infection. The findings also highlight the need for a hepatitis B vaccination program focused on healthcare workers. The risks associated with bloodborne pathogens threaten to further diminish an already scarce resource in Zambia – trained healthcare workers. To decrease these risks, we suggest the use of low-cost disposal alternatives, the implementation of cost-sensitive protective strategies and the re-allocation of some treatment resources to primary prevention. Keywords: Healthcare worker safety, Zambian healthcare workers, Bloodborne pathogen transmission, Sharps injury prevention, Infectious diseases

Health Reform and its Impact on Healthcare Workers: A Case Study of the National Clinical Hospital of Cordova, Argentina

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Carlos Álvarez

2007-10-01

Full Text Available Since the mid 1990’s, health in Argentina has no longer been considered a social function of the State but was transformed into a market commodity. Neoliberal decentralization favored the introduction of corporate methods and incentivized privatization. In practice, this led to self-management for hospitals, deregulation of social services and incorporation of private capital to the public health business. This exploratory study looks at the impact of these reforms in the public health services sector. It analyzes living and working conditions, changes produced in the organization of work and their effect on labor relations and on participation in union, political and social activities by workers at the National Clinical Hospital of Cordoba, Argentina. Data was primarily collected through an interview survey of a convenience sample of 68 workers from the non-teaching staff; this represents 10% of the total professional, administrative and maintenance staff of the hospital. The interviews demonstrate deterioration in income and living conditions. Hospital self-management for these workers led to increased competition, the fragmentation in the work spaces, tension and the distrust between co-workers, as well as increased intensity in the workload of some employees. The profile of these healthcare workers is structured and marked by silence, the resolution of the conflicts by means of individual action in the workplace, and minimal participation in social-political-union or community organizations.

Challenge or hindrance: Does job stress affect presenteeism among Chinese healthcare workers?

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Yang, Tianan; Ma, Mingxu; Zhu, Mingjing; Liu, Yuanling; Chen, Qian; Zhang, Shiyang; Deng, Jianwei

2018-03-27

We examined the effects of challenge stress and hindrance stress on general health and presenteeism among Chinese healthcare workers. Structural equation modeling was used to evaluate data from a national hospital survey in China (n = 1392). Job stress, general health, and presenteeism were measured by the Perceived Ability to Work Scale, the 8-item Short-Form Health Survey, and the Challenge- and Hindrance-Related Self-reported Stress Scale. Challenge stress and hindrance stress were significantly positively correlated (β = 0.62, SE = 0.021; p stress was directly negatively associated with presenteeism (β = -0.05, SE = 0.037; p stress was positively associated with presenteeism (β = 0.25, SE = 0.040; p health. Hospital managers should provide healthcare workers with an appropriate level of challenge, but employee health is the most important consideration. Further efforts targeting job stress and health of junior healthcare workers are required.

Workplace Violence against Health Care Workers in North Chinese Hospitals: A Cross-Sectional Survey

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Peihang Sun

2017-01-01

Full Text Available This research aimed to determine the prevalence of workplace violence (WPV against healthcare workers, explore the frequency distribution of violence in different occupational groups, and determine which healthcare occupation suffers from WPV most frequently. Furthermore, the current study aimed to compare risk factors affecting different types of WPV in Chinese hospitals. A cross-sectional design was utilized. A total of 1899 healthcare workers from Heilongjiang, a province in Northeastern China, completed the questionnaire. Of the respondents, 83.3% reported exposure to workplace violence, and 68.9% reported non-physical violence. Gender, education, shift work, anxiety level, and occupation were significantly correlated with physical violence (p < 0.05 for all correlations. Additionally, age, professional title, and occupation were correlated with non-physical violence, which critically affected doctors. Thus, gender, age, profession, anxiety, and shift work were predictive of workplace violence toward healthcare workers. Doctors appeared to experience non-physical workplace violence with particularly higher frequency when compared to nurses and other workers in hospitals. For healthcare workers, interventions aimed at WPV reduction should be enacted according to the types of violence, profession, and other factors underlying the various types of WPV in hospitals.

Catalysts of worker-to-worker violence and incivility in hospitals.

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Hamblin, Lydia E; Essenmacher, Lynnette; Upfal, Mark J; Russell, Jim; Luborsky, Mark; Ager, Joel; Arnetz, Judith E

2015-09-01

To identify common catalysts of worker-to-worker violence and incivility in hospital settings. Worker-to-worker violence and incivility are prevalent forms of mistreatment in healthcare workplaces. These are forms of counterproductive work behaviour that can lead to negative outcomes for employees, patients and the organisation overall. Identifying the factors that lead to co-worker mistreatment is a critical first step in the development of interventions targeting these behaviours. Retrospective descriptive study. Qualitative content analysis was conducted on the total sample (n = 141) of employee incident reports of worker-to-worker violence and incivility that were documented in 2011 at a large American hospital system. More than 50% of the incidents involved nurses, and the majority of incidents did not involve physical violence. Two primary themes emerged from the analysis: Work Behaviour and Work Organisation. Incidents in the Work Behaviour category were often sparked by unprofessional behaviour, disagreement over responsibilities for work tasks or methods of patient care, and dissatisfaction with a co-worker's performance. Incidents in the Work Organisation category involved conflicts or aggression arising from failure to following protocol, patient assignments, limited resources and high workload. Incidents of worker-to-worker violence and incivility stemmed from dissatisfaction with employee behaviour or from organisational practices or work constraints. These incident descriptions reflect worker dissatisfaction and frustration, resulting from poor communication and collaboration between employees, all of which threaten work productivity. Violence and incivility between hospital employees can contribute to turnover of top performers, hinder effective teamwork and jeopardise the quality of patient care. Identification of common catalysts for worker-to-worker violence and incivility informs the development of mistreatment prevention programmes that can be

Hospital Textiles, Are They a Possible Vehicle for Healthcare-Associated Infections?

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Sabina Fijan

2012-09-01

Full Text Available Textiles are a common material in healthcare facilities; therefore it is important that they do not pose as a vehicle for the transfer of pathogens to patients or hospital workers. During the course of use hospital textiles become contaminated and laundering is necessary. Laundering of healthcare textiles is most commonly adequate, but in some instances, due to inappropriate disinfection or subsequent recontamination, the textiles may become a contaminated inanimate surface with the possibility to transfer pathogens. In this review we searched the published literature in order to answer four review questions: (1 Are there any reports on the survival of microorganisms on hospital textiles after laundering? (2 Are there any reports that indicate the presence of microorganisms on hospital textiles during use? (3 Are there any reports that microorganisms on textiles are a possible source infection of patients? (4 Are there any reports that microorganisms on textiles are a possible source infection for healthcare workers?

Contact among healthcare workers in the hospital setting: developing the evidence base for innovative approaches to infection control.

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English, Krista M; Langley, Joanne M; McGeer, Allison; Hupert, Nathaniel; Tellier, Raymond; Henry, Bonnie; Halperin, Scott A; Johnston, Lynn; Pourbohloul, Babak

2018-04-17

Nosocomial, or healthcare-associated infections (HAI), exact a high medical and financial toll on patients, healthcare workers, caretakers, and the health system. Interpersonal contact patterns play a large role in infectious disease spread, but little is known about the relationship between health care workers' (HCW) movements and contact patterns within a heath care facility and HAI. Quantitatively capturing these patterns will aid in understanding the dynamics of HAI and may lead to more targeted and effective control strategies in the hospital setting. Staff at 3 urban university-based tertiary care hospitals in Canada completed a detailed questionnaire on demographics, interpersonal contacts, in-hospital movement, and infection prevention and control practices. Staff were divided into categories of administrative/support, nurses, physicians, and "Other HCWs" - a fourth distinct category, which excludes physicians and nurses. Using quantitative network modeling tools, we constructed the resulting HCW "co-location network" to illustrate contacts among different occupations and with locations in hospital settings. Among 3048 respondents (response rate 38%) an average of 3.79, 3.69 and 3.88 floors were visited by each HCW each week in the 3 hospitals, with a standard deviation of 2.63, 1.74 and 2.08, respectively. Physicians reported the highest rate of direct patient contacts (> 20 patients/day) but the lowest rate of contacts with other HCWs; nurses had the most extended (> 20 min) periods of direct patient contact. "Other HCWs" had the most direct daily contact with all other HCWs. Physicians also reported significantly more locations visited per week than nurses, other HCW, or administrators; nurses visited the fewest. Public spaces such as the cafeteria had the most staff visits per week, but the least mean hours spent per visit. Inpatient settings had significantly more HCW interactions per week than outpatient settings. HCW contact patterns and spatial

Mapping educational opportunities for healthcare workers on antimicrobial resistance and stewardship around the world.

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Rogers Van Katwyk, Susan; Jones, Sara L; Hoffman, Steven J

2018-02-05

Antimicrobial resistance is an important global issue facing society. Healthcare workers need to be engaged in solving this problem, as advocates for rational antimicrobial use, stewards of sustainable effectiveness, and educators of their patients. To fulfill this role, healthcare workers need access to training and educational resources on antimicrobial resistance. To better understand the resources available to healthcare workers, we undertook a global environmental scan of educational programs and resources targeting healthcare workers on the topic of antimicrobial resistance and antimicrobial stewardship. Programs were identified through contact with key experts, web searching, and academic literature searching. We summarized programs in tabular form, including participating organizations, region, and intended audience. We developed a coding system to classify programs by program type and participating organization type, assigning multiple codes as necessary and creating summary charts for program types, organization types, and intended audience to illustrate the breadth of available resources. We identified 94 educational initiatives related to antimicrobial resistance and antimicrobial stewardship, which represent a diverse array of programs including courses, workshops, conferences, guidelines, public outreach materials, and online-resource websites. These resources were developed by a combination of government bodies, professional societies, universities, non-profit and community organizations, hospitals and healthcare centers, and insurance companies and industry. Most programs either targeted healthcare workers collectively or specifically targeted physicians. A smaller number of programs were aimed at other healthcare worker groups including pharmacists, nurses, midwives, and healthcare students. Our environmental scan shows that there are many organizations working to develop and share educational resources for healthcare workers on antimicrobial

Compassion, Mindfulness, and the Happiness of Healthcare Workers.

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Benzo, Roberto P; Kirsch, Janae L; Nelson, Carlie

Decreased well-being of healthcare workers expressed as stress and decreased job satisfaction influences patient safety, patient satisfaction, and cost containment. Self-compassion has garnered recent attention due to its positive association with well-being and happiness. Discovering novel pathways to increase the well-being of healthcare workers is essential. This study sought to explore the influence of self-compassion on employee happiness in healthcare professionals. A total of 400 participants (mean age = 45 ± 14, 65% female) healthcare workers at a large teaching hospital were randomly asked to complete questionnaires assessing their levels of happiness and self-compassion, life conditions, and habits. Participants completed the Happiness Scale and Self-Compassion Scales, the Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire as well as variables associated with well-being: relationship status, the number of hours spent exercising a week, attendance at a wellness facility, and engagement in a regular spiritual practice. Self-compassion was significantly and independently associated with perceived happiness explaining 39% of its variance after adjusting for age, marital status, gender, time spent exercising, and attendance to an exercise facility. Two specific subdomains of self-compassion from the instrument used, coping with isolation and mindfulness, accounted for 95% of the self-compassion effect on happiness. Self-compassion is meaningfully and independently associated with happiness and well-being in healthcare professionals. Our results may have practical implications by providing specific self-compassion components to be targeted in future programs aimed at enhancing well-being in healthcare professionals. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Latex sensitisation in healthcare workers in Singapore.

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Tang, M B Y; Leow, Y H; Ng, V; Koh, D; Goh, C L

2005-06-01

Epidemiological data on latex sensitisation among Asian healthcare workers is lacking. The aim of the study is to determine the rate of latex sensitisation in our healthcare workers. We recruited 313 healthcare workers, of which 46.6% were operating theatre staff and 53.4% were non-operating theatre staff. Seventy-one administrative staff served as controls. All participants answered a self-administered questionnaire relating to latex exposure and glove-related symptoms. Latex sensitisation was determined by skin prick testing to latex and latex-specific IgE detection. The prevalence of latex sensitisation among healthcare workers was 9.6%, with no difference between operating theatre and nonoperating theatre staff. Glove-related symptoms were reported in 13.7% of all healthcare workers, of which 22.9% were sensitised to latex. Only 26.7% of latex-sensitised healthcare workers had glove-related symptoms while the rest were asymptomatic. The most common symptoms were itch and hand eczema but the most important discriminating symptom was contact urticaria. Personal history of atopy was more common in sensitised healthcare workers (40.0%) compared to non-sensitised workers (31.8%). Only 1 out of 9 (11.2%) symptomatic latex-sensitised subjects had sought previous medical attention for the problem. Latex sensitisation among healthcare workers in Singapore should be considered a significant occupational health risk, as it is in the West. Increased screening and awareness of this problem is essential to identify those at risk.

Healthcare waste management in selected government and private hospitals in Southeast Nigeria

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Angus Nnamdi Oli

2016-01-01

Conclusions: The availability of material for waste segregation at point of generation, compliance of healthcare workers to healthcare waste management guidelines and the existence of infection control committee in both hospitals is generally low and unsatisfactory.

Occupational Stress Among Home Healthcare Workers: Integrating Worker and Agency-Level Factors.

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Zoeckler, Jeanette M

2018-02-01

Home healthcare work is physically and emotionally exhausting. In addition, home healthcare workers frequently work under precarious work arrangements for low wages and in poor work conditions. Little is known about how sources of job strain for home healthcare workers might be reduced. This research examines the occupational stressors among paid home care workers by analyzing home healthcare agency characteristics and individual home healthcare workers' experiences in upstate New York agencies (n = 9). The study augments existing theoretical models and describes new sources of stress arising from the nature of agency-based caregiving. Results feature the analysis of both agency executives' (n = 20) and home healthcare workers' narratives (n = 25) to make the agency's inner workings more transparent. Agency structures and culture are implicated in the lack of progress to address home care workers' health problems. Policy change should focus on compensation, healthier work conditions, and training requirements.

Predictors of seasonal influenza vaccination among healthcare workers in hospitals : a descriptive meta-analysis

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Riphagen-Dalhuisen, Josien; Gefenaite, Giedre; Hak, Eelko

Objective Vaccinating healthcare workers (HCWs) against influenza is one of the most important methods of decreasing influenza transmission among at-risk patients in healthcare facilities. However, despite recommendations, the rate of uptake of influenza vaccine among HCWs remains low. The objective

Job Stress and Presenteeism among Chinese Healthcare Workers: The Mediating Effects of Affective Commitment.

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Yang, Tianan; Guo, Yina; Ma, Mingxu; Li, Yaxin; Tian, Huilin; Deng, Jianwei

2017-08-29

Presenteeism affects the performance of healthcare workers. This study examined associations between job stress, affective commitment, and presenteeism among healthcare workers. To investigate the relationship between job stress, affective commitment, and presenteeism, structural equation modeling was used to analyze a sample of 1392 healthcare workers from 11 Class A tertiary hospitals in eastern, central, and western China. The mediating effect of affective commitment on the association between job stress and presenteeism was examined with the Sobel test. Job stress was high and the level of presenteeism was moderate among healthcare workers. Challenge stress and hindrance stress were strongly correlated (β = 0.62; p < 0.05). Affective commitment was significantly and directly inversely correlated with presenteeism (β = -0.27; p < 0.001). Challenge stress was significantly positively correlated with affective commitment (β = 0.15; p < 0.001) but not with presenteeism. Hindrance stress was significantly inversely correlated with affective commitment (β = -0.40; p < 0.001) but was significantly positively correlated with presenteeism (β = 0.26; p < 0.001). This study provides important empirical data on presenteeism among healthcare workers. Presenteeism can be addressed by increasing affective commitment and challenge stress and by limiting hindrance stress among healthcare workers in China.

Job Stress and Presenteeism among Chinese Healthcare Workers: The Mediating Effects of Affective Commitment

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Tianan Yang

2017-08-01

Full Text Available Background: Presenteeism affects the performance of healthcare workers. This study examined associations between job stress, affective commitment, and presenteeism among healthcare workers. Methods: To investigate the relationship between job stress, affective commitment, and presenteeism, structural equation modeling was used to analyze a sample of 1392 healthcare workers from 11 Class A tertiary hospitals in eastern, central, and western China. The mediating effect of affective commitment on the association between job stress and presenteeism was examined with the Sobel test. Results: Job stress was high and the level of presenteeism was moderate among healthcare workers. Challenge stress and hindrance stress were strongly correlated (β = 0.62; p < 0.05. Affective commitment was significantly and directly inversely correlated with presenteeism (β = −0.27; p < 0.001. Challenge stress was significantly positively correlated with affective commitment (β = 0.15; p < 0.001 but not with presenteeism. Hindrance stress was significantly inversely correlated with affective commitment (β = −0.40; p < 0.001 but was significantly positively correlated with presenteeism (β = 0.26; p < 0.001. Conclusions: This study provides important empirical data on presenteeism among healthcare workers. Presenteeism can be addressed by increasing affective commitment and challenge stress and by limiting hindrance stress among healthcare workers in China.

Skin care education and individual counselling versus treatment as usual in healthcare workers with hand eczema

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Ibler, K.S.; Jemec, G.B.E.; Thomsen, S.F.

2012-01-01

Objective: To evaluate the effect of a secondary prevention programme with education on skin care and individual counselling versus treatment as usual in healthcare workers with hand eczema. Design: Randomised, observer blinded parallel group superiority clinical trial. Setting: Three hospitals...... in Denmark. Participants: 255 healthcare workers with self reported hand eczema within the past year randomised centrally and stratified by profession, severity of eczema, and hospital. 123 were allocated to the intervention group and 132 to the control group. Interventions: Education in skin care...

Mental disorders among workers in the healthcare industry: 2014 national health insurance data.

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Kim, Min-Seok; Kim, Taeshik; Lee, Dongwook; Yook, Ji-Hoo; Hong, Yun-Chul; Lee, Seung-Yup; Yoon, Jin-Ha; Kang, Mo-Yeol

2018-01-01

Numerous studies have shown that healthcare professionals are exposed to psychological distress. However, since most of these studies assessed psychological distress using self-reporting questionnaires, the magnitude of the problem is largely unknown. We evaluated the risks of mood disorders, anxiety disorders, sleep disorders, and any psychiatric disorders in workers in healthcare industry using Korea National Health Insurance (NHI) claims data from 2014, which are based on actual diagnoses instead of self-evaluation. We used Korea 2014 NHI claims data and classified employees as workers in the healthcare industry, based on companies in the NHI database that were registered with hospitals, clinics, public healthcare, and other medical services. To estimate the standardized prevalence of the selected mental health disorders, we calculated the prevalence of diseases in each age group and sex using the age distribution of the Korea population. To compare the risk of selected mental disorders among workers in the healthcare industry with those in other industries, we considered age, sex, and income quartile characteristics and conducted propensity scored matching. In the matching study, workers in healthcare industry had higher odds ratios for mood disorders (1.13, 95% CI: 1.11-1.15), anxiety disorders (1.15, 95% CI: 1.13-1.17), sleep disorders (2.21, 95% CI: 2.18-2.24), and any psychiatric disorders (1.44, 95% CI: 1.43-1.46) than the reference group did. Among workers in healthcare industry, females had higher prevalence of psychiatric disorders than males, but the odds ratios for psychiatric disorders, compared to the reference group, were higher in male workers in healthcare industry than in females. The prevalence of mood disorders, anxiety disorders, sleep disorders, and all psychiatric disorders for workers in the healthcare industry was higher than that of other Korean workers. The strikingly high prevalence of sleep disorders could be related to the frequent

Occupational safety among dental health-care workers

Science.gov (United States)

Shimoji, Shigehiro; Ishihama, Kohji; Yamada, Hidefumi; Okayama, Masaki; Yasuda, Kouichi; Shibutani, Tohru; Ogasawara, Tadashi; Miyazawa, Hiroo; Furusawa, Kiyofumi

2010-01-01

Compared to other health-care workers, dental health-care workers come in close contact with patients and use a variety of sharp and high-speed rotating instruments. It is important to understand the characteristics of the occupational accidents that occur. We reviewed incident reports from April 1, 2005, to March 31, 2010, at Matsumoto Dental University Hospital. In addition, questionnaires dealing with identification of occupational safety issues, especially splash exposures, were conducted for dentists, dental hygienists, and nurses. Thirty-two occupational injuries were reported during the study period, including 23 sharp instrument injuries (71.9%), 6 splash exposures (18.8%), and 3 others. Of the six splash exposures, only two cases involved potential contamination with blood or other potentially infectious patient material. Of the 66 workers who experienced sharps injuries, 20 workers (30.3%, 20/66) reported them to the hospital work safety team. The questionnaire revealed high incident of splash exposures and conjunctiva exposures: 87.9% (51/58) and 60.3% (35/58) in dentists and 88.6% (39/44) and 61.4% (27/44) in dental hygienists. The compliance rate for routine use of protective eyewear was 60.3% (35/58) for dentists and 34.1% (15/44) for hygienists. Of the presented informational items included in the questionnaire, those that strongly persuaded respondents to use protective eyewear were ‘splatters from the patient’s mouth contain blood’ (90%, 99/110) and ‘dental operations at our clinic are performed based only on a questionnaire without serious examinations for HBV, HCV, and HIV’ (71.8%, 79/110). The reason of low compliance of protective eyewear among dentists might relate to fine dental procedures. Appropriate information is important for the motive of wearing personal protective equipment, and an early educational program may have a potential to increase compliance with the use of that equipment. PMID:23745061

Are healthcare workers immune to rubella?

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Borràs, Eva; Campins, Magda; Esteve, María; Urbiztondo, Luis; Broner, Sonia; Bayas, José María; Costa, Josep; Domínguez, Angela

2014-01-01

Healthcare workers (HCW) have high exposure to infectious diseases, some of which, such as rubella, are vaccine-preventable. The aim of this study was to determine the immunity of HCW against rubella. We performed a seroprevalence study using a self-administered survey and obtained blood samples to determine rubella Immunoglobulin G (IgG) antibody levels in HCW during preventive examinations by five Primary Care Basic Prevention Units and six tertiary hospitals in Catalonia. Informed consent was obtained. IgG was determined using an antibody capture microparticle direct chemiluminometric technique. The odss ratio (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) were calculated. Logistic regression was made to calculate adjusted OR. Of 642 HCW who participated (29.9% physician, 38.8% nurses, 13.3% other health workers and 18% non-health workers), 46.6% were primary care workers and 53.4% hospital workers. Of total, 97.2% had rubella antibodies. HCW aged 30-44 years had a higher prevalence of antibodies (98.4%) compared with HCW aged<30 years (adjusted OR 3.92; 95% CI 1.04-14.85). The prevalence was higher in nurses than in other HCW (adjusted OR: 5.57, 95% CI 1.21-25.59). Antibody prevalence did not differ between females and males (97.4% vs. 97.1%, P 0.89), type of center (97.7% vs. 96.8%, P 0.51) or according to history of vaccination (97.3% vs. 96.8%, P 0.82). Seroprevalence of rubella antibodies is high in HCW, but workers aged<30 years have a higher susceptibility (5.5%). Vaccination should be reinforced in HCW in this age group, due to the risk of nosocomial transmission and congenital rubella.

Workplace Violence against Health Care Workers in North Chinese Hospitals: A Cross-Sectional Survey

OpenAIRE

Peihang Sun; Xue Zhang; Yihua Sun; Hongkun Ma; Mingli Jiao; Kai Xing; Zheng Kang; Ning Ning; Yapeng Fu; Qunhong Wu; Mei Yin

2017-01-01

This research aimed to determine the prevalence of workplace violence (WPV) against healthcare workers, explore the frequency distribution of violence in different occupational groups, and determine which healthcare occupation suffers from WPV most frequently. Furthermore, the current study aimed to compare risk factors affecting different types of WPV in Chinese hospitals. A cross-sectional design was utilized. A total of 1899 healthcare workers from Heilongjiang, a province in Northeastern ...

Stakeholders' Perceptions on Shortage of Healthcare Workers in Primary Healthcare in Botswana: Focus Group Discussions.

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Oathokwa Nkomazana

Full Text Available An adequate health workforce force is central to universal health coverage and positive public health outcomes. However many African countries have critical shortages of healthcare workers, which are worse in primary healthcare. The aim of this study was to explore the perceptions of healthcare workers, policy makers and the community on the shortage of healthcare workers in Botswana.Fifteen focus group discussions were conducted with three groups of policy makers, six groups of healthcare workers and six groups of community members in rural, urban and remote rural health districts of Botswana. All the participants were 18 years and older. Recruitment was purposive and the framework method was used to inductively analyse the data.There was a perceived shortage of healthcare workers in primary healthcare, which was believed to result from an increased need for health services, inequitable distribution of healthcare workers, migration and too few such workers being trained. Migration was mainly the result of unfavourable personal and family factors, weak and ineffective healthcare and human resources management, low salaries and inadequate incentives for rural and remote area service.Botswana has a perceived shortage of healthcare workers, which is worse in primary healthcare and rural areas, as a result of multiple complex factors. To address the scarcity the country should train adequate numbers of healthcare workers and distribute them equitably to sufficiently resourced healthcare facilities. They should be competently managed and adequately remunerated and the living conditions and rural infrastructure should also be improved.

Nosocomial pathogens associated with the mobile phones of healthcare workers in a hospital in Anyigba, Kogi state, Nigeria.

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Nwankwo, E O; Ekwunife, N; Mofolorunsho, K C

2014-06-01

Mobile phones of healthcare workers (HCWs) could be colonized by potential bacteria pathogens. The aim of this research is to evaluate the bacterial contamination and antibiotic sensitivity pattern of isolates from mobile phones of HCWs in Grimad hospital. A total of 112 swab samples were collected from the mobile phones of HCWs and students in June 2012 in Anyigba. While 56 samples were from HCWs in Grimad hospital, 56 samples were obtained from non-healthcare workers (NHCWs) who served as the control. The samples were all screened for bacterial pathogens by standard bacteriological procedures. Antibiotic susceptibility testing was done by the disc diffusion technique. The rate of bacterial contamination of mobile phones of HCWs was 94.6%. Bacteria isolated from mobile phones of HCWs were more resistant to antibiotics than NHCWs phones. Staphylococcus Epidermidis (42.9%) was the most frequently isolated bacteria followed by Bacillus spp. (32.1%), Staphylococcus Aureus (25%), Pseudomonas Aeruginosa (19.6%), Escherichia Coli (14.3%), Streptococcus spp. (14.3%), Proteus spp. (12.5%), Klebsiella spp. (7.1%), and Acinetobacter spp. (5.3%). Cotrimoxazole, ampicillin and tetracycline showed high levels of resistance while gentamicin, ciprofloxacin and ceftriaxone exhibited encouraging results. The presence of bacteria pathogens associated with nosocomial infection was identified. Transmission of pathogens can be reduced by hand hygiene and regular cleaning of mobile phones. Copyright © 2013 Ministry of Health, Saudi Arabia. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

[Global management of patients with ebola viral disease, experience of the Healthcare workers Treatment of Conakry, Guinea].

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Savini, H; Maugey, N; Aletti, M; Facon, A; Koulibaly, F; Cotte, J; Janvier, F; Cordier, P Y; Dampierre, H; Ramade, S; Foissaud, V; Granier, H; Sagui, E; Carmoi, T

2016-10-01

The Healthcare Workers Treatment Center of Conakry, Guinea, was inaugurated in january 2015. It is dedicated to the diagnosis and the treatment of healthcare workers with probable or confirmed Ebola viral disease. It is staffed by the french army medical service. The french military team may reconcile their medical practice and the ethno-cultural imperatives to optimise the patient adherence during his hospitalization.

Healthcare Workers and Workplace Violence

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Tevfik Pinar

2013-06-01

Full Text Available Workplace violence is a threatening worldwide public health problem. Healthcare workers have under particular risk of workplace violence, and they are being exposed to violence 4-16 times more than other service workers. The frequency of violence in the health sector in the world has indicated in different range of results since there is no consistent definition of workplace violence and differences in research methodology (any type of violence: 22,0% - 60,0%; physical violence: 2,6% - 57,0%; verbal violence: 24,3% - 82,0%; sexual harassment: %1,9 - 10,5%. All healthcare workers have right to work in a safe working place. The safety of healthcare workers should deserve the same priority as patient safety. Various risk factors including social, cultural, environmental, organizational and personal elements play a role in the formation of workplace violence that is very important for our country. Considering all those factors, the workplace violence in health sector should be seriously handled and the strategies and policies must be developed for prevention. [TAF Prev Med Bull 2013; 12(3.000: 315-326

Why healthcare workers give prelacteal feeds.

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Akuse, R M; Obinya, E A

2002-08-01

Because prelacteal feeds can adversely affect breastfeeding, UNICEF/WHO discourage their use unless medically indicated. The study was carried out to determine the proportion of healthcare workers who routinely give prelacteal feeds, and their reasons for doing so; further, to determine whether any differences exist between medically and non-medically trained healthcare workers in their administration of prelacteal feeds. Survey. Primary, secondary and tertiary health facilities in Kaduna township Nigeria. Of 1100 healthcare workers sampled, 747 (68%) responded. Of these 80% had received medical training, 20% had not. Use of a pretested validated questionnaire. Large proportions of both medical and non-medically trained healthcare workers stated they routinely give prelacteal feeds (doctors, 68.2%; nurses, 70.2%; and non-medical, 73.6%). However their reasons for doing so differed significantly (P=0.00001). Nurses gave mainly for perceived breast milk insufficiency, doctors for prevention of dehydration, hypoglycaemia and neonatal jaundice and non-medical staff to prepare the gastrointestinal tract for digestion and to quench thirst. Most healthcare workers (medical and non-medical) routinely and unnecessarily give prelacteal feeds. Therefore training and retraining programmes in lactation management are necessary and must include non-medical staff. These programmes, while emphasizing the danger of giving prelacteal feeds, must deal with the misconceptions of each group. Deliberate efforts have to be made to incorporate clinical training in breastfeeding in curricula of Schools of Medicine and Nursing.

Effect of workplace- versus home-based physical exercise on pain in healthcare workers

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Jakobsen, Markus Due; Sundstrup, Emil; Brandt, Mikkel

2014-01-01

BACKGROUND: The prevalence and consequences of musculoskeletal pain is considerable among healthcare workers, allegedly due to high physical work demands of healthcare work. Previous investigations have shown promising results of physical exercise for relieving pain among different occupational......, physical exercise performed during working hours at the workplace may be costly for the employers in terms of time spend. Thus, it seems relevant to compare the efficacy of workplace- versus home-based training on musculoskeletal pain. This study is intended to investigate the effect of workplace...... to increase adherence and avoid contamination between interventions. Two hundred healthcare workers from 18 departments located at three different hospitals is allocated to 10 weeks of 1) workplace based physical exercise performed during working hours (using kettlebells, elastic bands and exercise balls...

Contact lens use and its compliance for care among healthcare workers in Pakistan

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Muhammed Hamza Khan

2013-01-01

Full Text Available Background: Poor care and hygiene of contact lens (CL results in eye problems and infections. Healthcare workers have an important role in advocating correct lens care. Objectives: To determine the practices of CL care and the adverse consequences of poor CL care among healthcare workers. Setting and Design: A cross-sectional study in one public and three private sector hospitals in Karachi, Pakistan, in 2009-2010. Materials and Methods: We questioned 500 healthcare workers of all ages and both sexes, who wore CL, about compliance with advice on care and any complications due to improper hygiene practices. Ethical approval was obtained. Chi-square tests were used to determine significance and p-value less than 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results: Of the total CL users, 385 (77% were females. Most (75% respondents wore CL to correct myopia, whereas 54% wore CL only occasionally. Surprisingly, only 24% knew the CL cleaning protocol. Lens solution was changed daily by 33% of users and after more than 2 weeks by 42%. Although 412 (82% participants practised reasonable hand hygiene before inserting CL, 88 (18% did not. Infection and eye dryness were statistically significantly (P < 0.01 associated with sex, hand-washing, and frequency of CL use. Conclusion: Noncompliance with the CL protocol was common among healthcare workers in our society. This behavior calls for targeted health education and awareness programs for healthcare workers.

DEGREE OF BURNOUT AMONG EMERGENCY HEALTHCARE WORKERS AND FACTORS INFLUENCING LEVEL OF BURNOUT: A STUDY PROTOCOL

OpenAIRE

Shyamanta; Sashibha; Navoneela; Marami; Bornali; Sakhee; Anjana; Dipesh

2015-01-01

BACKGROUND Burnout is a feeling of failure and exhaustion. It is felt both at the physical and emotional level. Depletion of the person’s resources is a consequence and also has an impact on the organisation. Nature of the work itself makes emergency healthcare workers vulnerable to burnout. METHOD This study is designed to measure the degree of burnout among emergency healthcare workers in a hospital and to identify the factors that influence burnout. The study h...

Introduction to ergonomics for healthcare workers.

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Waters, Thomas R

2010-01-01

Healthcare workers who handle and move patients as part of their jobs suffer a disproportionately high number of work-related musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs). The majority of reported work-related MSDs are back pain cases that result in significant numbers of lost work days. It is likely that these lost workdays have a substantial impact on the quality and cost of health care. Patient care ergonomics can reduce the risk of work-related MSDs by helping safety experts design the work so it can be safely performed by most workers. This article provides a general overview of ergonomics--what it is, how it can be used to help design safe work, and why all healthcare workers and administrators should know and understand how excessive work demands can lead to increased risk of work-related MSDs. The article will also explain technological solutions that can be implemented to reduce the risk of work-related MSDs for healthcare workers.

Occupational safety among dental health-care workers

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Shigehiro Shimoji

2010-10-01

Full Text Available Shigehiro Shimoji1, Kohji Ishihama1,2, Hidefumi Yamada1, Masaki Okayama1, Kouichi Yasuda1,3, Tohru Shibutani3,4, Tadashi Ogasawara2,5, Hiroo Miyazawa2,3, Kiyofumi Furusawa11Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Matsumoto Dental University, Shiojiri, Japan; 2Infection Control Team, 3Risk Management Working Team, Matsumoto Dental University Hospital, Shiojiri, Japan; 4Department of Dental Anesthesiology, 5Department of Special Care Dentistry, Matsumoto Dental University, Shiojiri, JapanAbstract: Compared to other health-care workers, dental health-care workers come in close contact with patients and use a variety of sharp and high-speed rotating instruments. It is important to understand the characteristics of the occupational accidents that occur. We reviewed incident reports from April 1, 2005, to March 31, 2010, at Matsumoto Dental University Hospital. In addition, questionnaires dealing with identification of occupational safety issues, especially splash exposures, were conducted for dentists, dental hygienists, and nurses. Thirty-two occupational injuries were reported during the study period, including 23 sharp instrument injuries (71.9%, 6 splash exposures (18.8%, and 3 others. Of the six splash exposures, only two cases involved potential contamination with blood or other potentially infectious patient material. Of the 66 workers who experienced sharps injuries, 20 workers (30.3%, 20/66 reported them to the hospital work safety team. The questionnaire revealed high incident of splash exposures and conjunctiva exposures: 87.9% (51/58 and 60.3% (35/58 in dentists and 88.6% (39/44 and 61.4% (27/44 in dental hygienists. The compliance rate for routine use of protective eyewear was 60.3% (35/58 for dentists and 34.1% (15/44 for hygienists. Of the presented informational items included in the questionnaire, those that strongly persuaded respondents to use protective eyewear were ‘splatters from the patient’s mouth contain blood�

Smoking and Depression among Healthcare Workers

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Madhusudhan Ghimire

2014-06-01

Full Text Available Introduction: Healthcare workers are a special public icon for the community because people would like to adopt and implement their knowledge, skill, attitude and behaviour for improving quality of health. People respect them for their knowledge and health behavior. It is believed that the level of health status of health workers as well as community should go ahead parallel but many researchers have noted that high risk behaviours (smoking, tobacco use, alcoholism, irregular diet intake, lack of exercise etc. are prevalent among health workers. The result of this will be physical, psychological, familial and social disturbance, which might have an impact on health care delivery system of the country. The study was concerned to assess health status (body mass index, smoking and depression of healthcare workers and its impact on social adjustment in Banke district of Nepal. Methods: A cross sectional study design was applied to conduct the research. One hundred and eight respondents were selected through random sampling from the purposive group. Data wa collected through interview by using interview schedule. SPSS-16 windows process was used to analyze data. Results: Most of the respondent (81.40% were under the age group less than 30 years (M = 27.35, SD = 9.24 years. More than 57.40% of respondents were female. Most of them (68.50% were unmarried. Maximum (82.20% responders had normal Body Mass Index (18.5-24.99. Near about forty percent (38.9% healthcare worker had faced social problems in their working area. Conclusion: Age (above 20 years and male healthcare workers were more likely to smoke cigarettes. Depressed health workers were more likely to smoke cigarette. Depression could be observed as a determinant for social adjustment.

Attitude and Vaccination Status of Healthcare Workers against Hepatitis B Infection in a Teaching Hospital, Ethiopia

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Mohammed Akibu

2018-01-01

Full Text Available Background. World Health Organization and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommend all health professionals to get vaccinated against hepatitis B virus before they start the clinical attachments during their stay in the medical school. However, only 18–39% of healthcare workers in low- and middle-income countries received the vaccine. Therefore, this study aims to determine the attitude and vaccination status of health professionals working at Adama General Hospital and Medical College. Methods. An institution-based cross-sectional study was conducted from December 2016 to February 2017 with 403 health professionals working at Adama General Hospital and Medical College. Data were collected using self-administered questionnaire distributed at the participant’s work unit and analyzed using SPSS version 20. Multiple logistic regression analysis was conducted to identify factors that affect the complete vaccination status and p value < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Result. The prevalence of complete vaccination against hepatitis B virus was 25.6%. The most frequently mentioned reasons for not being vaccinated were high cost of the vaccine (41% and unavailability of the vaccine (36%. More than three-fourths (77.8% of study participants strongly agreed that hepatitis B is a major public health threat and there was tendency among participants to believe that their profession will put them at increased risk of acquiring the disease (strongly agreed: 75.9%. Attending infection-prevention training [AOR = 2.3; 95% CI, 1.24–6.31], history of exposure to risky behavior [AOR = 5.5; 95% CI, 2.86–9.29], and long years of work experience [AOR = 3.1; 95% CI, 1.98–5.24] were statistically significant with complete vaccination status. Conclusion. Only one-quarter of health professionals received the recommended full dose of the vaccine. Sustained hepatitis B vaccination programs for healthcare workers need to be established by

A Review of Electronic Hand Hygiene Monitoring: Considerations for Hospital Management in Data Collection, Healthcare Worker Supervision, and Patient Perception.

Science.gov (United States)

McGuckin, Maryanne; Govednik, John

2015-01-01

Healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) in U.S. acute care hospitals lead to a burden of $96-$147 billion annually on the U.S. health system and affect 1 in 20 hospital patients (Marchetti & Rossiter, 2013). Hospital managers are charged with reducing and eliminating HAIs to cut costs and improve patient outcomes. Healthcare worker (HCW) hand hygiene (HH) practice is the most effective means of preventing the spread of HAIs, but compliance is at or below 50% (McGuckin, Waterman, & Govednik, 2009). For managers to increase the frequency of HCW HH occurrences and improve the quality of HH performance, companies have introduced electronic technologies to assist managers in training, supervising, and gathering data in the patient care setting. Although these technologies offer valuable feedback regarding compliance, little is known in terms of capabilities in the clinical setting. Less is known about HCW or patient attitudes if the system allows feedback to be shared. Early-adopting managers have begun to examine their experiences with HH technologies and publish their findings. We review peer-reviewed research on infection prevention that focused on the capabilities of these electronic systems, as well as the related research on HCW and patient interactions with electronic HH systems. Research suggests that these systems are capable of collecting data, but the results are mixed regarding their impact on HH compliance, reducing HAIs, or both and their costs. Research also indicates that HCWs and patients may not regard the technology as positively as industry or healthcare managers may have intended. When considering the adoption of electronic HH monitoring systems, hospital administrators should proceed with caution.

Knowledge, opinions and practices of healthcare workers related to infant feeding in the context of HIV

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Liska Janse van Rensburg

2016-10-01

Objective: To determine the knowledge, opinions and practices of healthcare workers in maternity wards in a regional hospital in Bloemfontein, Free State Province, South Africa, regarding infant feeding in the context of HIV. Methods: For this descriptive cross-sectional study, all the healthcare workers in the maternity wards of Pelonomi Regional Hospital who voluntarily gave their consent during the scheduled meetings (n = 64, were enrolled and handed over the self-administered questionnaires. Results: Only 14% of the respondents considered themselves to be experts in HIV and infant feeding. Approximately 97% felt that breastfeeding was an excellent feeding choice provided proper guidelines were followed. However, 10% indicated that formula feeding is the safest feeding option. 45% stated that heat-treated breast milk is a good infant feeding option; however, 29% considered it a good infant feeding option but it requires too much work. Only 6% could comprehensively explain the term “exclusive breastfeeding” as per World Health Organisation (WHO definition. Confusion existed regarding the period for which an infant could be breastfed according to the newest WHO guidelines, with only 26% providing the correct answer. Twenty per cent reported that no risk exists for HIV transmission via breastfeeding if all the necessary guidelines are followed. Conclusion: Healthcare workers' knowledge did not conform favourably with the current WHO guidelines. These healthcare workers were actively involved in the care of patients in the maternity wards where HIV-infected mothers regularly seek counselling on infant feeding matters.

Prevalence and factors associated with occupational burnout among HIV/AIDS healthcare workers in China: a cross-sectional study

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Zhengxue Qiao

2016-04-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Burnout is a psychosomatic syndrome characterized by three dimensions (emotional exhaustion [EE], feelings of depersonalization [DP], and reduced personal accomplishment [PA]. We determined the prevalence of burnout and mental health status between HIV/AIDS healthcare workers and other healthcare workers, and determined the factors associated with burnout of HIV/AIDS healthcare workers. Methods All participants were asked to complete a self-administered questionnaire. The participants were recruited from the departments of infectious diseases in four hospitals which treated HIV/AIDS. The questionnaire included demographics, the Maslach Burnout Inventory-General Survey (MBI-GS, the Symptom Checklist 90 (SCL-90, the Eysenck Personality Questionnaire (EPQ, and the Trait Coping Style Questionnaire (TCSQ. Results A total of 512 questionnaires were distributed; 501 questionnaires were completed and collected (the response rate was 97.9 %. After eliminating nine invalid questionnaires (1.80 %, 264 physicians and nurses caring for HIV/AIDS and 228 physicians and nurses caring for other infectious diseases provided valid responses (98.2 %. The HIV/AIDS healthcare workers’ scores on the emotional exhaustion (F = 6.350, p = 0.012 and depersonalization dimensions (F = 8.533, p = 0.004 were significantly higher than other healthcare workers. The HIV/AIDS healthcare workers had higher total scores and positive items on the Symptom Checklist 90 (SCL-90 compared with other healthcare workers. Low job satisfaction, serious somatization, interpersonal sensitivity, poor quality of sleep, high psychoticism scores, and use of negative coping styles were frequently associated with burnout. Conclusions Burnout was shown to be highly prevalent in HIV/AIDS healthcare workers, 76.9 % of whom met the accepted criteria for burnout. In addition, compared with other healthcare workers, HIV/AIDS healthcare workers experienced lower

Preventing tuberculosis in healthcare workers of the radiology department: a Malaysian perspective.

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Tan, Lh; Kamarulzaman, A

2006-01-01

Tuberculosis (TB) is a well recognised occupational hazard for healthcare workers (HCWs). Concerns on the safety of healthcare settings in Malaysia was raised following a report of 25 HCWs working in 11 general hospitals in Malaysia who were infected with TB in 2004 being publicised in the media recently. As the disease burden in general is high in Malaysia, due attention should be given to this disease in our healthcare facilities including the radiology department, an often neglected area in TB infection control programmes. This article focuses on the key control measures that can be implemented in radiology departments in a developing country with limited resources.

Understanding Healthcare Workers Self-Reported Practices, Knowledge and Attitude about Hand Hygiene in a Medical Setting in Rural India.

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Diwan, Vishal; Gustafsson, Charlotte; Rosales Klintz, Senia; Joshi, Sudhir Chandra; Joshi, Rita; Sharma, Megha; Shah, Harshada; Pathak, Ashish; Tamhankar, Ashok J; Stålsby Lundborg, Cecilia

2016-01-01

To describe self-reported practices and assess knowledge and attitudes regarding hand hygiene among healthcare workers in a rural Indian teaching hospital. A rural teaching hospital and its associated medical and nursing colleges in the district of Ujjain, India. The study population consisted of physicians, nurses, teaching staff, clinical instructors and nursing students. Self-administered questionnaires based on the World Health Organization Guidelines on Hand Hygiene in Healthcare were used. Out of 489 healthcare workers, 259 participated in the study (response rate = 53%). The proportion of healthcare workers that reported to 'always' practice hand hygiene in the selected situations varied from 40-96% amongst categories. Reported barriers to maintaining good hand hygiene were mainly related to high workload, scarcity of resources, lack of scientific information and the perception that priority is not given to hand hygiene, either on an individual or institutional level. Previous training on the topic had a statistically significant association with self-reported practice (p = 0.001). Ninety three per cent of the respondents were willing to attend training on hand hygiene in the near future. Self-reported knowledge and adherence varied between situations, but hand hygiene practices have the potential to improve if the identified constraints could be reduced. Future training should focus on enhancing healthcare workers' knowledge and understanding regarding the importance of persistent practice in all situations.

The Prevalence of Accidental Needle Stick Injury and their Reporting among Healthcare Workers in Orthopaedic Wards in General Hospital Melaka, Malaysia

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Bhardwaj A

2014-07-01

Full Text Available Accidental needle-stick injuries (NSIs are a hazard for health-care workers and general public health. Orthopaedic surgeons may be more prone to NSIs due to the prevalence of bone spikes in the operative field and the use of sharp orthopaedic instruments such as drills, saws and wires. A hospital-based cross sectional study was conducted in the orthopedic wards of Melaka General Hospital. The prevalence of NSIs was 32 (20.9% and majority of it occurred during assisting in operation theatre 13(37.4%. Among them six (18.8% were specialist, 12(37.5% medical officer, 10 (31.2% house officer and four staff nurses (12.5%. Among the respondents 142 (92.8% had been immunized against Hepatitis B and 148 (96.7% participants had knowledge regarding universal precaution. The incidence of NSI among health care workers at orthopaedics ward was not any higher in comparison with the similar studies and it was found out that the prevalence was more in junior doctors compared with specialist and staff nurses and it was statistically significant.

Difficulties facing healthcare workers in the era of AIDS treatment in Lesotho.

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Koto, Masebeo Veronica; Maharaj, Pranitha

2016-01-01

Sub-Saharan Africa is most affected by the AIDS pandemic and Lesotho is no exception. In many countries, healthcare workers are at the forefront of the fight against AIDS. This study explores the difficulties facing healthcare workers in Lesotho using a combination of qualitative methods--focus group discussions and in-depth interviews. The findings suggest that healthcare workers are afraid of contracting HIV from their patients and this affects their delivery of services. In addition, the results revealed that poor infrastructure and shortage of supplies at the facilities hinder healthcare workers from performing their duties effectively. The other concern was the heavy workload and severe time constraints which puts enormous stress on healthcare workers. Stigma and discrimination emerged as major problems for healthcare workers. Addressing the challenges facing healthcare workers is essential in effectively managing the AIDS pandemic facing the continent.

Physical exercise at the workplace prevents deterioration of work ability among healthcare workers

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Jakobsen, Markus D; Sundstrup, Emil; Brandt, Mikkel

2015-01-01

BACKGROUND: Imbalance between individual resources and work demands can lead to musculoskeletal disorders and reduced work ability. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of workplace- versus home-based physical exercise on work ability among healthcare workers. METHODS: Two...... hundred female healthcare workers (Age: 42.0, BMI: 24.1, work ability index [WAI]: 43.1) from 18 departments at three Danish hospitals participated (Copenhagen, Denmark, Aug 2013-Jan 2014). Participants were randomly allocated at the cluster level to 10 weeks of: 1) workplace physical exercise (WORK...... of lifting aides. The main outcome measure was the change from baseline to 10-week follow-up in WAI. RESULTS: Significant group by time interaction was observed for WAI (p effect size (Cohens'd = 0...

Tuberculosis among Healthcare Workers at Chiang Mai University Hospital, Thailand: Clinical and Microbiological Characteristics and Treatment Outcomes.

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Inchai, Juthamas; Liwsrisakun, Chalerm; Bumroongkit, Chaiwat; Euathrongchit, Juntima; Tajarernmuang, Pattraporn; Pothirat, Chaicharn

2018-05-24

Tuberculosis (TB) among healthcare workers (HCWs) highly affects morbidity and TB transmission in hospitals. A retrospective cohort study of TB among HCWs (HCW-TB) was conducted using a registered database from 2003 to 2016 at Chiang Mai University Hospital to determine clinical and microbiological characteristics and treatment outcomes of HCW-TB. A total of 76 patients comprising 54 nurses (71.1%), 12 physicians (15.8%), and 10 paramedics (13.2%) were diagnosed with TB disease. The men to women ratio was 25:51, with a mean age of 37.0±11.6 years, a median work duration of 12.0 years (5-20) and a body mass index of 19.4±2.5 kg/m 2 . Within the HCW-TB group, 28 (36.8%) worked in the Medical Department, 12 (15.8%) worked in the Outpatient Department/Emergency Room, and 9 (11.8%) worked in the Surgical Department. Pulmonary TB (PTB) was the most common manifestation of HCW-TB (92.1%). Sputum acid-fast stains were positive among 28 (40.0%) HCWs with PTB. Mycobacterium tuberculosis cultures were positive in 26 (34.2%) patients. Drug susceptibility testing showed sensitivity to all first-line drugs (75.0%), resistance to any one first-line drug (20.8%), and multidrug-resistant TB comprised 4.2%. The end-of-treatment success rate was 100%. Therefore, TB control guidelines should be strictly implemented to prevent TB transmission in healthcare settings.

Vaccines for preventing hepatitis B in health-care workers

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Chen, Weikeng; Gluud, C

2005-01-01

Hepatitis B virus (HBV) causes acute and chronic liver diseases. Hepatitis B vaccination is recommended for health-care workers.......Hepatitis B virus (HBV) causes acute and chronic liver diseases. Hepatitis B vaccination is recommended for health-care workers....

Prevalence of needle stick injuries among healthcare workers

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Abe Olugbenga

stick injury among healthcare workers at the Federal Medical Centre (FMC), Owerri. Materials and ... health workers when exposed to work .... factors and prevention of Health care workers at .... software called Statistical Package for Social.

Surveillance of nosocomial infections: a preliminary study on hand hygiene compliance of healthcare workers.

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Brunetti, L; Santoro, E; De Caro, F; Cavallo, P; Boccia, G; Capunzo, M; Motta, O

2006-06-01

The observance of hand hygiene compliance is important to reduce cross-infection by micro-organisms. The aim of this preliminary study was to evaluate the level of hand hygiene in healthcare workers from different departments, with particular emphasis on transient flora. The study was conducted in three departments (Surgery, Intensive Care Unit, Obstetrics and Gynecology) of a hospital in Campania, southern Italy. Over a six-month period, 50 healthcare workers were randomly tested. Imprints of palms and fingertips were taken monthly during the morning shift. The number of colonies per plate was counted and transient pathogens were identified. Risk factors for hand contamination were determined. Total flora was found in the following CFU means per palm and per five fingertips (95% CI): Obstetrics and Gynecology [palms 130 CFUs (95% CI 85-180); fingertips 125 CFUs (95% CI 92-160)]; ICU [palms 80 CFUs (95% CI 58-99); fingertips 62 CFUs (95% CI 45-82)]; Surgery [palms 75 CFUs (95% CI 41-120); fingertips 70 CFUs (95% CI 52-90)] Transient flora was found on 39% of healthcare workers' hands. The only factor associated with hand contamination by transient flora was the absence of gloving during healthcare procedure (P = 0.02).

Needlestick and sharps injuries among housekeeping workers in hospitals of Shiraz, Iran

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Lakbala Parvin

2012-06-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Needlestick and sharps injuries (NSSIs are one of the major risk factors for blood-borne infections (BBPs at healthcare facilities. This study examines the current prevalence of NSSIs among housekeeping workers engaged in the handling and disposal of biomedical waste (BMW at government and private hospitals in Shiraz, Iran, and furthermore, explores strategies for preventing these injuries. Findings Using a cross-sectional study design, NSSI's and associated protective measures for housekeeping workers throughout hospitals in Shiraz were evaluated from 2009 onwards. Using a questionnaire, data was collected for 92 workers who had engaged directly with BMW. Data was analyzed using Chi-square, student t-test and where appropriate, SPSS version 12. 90.2 % of housekeeping workers were warned of the dangers associated with waste, 87.5 % in government and 93.2 % in private hospitals (P = 0.0444. 83.7 % had attended educational programs on biomedical waste (BMW management and injury prevention at their hospital in the preceding year. 16.3 % had not been trained in biomedical waste management (P = 0.0379 and 88.9 % had a sufficient supply of safety wear. Conclusions NSSIs are a common risk factor for infection among health care workers within hospitals in Iran. For the effective prevention of these injuries, health boards and hospital trusts need to formulate strategies to improve the working conditions of health care workers, discourage the excessive use of injections, and increase their adherence to universal precautions.

The relationship between organizational justice and quality performance among healthcare workers: a pilot study.

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Mohamed, Salwa Attia

2014-01-01

Organization justice refers to the extent to which employees perceive workplace procedure, interactions, and outcomes to be fair in nature. So, this study aimed to investigate the relationship between organizational justice and quality performance among health care workers. The study was conducted at the Public Hospital in Fayoum, Egypt. The study included a convenience sample of 100 healthcare workers (60 nurses and 40 physicians) that were recruited. Tools used for data collection included (1) questionnaire sheet which is used to measure health workers' perception of organizational justices. It includes four types: distributive, procedural, interpersonal, and informational justice. (2) Quality performance questionnaire sheet: this tool was used to examine health workers' perception regarding their quality performance. It contained three types: information, value, and skill. The results revealed that a positive correlation was found between organizational justice components and quality performance among the various categories of health workers' perception (P ≤ 0.05). It has been recommended to replicate the study on a larger probability sample from different hospital settings to achieve more generalizable results and reinforce justice during organization of ministry centers in Egypt.

Predictors of Burnout Syndrome Among Healthcare Workers in Hospitals

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Janine Kieling Monteiro

2016-06-01

Full Text Available This research aims at identifying sociodemographic and laboral predictors of burnout syndrome in 182 health workers in the hospital setting. It uses a questionnaire, Maslach Burnout Inventory, and a working context scale. In the analysis of the data a multiple regression analysis was employed. Interviewees' considering their profession as stressful was the most revealing variable with regards to the Emotional Exhaustion dimension and the low level of Professional Efficacy. As predictor variables to Cynicism the research points to negative working environments, stress upon dealing with male patients. The risk profile for burnout syndrome includes higher schooled professionals, old-timers and those who perceive their job, work scale, type and quantity of patients as stressing factors.

Improving healthcare worker hand hygiene adherence before patient contact: A multimodal intervention of hand hygiene practice in Three Japanese tertiary care centers.

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Sakihama, Tomoko; Honda, Hitoshi; Saint, Sanjay; Fowler, Karen E; Kamiya, Toru; Sato, Yumiko; Iuchi, Ritsuko; Tokuda, Yasuharu

2016-03-01

Though hand hygiene is an important method of preventing healthcare-associated infection, we found suboptimal hand hygiene adherence among healthcare workers in 4 diverse Japanese hospitals (adherence rates of 11%-25%). Our goal was to assess multimodal hand hygiene intervention coupled with a contest to improve hand hygiene adherence. A total of 3 to 4 inpatient wards in 3 Japanese hospitals. Pre-post intervention study. The intervention was a multimodal hand hygiene intervention recommended by the World Health Organization that was tailored to each facility. The hospital with the highest adherence after the intervention was given $5000 US dollars and a trophy, provided by an American coinvestigator unaffiliated with any of the Japanese hospitals. We tracked hand hygiene adherence rates before patient contact for each unit and hospital and compared these to pre-intervention adherence rates. We observed 2982 postintervention provider-patient encounters in 10 units across 3 hospitals. Hand hygiene adherence rates were improved overall after the intervention (18% pre- to 33% postintervention; P hand hygiene rates among Japanese healthcare workers. Given the overall low rates, however, further improvement is necessary. © 2015 Society of Hospital Medicine.

Pre-employment screening of latent tuberculosis infection among healthcare workers using tuberculin skin test and QuantiFERON-TB Gold test at a tertiary care hospital in Saudi Arabia

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Mohamed El-Helaly

2014-11-01

Full Text Available Summary: Objective: To assess the agreement between the tuberculin skin test (TST and the QuantiFERON-TB Gold test (QFT-G as pre-employment screening tests for latent tuberculosis infection (LTBI among healthcare workers. Methods: A retrospective cross-sectional study was conducted among 1412 healthcare workers who were screened for LTBI during the period from August 2009 to May 2011 at a tertiary-care hospital in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA. The studied population was screened for LTBI using both TST and QFT-G simultaneously. The agreement between both tests was quantified using the Kappa coefficient (κ. Results: Comparing the results of QFT-G with TST, the tests had a significant overall agreement of 73.7% (1040/1412; κ = 0.33; p < 0.01. Negative concordance comprised 60.1% of the results, and positive concordance comprised 13.5%. However, positive TST but negative QFT comprised 16.3% of the results, and negative TST but positive QFT-G comprised 10.1%. Concordance was significantly associated with young age, female gender, Saudi-born nationals, and early career but not job type (clinical versus non-clinical nor status of Bacillus Calmette–Guerin (BCG vaccination. Conclusions: This study demonstrated 73.7% overall agreement between TST and QFT-G results among healthcare workers during pre-employment screening for LTBI. The results need to be confirmed in future studies before recommending QFT-G as a pre-employment screening test for LTBI. Keywords: Latent tuberculosis infection, Healthcare workers, Tuberculin skin test, QuantiFERON-TB Gold test

Knowledge, perceptions and practices of healthcare workers regarding the use of respiratory protection equipment at Iran hospitals.

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Honarbakhsh, Marzieh; Jahangiri, Mehdi; Ghaem, Haleh

2018-01-01

Using appropriate respiratory protection equipment (RPE) is very important to protect healthcare workers (HCWs) against respiratory hazards. The aim of this study was to identify the level of knowledge, perceptions and practices of HCWs on using RPE. This cross-sectional study was conducted with 284 employees of educational hospitals affiliated to Shiraz University of Medical Sciences. The study's instrument was a self-made questionnaire that comprised four components: demographic inquiries and questions designed to assess the knowledge, perceptions and practice of HCWs regarding RPE. Collected data were analysed using SPSS software version 21. Average scores of knowledge, perceptions and practice of HCWs on using RPE were 66.50% ± 11.93%, 80.32% ± 10.05% and 70.12% ± 20.51%, respectively. A significant association was observed between knowledge and age, job experience, history of using respirator, marital status and risk of respiratory hazards in the workplace and perceptions with age and education and practice with education. Studied HCWs had positive perceptions and moderate level of knowledge and practice about the use of RPE. Full implementation of respiratory protection program in the hospitals would be helpful to improve the knowledge, perceptions and practices of HCWs regarding RPE.

Influenza vaccination among healthcare workers and absenteeism from work due to influenza-like illness in a teaching hospital in Palermo

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Emanuele Amodio

2010-09-01

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Background: Annual flu vaccination of healthcare workers (HCWs is recommended worldwide as the best way to prevent influenza and to avoid its transmission. However, in several European Countries, vaccination rate among HCWs is still less than 25%. The aim of this study was to determine the HCW vaccination coverage during a three year period in a large University Hospital, identifying socio demographic and occupational variables involved in the decision to accept influenza vaccination. Moreover, for the 2007-2008 season, we also assessed the effectiveness of influenza vaccination in reducing influenza-related absenteeism.

Methods: During three consecutive influenza seasons (from 2005-2006 to 2007-2008, a cross-sectional study was carried out on all HCWs employed in the “Azienda Ospedaliera Universitaria Policlinico” (AOUP of Palermo (Italy. Socio-demographic and occupational data of HCWs were collected from administrative hospital personnel records and included gender, age, birthplace, residence, profession and the workplace unit. In addition, during the 2007-2008 season, a retrospective study was conducted to evaluate absence from work due to influenza–like illness (ILI in vaccinated versus unvaccinated personnel.

Results: A total of 7,848 HCW-years were observed and 881 vaccines were administered during the study period. Vaccination rate declined from 14.7% in 2005-2006 to 8.2% in 2007-2008 (Chi-square for trend=53.6, p<0.001. Coverage was generally higher among older and male HCWs whereas nurses and workers in surgical areas had lower vaccination rates. In the 2007-2008 season, absenteeism due to ILI in the vaccinated group was significantly less common than unvaccinated HCWs (3.3% vs 7.1%; p=0.04.

Conclusions: Our experience encourages flu vaccination of HCWs and accentuates the importance of annual influenza vaccination programs

Alert Workplace From Healthcare Workers' Perspective: Behavioral and Environmental Strategies to Improve Vigilance and Alertness in Healthcare Settings.

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Sagah Zadeh, Rana; Shepley, Mardelle; Sadatsafavi, Hessam; Owora, Arthur Hamie; Krieger, Ana C

2018-04-01

This study aims to identify the behavioral and environmental strategies that healthcare workers view as helpful for managing sleepiness, improving alertness, and therefore optimizing workplace safety. Reduced alertness is a common issue in healthcare work environments and is associated with impaired cognitive performance and decision-making ability as well as increased errors and injuries. We surveyed 136 healthcare professionals at a primary care clinic, an acute care hospital, and a mental health clinic. Nonstructured, semistructured, and structured questionnaires were used to elicit relevant information which was analyzed using qualitative content analysis and logistic regression models, respectively. In order by frequency of endorsement: dietary intervention; physical mobility; cognitive, sensory, or social stimulation; personal lifestyle strategies; and rest/nap opportunities were reported as behavioral strategies used to address workplace alertness. Compared to other environmental features, daylight and thermal comfort were perceived to be more important to addressing workplace alertness ( p based guidelines is needed to address sleepiness and alertness to improve workplace safety in healthcare facilities.

Transmission of measles among healthcare Workers in Hospital W, Xinjiang Autonomous Region, China, 2016.

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Jia, Haimei; Ma, Chao; Lu, Mengting; Fu, Jianping; Rodewald, Lance E; Su, Qiru; Wang, Huaqin; Hao, Lixin

2018-01-12

As China approaches the elimination of measles, outbreaks of measles continue to occur. Healthcare workers (HCWs) are known to be at high risk of infection and transmission of measles virus. A measles outbreak occurred in a hospital in Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region of the People's Republic of China. We report an investigation of this outbreak and its implications for measles elimination and outbreak preparedness. We conducted a retrospective search for measles cases using hospital records. Information on cases was collected by interview, and was used to determine epidemiological linkages. We surveyed HCWs to determine their demographic characteristics, disease history and vaccination status, and knowledge about measles. We identified 19 cases, ages 18 to 45 years, in Hospital W between December 2015 and January 2016; 14 were laboratory-confirmed, and 5 were epidemiologically linked. The primary case was a 25-year-old neurology department nurse who developed a rash on 22 December 2015 that was reported on 11 January 2016. She continued working and living with her workmates in a dormitory during her measles transmission period. Among the 19 infected HCWs, 2 had received a dose of measles-containing vaccine (MCV) before the outbreak, and 16 had unknown vaccination status. Outbreak response immunization activities were started on 8 January in a non-selective manner by offering vaccine regardless of vaccination history; 605(68%) of 890 HCWs were vaccinated. The HCW survey had a 73% response rate (646/890); 41% of HCWs reported that they had received MCV before outbreak, and 56% exhibited good knowledge of measles symptoms, transmission, complications, and vaccination. Low MCV coverage, low measles knowledge among HCWs, delayed reporting of measles cases, and absence of proper case management were associated with this outbreak. Training and vaccinating HCWs against measles are essential activities to prevent measles virus transmission among HCWs.

Herd protection effect of N95 respirators in healthcare workers.

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Chen, Xin; Chughtai, Abrar Ahmad; MacIntyre, Chandini Raina

2017-12-01

Objective To determine if there was herd protection conferred to unprotected healthcare workers (HCWs) by N95 respirators worn by colleagues. Methods Data were analysed from a prospective cluster randomized clinical trial conducted in Beijing, China between 1 December 2008 and 15 January 2009. A minimum compliance level (MCL) of N95 respirators for prevention of clinical respiratory illness (CRI) was set based on various compliance cut-offs. The CRI rates were compared between compliant (≥MCL) and non-compliant (protection from use of N95 respirators by colleagues within a hospital ward.

Workplace Bullying among Healthcare Workers

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Ariza-Montes, Antonio; Muniz, Noel M.; Montero-Simó, María José; Araque-Padilla, Rafael Angel

2013-01-01

This paper aims to assess consistent predictors through the use of a sample that includes different actors from the healthcare work force to identify certain key elements in a set of job-related organizational contexts. The utilized data were obtained from the 5th European Working Conditions Survey, conducted in 2010 by the European Foundation for the Improvement of Living and Working Conditions. In light of these objectives, we collected a subsample of 284 health professionals, some of them from the International Standard Classification of Occupations—subgroup 22—(ISCO-08). The results indicated that the chance of a healthcare worker referring to him/herself as bullied increases among those who work on a shift schedule, perform monotonous and rotating tasks, suffer from work stress, enjoy little satisfaction from their working conditions, and do not perceive opportunities for promotions in their organizations. The present work summarizes an array of outcomes and proposes within the usual course of events that workplace bullying could be reduced if job demands were limited and job resources were increased. The implications of these findings could assist human resource managers in facilitating, to some extent, good social relationships among healthcare workers. PMID:23887621

Workplace Bullying among Healthcare Workers

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María José Montero-Simó

2013-07-01

Full Text Available This paper aims to assess consistent predictors through the use of a sample that includes different actors from the healthcare work force to identify certain key elements in a set of job-related organizational contexts. The utilized data were obtained from the 5th European Working Conditions Survey, conducted in 2010 by the European Foundation for the Improvement of Living and Working Conditions. In light of these objectives, we collected a subsample of 284 health professionals, some of them from the International Standard Classification of Occupations—subgroup 22—(ISCO-08. The results indicated that the chance of a healthcare worker referring to him/herself as bullied increases among those who work on a shift schedule, perform monotonous and rotating tasks, suffer from work stress, enjoy little satisfaction from their working conditions, and do not perceive opportunities for promotions in their organizations. The present work summarizes an array of outcomes and proposes within the usual course of events that workplace bullying could be reduced if job demands were limited and job resources were increased. The implications of these findings could assist human resource managers in facilitating, to some extent, good social relationships among healthcare workers.

Estimation of sickness absenteeism among Italian healthcare workers during seasonal influenza epidemics.

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Maria Michela Gianino

Full Text Available To analyze absenteeism among healthcare workers (HCWs at a large Italian hospital and to estimate the increase in absenteeism that occurred during seasonal flu periods.Retrospective observational study.The absenteeism data were divided into three "epidemic periods," starting at week 42 of one year and terminating at week 17 of the following year (2010-2011, 2011-2012, 2012-2013, and three "non-epidemic periods," defined as week 18 to week 41 and used as baseline data. The excess of the absenteeism occurring among HCWs during periods of epidemic influenza in comparison with baseline was estimated. All data, obtained from Hospital's databases, were collected for each of the following six job categories: medical doctors, technical executives (i.e., pharmacists, nurses and allied health professionals (i.e., radiographers, other executives (i.e., engineers, nonmedical support staff, and administrative staff. The HCWs were classified by: in and no-contact; vaccinated and unvaccinated.5,544, 5,369, and 5,291 workers in three years were studied. The average duration of absenteeism during the epidemic periods increased among all employees by +2.07 days/person (from 2.99 to 5.06, and the relative increase ranged from 64-94% among the different job categories. Workers not in contact with patients experienced a slightly greater increase in absenteeism (+2.28 days/person, from 2.73 to 5.01 than did employees in contact with patients (+2.04, from 3.04 to 5.08. The vaccination rate among HCWs was below 3%, however the higher excess of absenteeism rate among unvaccinated in comparison with vaccinated workers was observed during the epidemic periods (2.09 vs 1.45 days/person.The influenza-related absenteeism during epidemic periods was quantified as totaling more than 11,000 days/year at the Italian hospital studied. This result confirms the economic impact of sick leave on healthcare systems and stresses on the necessity of encouraging HCWs to be immunized

Estimation of sickness absenteeism among Italian healthcare workers during seasonal influenza epidemics.

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Gianino, Maria Michela; Politano, Gianfranco; Scarmozzino, Antonio; Charrier, Lorena; Testa, Marco; Giacomelli, Sebastian; Benso, Alfredo; Zotti, Carla Maria

2017-01-01

To analyze absenteeism among healthcare workers (HCWs) at a large Italian hospital and to estimate the increase in absenteeism that occurred during seasonal flu periods. Retrospective observational study. The absenteeism data were divided into three "epidemic periods," starting at week 42 of one year and terminating at week 17 of the following year (2010-2011, 2011-2012, 2012-2013), and three "non-epidemic periods," defined as week 18 to week 41 and used as baseline data. The excess of the absenteeism occurring among HCWs during periods of epidemic influenza in comparison with baseline was estimated. All data, obtained from Hospital's databases, were collected for each of the following six job categories: medical doctors, technical executives (i.e., pharmacists), nurses and allied health professionals (i.e., radiographers), other executives (i.e., engineers), nonmedical support staff, and administrative staff. The HCWs were classified by: in and no-contact; vaccinated and unvaccinated. 5,544, 5,369, and 5,291 workers in three years were studied. The average duration of absenteeism during the epidemic periods increased among all employees by +2.07 days/person (from 2.99 to 5.06), and the relative increase ranged from 64-94% among the different job categories. Workers not in contact with patients experienced a slightly greater increase in absenteeism (+2.28 days/person, from 2.73 to 5.01) than did employees in contact with patients (+2.04, from 3.04 to 5.08). The vaccination rate among HCWs was below 3%, however the higher excess of absenteeism rate among unvaccinated in comparison with vaccinated workers was observed during the epidemic periods (2.09 vs 1.45 days/person). The influenza-related absenteeism during epidemic periods was quantified as totaling more than 11,000 days/year at the Italian hospital studied. This result confirms the economic impact of sick leave on healthcare systems and stresses on the necessity of encouraging HCWs to be immunized against

Knowledge, attitudes and behaviour of healthcare workers regarding influenza and vaccination in Salerno, Italy

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Maria Grazia Panico

2011-03-01

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Abstract
Background: Influenza vaccination coverage among healthcare workers (HCWs is unacceptably low despite
the recommendations of health authorities.
Objective: The aim of the study is to assess the knowledge base of healthcare workers in Local Health Services (LHS regarding influenza vaccination and to identify the factors that inhibit or motivate vaccination among HCWs.
Methods: A cross sectional study was carried out between July and October 2003 within the five Hospitals of the LHS “Azienda Sanitaria Salerno2”, Salerno, Italy. In July 2003, we prepared a standardized anonymous questionnaire for a sample of 280 healthcare workers aimed at surveying their knowledge base and attitudes
towards influenza and vaccination. The HCWs were recruited by random selection using the stratified layered sampling method. On the basis of the results of our survey, a hospital vaccination campaign was undertaken. Statistical analysis was carried out using the EpiInfo 6.06 program. Data were analyzed through frequency distribution. Statistical comparison was performed using the Chi-square tests and a p-value <0,05 was considered statistically significant*.
Results: During the 2003-2004 influenza season, 230 (81% out of 280 employees answered the questionnaire. 31 respondents (13.5% were physicians, 94 (40.9% were nurses and 105 (45.6% were workers employed in supporting services. The vaccination rate among Health Care workers of this Local Health Service (LHS unit was about 15.0%. The reasons most frequently cited by HCWs for noncompliance with vaccination were confidence in their own personal health, the fear of adverse reactions to the vaccine
and the doubt they had about vaccine efficacy.
Conclusions: We conclude that those responsible for influenza vaccination programs might consider a specifically tailored

Healthcare workers satisfaction and patient satisfaction – where is the linkage?

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Janicijevic, I; Seke, K; Djokovic, A; Filipovic, T

2013-01-01

Background: This study aims to assess at what level healthcare worker satisfaction affects patient satisfaction, as well as which elements of healthcare worker satisfaction affect health service quality and patient satisfaction.

Risk of tuberculosis transmission among healthcare workers.

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Diel, Roland; Niemann, Stefan; Nienhaus, Albert

2018-04-01

Data from a prospective molecular-epidemiological study (1997-2015) of patients with culture-confirmed tuberculosis in Hamburg, Germany, were evaluated to assess the occupational risk of Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex transmission in a low-incidence setting. Isolates of M. tuberculosis complex were genotyped using IS6110 restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis. Results of structured questionnaires, geographical mapping and additional patient interviews were used for confirming epidemiological links. Out of the 2393 cases, 918 (38.4%) were classified into 224 clusters comprising 2-70 patients per cluster. Among the 918 cluster members, epidemiological links could be confirmed in 340 (37.0%) patients. In total, 55 (2.3%) patients were healthcare workers; 26 healthcare workers remained unclustered, but 29 healthcare workers belonged to cluster groups. Conventional contact tracing performed before genotyping to identify sources of the reported index cases detected only 73 (3.1%) patients. Logistic regression analysis confirmed work in the healthcare sector as strongest predictor for clustering of patients with verified epidemiological links (odds ratio (OR) 3.1, 95% CI 1.6-5.9), followed by alcoholism (OR 2.3, 95% CI 1.7-3.2) and sputum smear positivity (OR 1.8, 95% CI 1.4-2.3). Immigrants were more likely to be cluster nonmembers (OR 0.3, 95% CI 0.3-0.5). Recent transmission in Hamburg within the 19-year study period was found to be strongly associated with working in a healthcare facility. Although clusters also include many "imported" strains from abroad or regional highly prevalent M. tuberculosis strains with no evident epidemiological connection, routine molecular-epidemiological survey is indispensable to optimising and controlling the effectiveness of TB control strategies in German healthcare settings.

The evolution of the resistance of Staphylococcus aureus found on healthcare workers correlated with local consumption of antibiotics

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César Roberto Busato

Full Text Available OBJECTIVE: Correlate the evolution of the resistance of Staphylococcus aureus collected from healthcare workers with the local consumption of antibiotics. MATERIAN AND METHODS: Open prospective research.Study Site. General Reference Hospital with 200 beds in a 700,000 inhabitant region, in Ponta Grossa, Paraná, Brazil. RESULTS: Two collections (samples of Staphylococcus aureus isolates were obtained from healthcare-workers during an approximate four-year interval. Samples 1 (n= 200 and 2 (n= 270 had this bacterium in 63 (32% and 90 (33% of the patients, respectively. At the same time, the annual consumption of antibiotics in DDD/1,000 patient-days was determined. The variation of resistance was significantly smaller (m.s.d.=12.11 for gentamycin (p<0.01 and (m.s.d.=9.22 for Tobramycin (p<0.05. The correlation between variation in resistance and antibiotic consumption was not significant. Workers studied in the two samples showed a significant (p<0.01 frequency (c²=10.44 for persistent nasal carriage and for non carriage. Methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus was found in 12 (6% patients of sample 1 and 11 patients (4% of sample 2. CONCLUSION: Stability of resistance allows us to maintain therapeutic outlines. The variation in bacterial resistance in the twice-sampled population (n=105 indicated the selection pressure of the hospital environment. The resistance that was found is representative of the hospital microbiota; this relationship represents a biological model, based on the healthcare-workers' interaction with colonizing bacteria and nosocomial infections. New studies could improve this model for other bacteria, to determine the tendency for resistance and help guide the antibiotic use.

Home Healthcare Workers: How to Prevent Latex Allergies

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... can help prevent allergic reactions for both home healthcare workers and their clients. LATEX EXPOSURE REACTIONS Three ... being used). • Inform your employer and your personal healthcare professionals that you have latex allergy. • Wear a ...

Frequency and pattern of violence towards healthcare workers in a ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Background: Workplace violence is a well-recognized concern for healthcare workers and can broadly be divided into physical and psychological types. Objective: The purpose of this study was to investigate the frequency and pattern of violence towards healthcare workers in a mental health facility in Maiduguri, North-East ...

Relationship between healthcare worker surface contacts, care type and hand hygiene: an observational study in a single-bed hospital ward.

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King, M-F; Noakes, C J; Sleigh, P A; Bale, S; Waters, L

2016-09-01

This study quantifies the relationship between hand hygiene and the frequency with which healthcare workers (HCWs) touch surfaces in patient rooms. Surface contacts and hand hygiene were recorded in a single-bed UK hospital ward for six care types. Surface contacts often formed non-random patterns, but hygiene before or after patient contact depends significantly on care type (P=0.001). The likelihood of hygiene correlated with the number of surface contacts (95% confidence interval 1.1-5.8, P=0.002), but not with time spent in the room. This highlights that a potential subconscious need for hand hygiene may have developed in HCWs, which may support and help focus future hygiene education programmes. Copyright © 2016 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.

NEEDLESTICK INJURY AMONG HEALTHCARE WORKERS IN A TERTIARY CARE HOSPITAL, KERALA

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Chintha Sujatha

2017-10-01

Full Text Available BACKGROUND Needlestick Injury (NSI is a major occupational health and safety issue among Healthcare Workers (HCWs. In India, incidence of NSI is high, but surveillance is poor with scarce authentic data. The aim of the study is to determine the occurrence of NSI, its associated factors and assessment of knowledge and practice of preventive measures and post exposure prophylaxis among HCWs in a tertiary care hospital in Kerala. MATERIALS AND METHODS A cross-sectional study was conducted among 515 HCWs who included doctors, house surgeons, final year medical students, nurses, student nurses and lab technicians of a government sector tertiary care hospital in Kerala. All HCWs of the institution present during the study time were included and only those unwilling to participate excluded. Ethical clearance and administrative permission was obtained along with informed consent from subjects after ensuring confidentiality. Content validated, structured questionnaire consisting of questions regarding demographic data, incidence and prevalence of needlestick injury, circumstances leading to it, response of subjects to NSI and knowledge of study subjects on post exposure prophylaxis was administered to the study subjects. The technique of data collection was self-reporting by the study subjects. Data collected was analysed using statistical software Epi Info 7. RESULTS Overall, 55.7% HCWs had sustained at least one NSI in this hospital, while 35% of them had a NSI during the current year. NSIs were sustained during blood withdrawal (34%, injections (20.5%, suturing (20.2% and cannula insertion (12%. Recapping the needle (26% was the most frequent cause followed by collision with others (24%, manipulation of needle in patient (23% and during/in transit to disposal (10%. Majority (84% did not report the incident, 8.4% underwent post exposure follow up, 82% of the HCWs were fully hepatitis B vaccinated, 44% had received training, 62% used gloves, 49

Patient safety--worker safety: building a culture of safety to improve healthcare worker and patient well-being.

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Yassi, Annalee; Hancock, Tina

2005-01-01

Patient safety within the Canadian healthcare system is currently a high national priority, which merits a comprehensive understanding of the underlying causes of adverse events. Not least among these is worker health and safety, which is linked to patient outcomes. Healthcare workers have a high risk of workplace injuries and more mental health problems than most other occupational groups. Many healthcare professionals feel fatigued, stressed, in pain, or at risk of illness or injury-factors they feel impede their ability to provide consistent quality care. With this background, the Occupational Health and Safety Agency for Healthcare (OHSAH) in British Columbia, jointly governed by healthcare unions and healthcare employers, launched several major initiatives to improve the healthcare workplace. These included the promotion of safe patient handling, adaptive clothing, scheduled toileting, stroke management training, measures to improve management of aggressive behaviour and, of course, infection control-all intended to improve the safety of workers, but also to improve patient safety and quality of care. Other projects also explicitly promoting physical and mental health at work, as well as patient safety are also underway. Results of the projects are at various stages of completion, but ample evidence has already been obtained to indicate that looking after the well-being of healthcare workers results in safer and better quality patient care. While more research is needed, our work to date suggests that a comprehensive systems approach to promoting a climate of safety, which includes taking into account workplace organizational factors and physical and psychological hazards for workers, is the best way to improve the healthcare workplace and thereby patient safety.

Etiological explanation, treatability and preventability of childhood autism: a survey of Nigerian healthcare workers' opinion

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Okonkwo Kevin O

2009-02-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Because of their peculiar sociocultural background, healthcare workers in sub-Saharan African subcultures may have various conceptions on different aspects of autism spectrum disorders (ASD, such as etiology, treatment and issues of prognosis. These various conceptions, if different from current knowledge in literature about ASD, may negatively influence help-seeking behavior of parents of children with ASD who seek advice and information from the healthcare workers. This study assessed the opinions of healthcare workers in Nigeria on aspects of etiology, treatability and preventability of childhood autism, and relates their opinions to the sociodemographic variables. Methods Healthcare workers working in four tertiary healthcare facilities located in the south-east and south-south regions of Nigeria were interviewed with a sociodemographic questionnaire, personal opinion on etiology, treatability and preventability of childhood autism (POETPCA questionnaire and knowledge about childhood autism among health workers (KCAHW questionnaire to assess their knowledge and opinions on various aspects of childhood autism. Results A total of 134 healthcare workers participated in the study. In all, 78 (58.2%, 19 (14.2% and 36 (26.9% of the healthcare workers were of the opinion that the etiology of childhood autism can be explained by natural, preternatural and supernatural causes, respectively. One (0.7% of the healthcare workers was unsure of the explanation of the etiology. Knowledge about childhood autism as measured by scores on the KCAHW questionnaire was the only factor significantly associated with the opinions of the healthcare workers on etiology of childhood autism. In all, 73 (54.5% and 43 (32.1%, of the healthcare workers subscribed to the opinion that childhood autism is treatable and preventable respectively. Previous involvement with managing children with ASD significantly influenced the opinion of the healthcare

Hand hygiene in rural Indonesian healthcare workers: barriers beyond sinks, hand rubs and in-service training.

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Marjadi, B; McLaws, M-L

2010-11-01

Few attempts to increase healthcare workers' hand hygiene compliance have included an in-depth analysis of the social and behavioural context in which hand hygiene is not undertaken. We used a mixed method approach to explore hand hygiene barriers in rural Indonesian healthcare facilities to develop a resource-appropriate adoption of international guidelines. Two hospitals and eight clinics (private and public) in a rural Indonesian district were studied for three months each. Hand hygiene compliance was covertly observed for two shifts each in three adult wards at two hospitals. Qualitative data were collected from direct observation, focus group discussions and semistructured in-depth and informal interviews within healthcare facilities and the community. Major barriers to compliance included longstanding water scarcity, tolerance of dirtiness by the community and the healthcare organisational culture. Hand hygiene compliance was poor (20%; 57/281; 95% CI: 16-25%) and was more likely to be undertaken after patient contact (34% after-patient contact vs 5% before-patient contact, Pperceived to be dirty (49% 'inherent' vs 11% 'elective' opportunities associated with clean contacts, Pcommitment to the provision of supportive working conditions. Copyright © 2010 The Hospital Infection Society. All rights reserved.

Working with children with autism and their families: pediatric hospital social worker perceptions of family needs and the role of social work.

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Morris, Rae; Muskat, Barbara; Greenblatt, Andrea

2018-08-01

Social workers with knowledge of autism can be valuable contributors to client- and family-centered healthcare services. This study utilized a qualitative design to explore pediatric hospital social workers' experiences and perceptions when working with children and youth with autism and their families. Interviews with 14 social workers in a Canadian urban pediatric hospital highlighted perceptions of the needs of families of children with autism in the hospital and challenges and benefits related to the role of social work with these families. Results suggest that pediatric social workers may benefit from opportunities to develop autism-relevant knowledge and skills.

Operationalization of the Ghanaian Patients’ Charter in a Peri-urban Public Hospital: Voices of Healthcare Workers and Patients

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Yarney, Lily; Buabeng, Thomas; Baidoo, Diana; Bawole, Justice Nyigmah

2016-01-01

Background: Health is a basic human right necessary for the exercise of other human rights. Every human being is, therefore, entitled to the highest possible standard of health necessary to living a life of dignity. Establishment of patients’ Charter is a step towards protecting the rights and responsibilities of patients, but violation of patients’ rights is common in healthcare institutions, especially in the developing world. This study which was conducted between May 2013 and May 2014, assessed the operationalization of Ghana’s Patients Charter in a peri-urban public hospital. Methods: Qualitative data collection methods were used to collect data from 25 healthcare workers and patients who were purposively selected. The interview data were analyzed manually, using the principles of systematic text condensation. Results: The findings indicate that the healthcare staff of the Polyclinic are aware of the existence of the patients’ Charter and also know some of its contents. Patients have no knowledge of the existence or the contents of the Charter. Availability of the Charter, community sensitization, monitoring and orientation of staff are factors that promote the operationalization of the Charter, while institutional implementation procedures such as lack of complaint procedures and low knowledge among patients militate against operationalization of the Charter. Conclusion: Public health facilities should ensure that their patients are well-informed about their rights and responsibilities to facilitate effective implementation of the Charter. Also, patients’ rights and responsibilities can be dramatized and broadcasted on television and radio in major Ghanaian languages to enhance awareness of Ghanaians on the Charter. PMID:27694679

Operationalization of the Ghanaian Patients’ Charter in a Peri-urban Public Hospital: Voices of Healthcare Workers and Patients

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Lily Yarney

2016-09-01

Full Text Available Background Health is a basic human right necessary for the exercise of other human rights. Every human being is, therefore, entitled to the highest possible standard of health necessary to living a life of dignity. Establishment of patients’ Charter is a step towards protecting the rights and responsibilities of patients, but violation of patients’ rights is common in healthcare institutions, especially in the developing world. This study which was conducted between May 2013 and May 2014, assessed the operationalization of Ghana’s Patients Charter in a peri-urban public hospital. Methods Qualitative data collection methods were used to collect data from 25 healthcare workers and patients who were purposively selected. The interview data were analyzed manually, using the principles of systematic text condensation. Results The findings indicate that the healthcare staff of the Polyclinic are aware of the existence of the patients’ Charter and also know some of its contents. Patients have no knowledge of the existence or the contents of the Charter. Availability of the Charter, community sensitization, monitoring and orientation of staff are factors that promote the operationalization of the Charter, while institutional implementation procedures such as lack of complaint procedures and low knowledge among patients militate against operationalization of the Charter. Conclusion Public health facilities should ensure that their patients are well-informed about their rights and responsibilities to facilitate effective implementation of the Charter. Also, patients’ rights and responsibilities can be dramatized and broadcasted on television and radio in major Ghanaian languages to enhance awareness of Ghanaians on the Charter.

Operationalization of the Ghanaian Patients' Charter in a Peri-urban Public Hospital: Voices of Healthcare Workers and Patients.

Science.gov (United States)

Yarney, Lily; Buabeng, Thomas; Baidoo, Diana; Bawole, Justice Nyigmah

2016-04-23

Health is a basic human right necessary for the exercise of other human rights. Every human being is, therefore, entitled to the highest possible standard of health necessary to living a life of dignity. Establishment of patients' Charter is a step towards protecting the rights and responsibilities of patients, but violation of patients' rights is common in healthcare institutions, especially in the developing world. This study which was conducted between May 2013 and May 2014, assessed the operationalization of Ghana's Patients Charter in a peri-urban public hospital. Qualitative data collection methods were used to collect data from 25 healthcare workers and patients who were purposively selected. The interview data were analyzed manually, using the principles of systematic text condensation. The findings indicate that the healthcare staff of the Polyclinic are aware of the existence of the patients' Charter and also know some of its contents. Patients have no knowledge of the existence or the contents of the Charter. Availability of the Charter, community sensitization, monitoring and orientation of staff are factors that promote the operationalization of the Charter, while institutional implementation procedures such as lack of complaint procedures and low knowledge among patients militate against operationalization of the Charter. Public health facilities should ensure that their patients are well-informed about their rights and responsibilities to facilitate effective implementation of the Charter. Also, patients' rights and responsibilities can be dramatized and broadcasted on television and radio in major Ghanaian languages to enhance awareness of Ghanaians on the Charter. © 2016 by Kerman University of Medical Sciences

Attitudes, knowledge and practices of healthcare workers regarding occupational exposure of pulmonary tuberculosis

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Lesley T. Bhebhe

2014-01-01

Full Text Available Background: Healthcare-associated tuberculosis (TB has become a major occupational hazard for healthcare workers (HCWs. HCWs are inevitably exposed to TB, due to frequent interaction with patients with undiagnosed and potentially contagious TB. Whenever there is a possibility of exposure, implementation of infection prevention and control (IPC practices is critical.Objective: Following a high incidence of TB among HCWs at Maluti Adventist Hospital in Lesotho, a study was carried out to assess the knowledge, attitudes and practices of HCWs regarding healthcare-associated TB infection and infection controls.Methods: This was a cross-sectional study performed in June 2011; it involved HCWs at Maluti Adventist Hospital who were involved with patients and/or sputum. Stratified sampling of 140 HCWs was performed, of whom, 129 (92.0% took part. A self-administered, semi-structured questionnaire was used.Results: Most respondents (89.2% had appropriate knowledge of transmission, diagnosis and prevention of TB; however, only 22.0% of the respondents knew the appropriate method of sputum collection. All of the respondents (100.0% were motivated and willing to implement IPC measures. A significant proportion of participants (36.4% reported poor infection control practices, with the majority of inappropriate practices being the administrative infection controls (> 80.0%. Only 38.8% of the participants reported to be using the appropriate N-95 respirator.Conclusion: Poor infection control practices regarding occupational TB exposure were demonstrated, the worst being the first-line administrative infection controls. Critical knowledge gaps were identified; however, there was encouraging willingness by HCWs to adapt to recommended infection control measures. Healthcare workers are inevitably exposed to TB, due to frequent interaction with patients with undiagnosed and potentially contagious TB. Implementation of infection prevention and control practices is

Prevalence of Tuberculosis Infection Among Health-Care Workers in Hamadan, West of Iran

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Hashemi

2014-04-01

Full Text Available Background The risk of occupationally acquired tuberculosis (TB remains a concern, even now that the infection has been under control to a great extent. Objectives The aim of this study was to ascertain the prevalence of latent TB infection and pulmonary TB, and to assess the risk factors for TB, among health care workers in Hamadan. Patients and Methods Tuberculin skin test was performed on 245 health care workers, in two educational hospitals. The reaction was considered as "positive" if the induration diameter was ≥ 10 mm. Individuals with a positive test > than 15 mm were encouraged to seek further medical evaluation, including a chest-x-ray and a smear and sputum culture of the sputum for acid-fast bacilli, in those with radiographic changes indicating TB. Results Out of 245 health-care workers included in this study, 92 (38% had positive tuberculin test. There was a significant association between aging and tuberculin positivity. There was also a significant association between the length of employment and tuberculin positivity. Ward attendants had higher rates of positive test results, compared with other occupational groups. Conclusions It was concluded that latent TB infection is common among health-care workers in the studied region. Age, occupational group and employment length were found to be strongly associated with tuberculin positivity.

Healing or harming? Healthcare provider interactions with injured workers and insurers in workers' compensation systems.

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Kilgour, Elizabeth; Kosny, Agnieszka; McKenzie, Donna; Collie, Alex

2015-03-01

Healthcare providers (HCPs) are influential in the injured worker's recovery process and fulfil many roles in the delivery of health services. Interactions between HCPs and insurers can also affect injured workers' engagement in rehabilitation and subsequently their recovery and return to work. Consideration of the injured workers' perceptions and experiences as consumers of medical and compensation services can provide vital information about the quality, efficacy and impact of such systems. The aim of this systematic review was to identify and synthesize published qualitative research that focused on the interactions between injured workers, HCPs and insurers in workers' compensation systems in order to identify processes or interactions which impact injured worker recovery. A search of six electronic databases for literature published between 1985 and 2012 revealed 1,006 articles. Screening for relevance identified 27 studies which were assessed for quality against set criteria. A final 13 articles of medium and high quality were retained for data extraction. Findings were synthesized using a meta-ethnographic approach. Injured workers reported that HCPs could play both healing and harming roles in their recovery. Supportive patient-centred interaction with HCPs is important for injured workers. Difficult interactions between HCPs and insurers were highlighted in themes of adversarial relations and organisational pressures. Insurer and compensation system processes exerted an influence on the therapeutic relationship. Recommendations to improve relationships included streamlining administrative demands and increasing education and communication between the parties. Injured workers with long term complex injuries experience difficulties with healthcare in the workers' compensation context. Changes in insurer administrative demands and compensation processes could increase HCP participation and job satisfaction. This in turn may improve injured worker recovery

It's all about the money? A qualitative study of healthcare worker motivation in urban China.

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Millar, Ross; Chen, Yaru; Wang, Meng; Fang, Liang; Liu, Jun; Xuan, Zhidong; Li, Guohong

2017-07-07

China's healthcare reform programme continues to receive much attention. Central to these discussions has been how the various financial incentives underpinning reform efforts are negatively impacting on the healthcare workforce. Research continues to document these trends, however, qualitative analysis of how these incentives impact on the motivation of healthcare workers remains underdeveloped. Furthermore, the application of motivational theories to make sense of healthcare worker experiences has yet to be undertaken. The purpose of our paper is to present a comparative case study account of healthcare worker motivation across urban China. It draws on semi structured interviews (n = 89) with a range of staff and organisations across three provinces. In doing so, the paper analyses how healthcare worker motivation is influenced by a variety of financial incentives; how motivation is influenced by the opportunities for career development; and how motivation is influenced by the day to day pressures of meeting patient expectations. The experience of healthcare workers in China highlights how a reliance on financial incentives has challenged their ability to maintain the values and ethos of public service. Our findings suggest greater attention needs to be paid to the motivating factors of improved income and career development. Further work is also needed to nurture and develop the motivation of healthcare workers through the building of trust between fellow workers, patients, and the public. Through the analysis of healthcare worker motivation, our paper presents a number of ways China can improve its current healthcare reform efforts. It draws on the experience of other countries in calling for policy makers to support alternative approaches to healthcare reform that build on multiple channels of motivation to support healthcare workers.

Effort-reward imbalance at work and job dissatisfaction in Chinese healthcare workers: a validation study.

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Li, Jian; Yang, Wenjie; Cheng, Yawen; Siegrist, Johannes; Cho, Sung-Il

2005-04-01

The aim of this study was to test the reliability and validity of the Chinese version of the 23-item effort-reward imbalance (ERI) questionnaire and to analyze its association with job dissatisfaction in a sample of Chinese healthcare workers. A self-reported survey was conducted, in university hospitals of China, among 192 male and 608 female healthcare workers. Appropriate internal consistencies of the three scales: effort, reward, and overcommitment, were obtained. Exploratory factor analysis replicated the theoretically assumed structure of the ERI construct in men and women. Evidence of criterion validity was obtained from cross-correlations of the scales and from their correlations with gender, education and job dissatisfaction. Finally, all three scales were associated with an elevated odds ratio of job dissatisfaction, and the effect was strongest for the ERI ratio as predicted by theory. Based on the results of this study the Chinese version of the ERI questionnaire is considered a reliable and valid instrument for measuring psychosocial stress at work. It is applicable to Chinese working populations and, in particular, to the healthcare sector.

Effect of workplace- versus home-based physical exercise on musculoskeletal pain among healthcare workers

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Jakobsen, Markus D.; Sundstrup, Emil; Brandt, Mikkel

2015-01-01

among healthcare workers. METHODS: The randomized controlled trial (RCT) comprised 200 female healthcare workers from 18 departments at 3 hospitals. Participants were randomly allocated at the cluster level to ten weeks of: (i) workplace physical exercise (WORK) performed during working hours for 5.......05). Between-group differences at follow-up (WORK versus HOME) was -0.7 points for pain intensity [95% confidence interval (95% CI) -1.0- -0.3], 5.5 Nm for back muscle strength (95% CI 2.0-9.0), and -0.4 days per week for use of analgesics (95% CI -0.7- -0.2). The effect size for between-group differences...... intensity (0-10 scale) in the low back and neck/shoulder was the primary outcome. RESULTS: Per week, 2.2 (SD 1.1) and 1.0 (SD 1.2) training sessions were performed in WORK and HOME groups, respectively. Pain intensity, back muscle strength and use of analgesics improved more following WORK than HOME (P

Effect of workplace- versus home-based physical exercise on pain in healthcare workers: study protocol for a single blinded cluster randomized controlled trial.

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Jakobsen, Markus D; Sundstrup, Emil; Brandt, Mikkel; Kristensen, Anne Zoëga; Jay, Kenneth; Stelter, Reinhard; Lavendt, Ebbe; Aagaard, Per; Andersen, Lars L

2014-04-07

The prevalence and consequences of musculoskeletal pain is considerable among healthcare workers, allegedly due to high physical work demands of healthcare work. Previous investigations have shown promising results of physical exercise for relieving pain among different occupational groups, but the question remains whether such physical exercise should be performed at the workplace or conducted as home-based exercise. Performing physical exercise at the workplace together with colleagues may be more motivating for some employees and thus increase adherence. On the other hand, physical exercise performed during working hours at the workplace may be costly for the employers in terms of time spend. Thus, it seems relevant to compare the efficacy of workplace- versus home-based training on musculoskeletal pain. This study is intended to investigate the effect of workplace-based versus home-based physical exercise on musculoskeletal pain among healthcare workers. This study was designed as a cluster randomized controlled trial performed at 3 hospitals in Copenhagen, Denmark. Clusters are hospital departments and hospital units. Cluster randomization was chosen to increase adherence and avoid contamination between interventions. Two hundred healthcare workers from 18 departments located at three different hospitals is allocated to 10 weeks of 1) workplace based physical exercise performed during working hours (using kettlebells, elastic bands and exercise balls) for 5 × 10 minutes per week and up to 5 group-based coaching sessions, or 2) home based physical exercise performed during leisure time (using elastic bands and body weight exercises) for 5 × 10 minutes per week. Both intervention groups will also receive ergonomic instructions on patient handling and use of lifting aides etc. Inclusion criteria are female healthcare workers working at a hospital. Average pain intensity (VAS scale 0-10) of the back, neck and shoulder (primary outcome) and physical

Serological survey of hepatitis B immunity in healthcare workers in Catalonia (Spain).

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Domínguez, A; Urbiztondo, L; Bayas, J M; Borrás, E; Broner, S; Campins, M; Costa, J; Esteve, M

2017-02-01

Healthcare workers (HCW) are exposed to preventable infectious diseases, notably hepatitis B (HB). The aim of this study was to determine the immunity of HCW against hepatitis B. We made a seroprevalence study using a self-administered survey and obtained blood samples. Antibodies against the HB surface antigen (anti-HBs) and against the HB core antigen (anti-HBc) were studied. The odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) were calculated. The adjusted OR were calculated using logistic regression. Of the 644 HCW who participated (29.7% physicians, 38.7% nurses, 13.4% other clinical workers and 18.3% non-clinical workers), 46.4% were primary care workers and 53.6% hospital workers. The overall prevalence of anti-HBs was 64.4%. HCW aged 44 y with respect to those aged 25-34 y. 75.6% of HCW stated they were vaccinated, but only 39.3% had a vaccination card. In HCW who stated they were unvaccinated, 10.8% had a vaccinated serological pattern (anti-HBc-negative and anti-HBs -positive). Written, updated vaccination records are essential to reliably determine the vaccination status.

Awareness Of HIV / AIDS Among Hospital Workers | Ugochukwu ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Awareness Of HIV / AIDS Among Hospital Workers. ... HIV /AIDS among workers in a teaching Hospital, b) risk of HIV infection among hospital workers ... pathogenesis, prevention, spread and risk of occupational transmission of HIV infection.

Prevalence of transfusion-transmitted viral pathogens among health-care workers and risk mitigation programme in a paediatric tertiary care hospital

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Charu Nayyar

2017-01-01

Full Text Available The health-care workers (HCWs are at an occupational risk of exposure to blood-borne pathogens, mainly, HIV, hepatitis B virus (HBV and hepatitis C virus. HBV is currently the only blood-borne virus for which a vaccine is available. All health-care institutions must encourage the HCWs to undergo screening for blood-borne pathogens.

Association between health worker motivation and healthcare quality efforts in Ghana.

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Alhassan, Robert Kaba; Spieker, Nicole; van Ostenberg, Paul; Ogink, Alice; Nketiah-Amponsah, Edward; de Wit, Tobias F Rinke

2013-08-14

Ghana is one of the sub-Saharan African countries making significant progress towards universal access to quality healthcare. However, it remains a challenge to attain the 2015 targets for the health related Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) partly due to health sector human resource challenges including low staff motivation. This paper addresses indicators of health worker motivation and assesses associations with quality care and patient safety in Ghana. The aim is to identify interventions at the health worker level that contribute to quality improvement in healthcare facilities. The study is a baseline survey of health workers (n = 324) in 64 primary healthcare facilities in two regions in Ghana. Data collection involved quality care assessment using the SafeCare Essentials tool, the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA) accreditation data and structured staff interviews on workplace motivating factors. The Spearman correlation test was conducted to test the hypothesis that the level of health worker motivation is associated with level of effort by primary healthcare facilities to improve quality care and patient safety. The quality care situation in health facilities was generally low, as determined by the SafeCare Essentials tool and NHIA data. The majority of facilities assessed did not have documented evidence of processes for continuous quality improvement and patient safety. Overall, staff motivation appeared low although workers in private facilities perceived better working conditions than workers in public facilities (P motivation interventions should be integrated into quality improvement strategies especially in government-owned healthcare facilities where working conditions are perceived to be the worst.

Minor mental disorders in Taiwanese healthcare workers and the associations with psychosocial work conditions.

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Cheng, Wan-Ju; Cheng, Yawen

2017-04-01

Healthcare workers face multiple psychosocial work hazards intrinsic to their work, including heavy workloads and shift work. However, how contemporary adverse psychosocial work conditions, such as workplace justice and insecurity, may contribute to increased mental health risks has rarely been studied. This study aimed to search for modifiable psychosocial work factors associated with mental health disorders in Taiwanese healthcare workers. A total of 349 healthcare workers were identified from 19,641 employees who participated in a national survey of Taiwan. Minor mental disorder was assessed using the five-item brief symptom rating scale. We compared psychosocial work characteristics and the prevalence of minor mental disorder in healthcare workers with that in a sociodemographically matched sample, and examined the associations of psychosocial work conditions with mental health status. Healthcare workers were found to have a higher prevalence of minor mental disorder than general workers, and they were more likely to have longer working hours, heavier psychological job demands, higher job control, more workplace violence, and a higher prevalence of shift work. Among healthcare workers, experiences of workplace violence, lower workplace justice, heavier psychological job demands, and job insecurity were associated with a higher risk for minor mental disorder, even after controlling for working hours and shift work. Despite the fact that healthcare workers work longer hours and shift work, there were several modifiable psychosocial work conditions that should be targeted to improve their mental health. Copyright © 2016. Published by Elsevier B.V.

Retaining nurses and other hospital workers: an intergenerational perspective of the work climate.

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Lavoie-Tremblay, Melanie; Paquet, Maxime; Duchesne, Marie-Anick; Santo, Anelise; Gavrancic, Ana; Courcy, François; Gagnon, Serge

2010-12-01

This article describes and compares work climate perceptions and intentions to quit among three generations of hospital workers and nurses. Never before in history has the workplace comprised such a span of generations. The current workforce includes three main generations: Baby Boomers (born between 1946 and 1963), Generation X (born between 1964 and 1980), and Generation Y (born between 1981 and 2000). However, very little research has linked turnover among nurses and other healthcare workers to their generational profile. A quantitative study with a correlational descriptive design was used. 1,376 hospital workers of the three generations (with 42.1% nurses, 15.6% support staff, 20.1% office employees, and 22.1% health professionals or technicians), employed in a university-affiliated hospital, completed a self-administered questionnaire. They answered the Psychological Climate Questionnaire and a measure of turnover intention. Generation Y hospital workers obtained a significantly lower score on the "Challenge" scale than did Baby Boomers. On the "Absence of Conflict" and "Warmth" scales, the opposite occurred, with Baby Boomers obtaining a significantly lower score than Generation Y respondents. If the nurse job category is taken separately, Generation Y nurses expressed a negative perception of the "Goal Emphasis" scale, compared with Baby Boomers. The proportion of Generation Y nurses who intend to quit is almost three times higher than that of other hospital workers from Generation Y. The main reason given by workers from Generations Y and X who intend to quit the organization is their own career advancement. The main reason given by Baby Boomers who intend to quit is retirement. Retention strategies that focus on improving the work climate are beneficial to all generations of hospital workers and nurses. If generation-specific retention strategies are developed, these should focus on the three areas identified to have intergenerational differences

Healthcare Workers Emotions, Perceived Stressors and Coping Strategies During a MERS-CoV Outbreak.

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Khalid, Imran; Khalid, Tabindeh J; Qabajah, Mohammed R; Barnard, Aletta G; Qushmaq, Ismael A

2016-03-01

Healthcare workers (HCWs) are at high risk of contracting Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) during an epidemic. We explored the emotions, perceived stressors, and coping strategies of healthcare workers who worked during a MERS-CoV outbreak in our hospital. A cross-sectional descriptive survey design. A tertiary care hospital. HCWs (150) who worked in high risk areas during the April-May 2014 MERS-CoV outbreak that occurred in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. We developed and administered a "MERS-CoV staff questionnaire" to study participants. The questionnaire consisted of 5 sections with 72 questions. The sections evaluated hospital staffs emotions, perceived stressors, factors that reduced their stress, coping strategies, and motivators to work during future outbreaks. Responses were scored on a scale from 0-3. The varying levels of stress or effectiveness of measures were reported as mean and standard deviation, as appropriate. Completed questionnaires were returned by 117 (78%) of the participants. The results had many unique elements. HCWs ethical obligation to their profession pushed them to continue with their jobs. The main sentiments centered upon fear of personal safety and well-being of colleagues and family. Positive attitudes in the workplace, clinical improvement of infected colleagues, and stoppage of disease transmission among HCWs after adopting strict protective measures alleviated their fear and drove them through the epidemic. They appreciated recognition of their efforts by hospital management and expected similar acknowledgment, infection control guidance, and equipment would entice them to work during future epidemics. The MERS-CoV outbreak was a distressing time for our staff. Hospitals can enhance HCWs experiences during any future MERS-CoV outbreak by focusing on the above mentioned aspects. © 2016 Marshfield Clinic.

Vaccines for preventing hepatitis B in healthcare workers (an updated protocol)

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Borch, Anders; Kolster, Chastine; Gluud, Christian

2017-01-01

This is a protocol for a Cochrane Review (Intervention). The objectives are as follows: To assess the beneficial and harmful effects of hepatitis B vaccines in healthcare workers.......This is a protocol for a Cochrane Review (Intervention). The objectives are as follows: To assess the beneficial and harmful effects of hepatitis B vaccines in healthcare workers....

Intervening with healthcare workers' hand hygiene compliance, knowledge, and perception in a limited-resource hospital in Indonesia: A randomized controlled trial study

NARCIS (Netherlands)

D. Santosaningsih (Dewi); Erikawati, D. (Dewi); T. Santoso; Noorhamdani, N. (Noorhamdani); Ratridewi, I. (Irene); Candradikusuma, D. (Didi); Chozin, I.N. (Iin N.); Huwae, T.E.C.J. (Thomas E.C.J.); van der Donk, G. (Gwen); van Boven, E. (Eva); A.F. Voor in 't Holt (Anne); H.A. Verbrugh (Henri); J.A. Severin (Juliëtte)

2017-01-01

textabstractBackground: Hand hygiene is recognized as an important measure to prevent healthcare-associated infections. Hand hygiene adherence among healthcare workers is associated with their knowledge and perception. This study aimed to evaluate the effect of three different educational programs

Deficiencies in education and experience in the management of acute kidney injury among Malawian healthcare workers.

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Evans, R; Rudd, P; Hemmila, U; Dobbie, H; Dreyer, G

2015-09-01

Acute kidney injury (AKI) is a common but under-recognised disease process, which carries a high risk of mortality or chronic complications, such as chronic kidney disease and other organ dysfunction. Management of AKI, however, is suboptimal, both in developed settings and in Malawi. This is partly because of deficiencies in AKI education and training. To establish current levels of AKI education in a range of healthcare workers in Malawi. An AKI symposium was held in Blantyre in March 2015. Delegates were asked to complete a survey at the start of the symposium to assess their clinical experience and education in the management of AKI. From 100 delegates, 89 nurses, clinical officers, and physicians, originating from 11 different districts, responded to the survey. Twenty-two percent of healthcare workers (including 28% of district workers of the various cadres and 31% of nurses) had never received teaching on any aspect of renal disease, and 50% (including 63% of district workers and 61% of nurses) had never received teaching specifically on AKI. Forty-four percent did not feel confident managing AKI, and 98% wanted more support managing patients with renal disease. Thirty-four percent (including 55% of district workers) were unaware that haemodialysis was available at Queen Elizabeth Central Hospital (QECH) for the treatment of AKI and 53% (74% of district workers) were unaware that peritoneal dialysis was available for the treatment of AKI in children. Only 33% had ever referred a patient with AKI to QECH. There are deficiencies in education about, and clinical experience in, the management of AKI among Malawian healthcare workers, in addition to limited awareness of the renal service available at QECH. Urgent action is required to address these issues in order to prevent morbidity and mortality from AKI in Malawi.

Effectiveness of intensive healthcare waste management training model among health professionals at teaching hospitals of Pakistan: a quasi-experimental study.

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Kumar, Ramesh; Somrongthong, Ratana; Shaikh, Babar Tasneem

2015-02-28

Infectious waste management has always remained a neglected public health problem in the developing countries, resulting in high burden of environmental pollution affecting general masses. Health workers are the key personnel who are responsible for the management of infectious waste at any hospital, however, their proper training and education is must for an optimal performance. This interventional study was conducted to assess the effectiveness of Intensive healthcare waste management (IHWM) training model at two tertiary care hospitals of Rawalpindi city, Pakistan. This study was quasi-experimental pre and post design with control and intervention groups. Out of 275 health care workers enrolled for the study, 138 workers were assigned for intervention group for 3 months trainings, hands-on practicum and reminders on infectious waste management; whereas 137 workers were assigned to the control hospital where routine activities on infectious health care waste management were performed. Pre and post intervention assessment was done for knowledge, attitude and practices (KAP); and was statistically analyzed. Bivariate and multivariate analysis, independent, paired and unpaired t-test, chi-square with p values, and mean of the responses were calculated. Overall the response rate was 92% at the end of intervention. During the baseline survey, 275 healthcare workers (HCW) included doctors, nurses, paramedics and sanitary workers, and after 3 months of intervention, 255 were reached out to complete the questionnaire. With regard to KAP at baseline, there were no significant differences between two groups at baseline, except for gender and department. However, in the post intervention survey, statistically significance difference (0.05) after 3 months. Study results suggest that IHWM training could be an effective intervention for improving knowledge, attitudes and practices among health workers regarding infectious waste management. Such training should become a

Mobile phone use among patients and health workers to enhance primary healthcare: A qualitative study in rural South Africa.

Science.gov (United States)

Anstey Watkins, Jocelyn Olivia Todd; Goudge, Jane; Gómez-Olivé, Francesc Xavier; Griffiths, Frances

2018-02-01

Mobile phones have the potential to improve access to healthcare information and services in low-resourced settings. This study investigated the use of mobile phones among patients with chronic diseases, pregnant women, and health workers to enhance primary healthcare in rural South Africa. Qualitative research was undertaken in Mpumalanga in 2014. Semi structured in-depth interviews were conducted with 113 patients and 43 health workers from seven primary healthcare clinics and one district hospital. Data were thematically analysed. We found that some health workers and patients used their own mobile phones for healthcare, bearing the cost themselves. Patients used their mobile phones to remind themselves to take medication or attend their clinic visits, and they appreciated receiving voice call reminders. Some patients and health workers accessed websites and used social media to gather health information, but lacked web search strategies. The use of the websites and social media was intermittent due to lack of financial ability to afford airtime among these patients and health workers. Many did not know what to search for and where to search. Doctors have developed their own informal mobile health solutions in response to their work needs and lack of resources due to their rurality. Physical and social factors influence the usability of mobile phones for healthcare, and this can shape communication patterns such as poor eyesight. The bottom-up use of mobile phones has been evolving to fill the gaps to augment primary care services in South Africa; however, barriers to access remain, such as poor digital infrastructure and low digital literacy. Copyright © 2018 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.

Patient safety culture shapes presenteeism and absenteeism: a cross-sectional study among Croatian healthcare workers.

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Brborović, Hana; Brborović, Ognjen

2017-09-26

Healthcare workers have high rates of injuries and illnesses at the workplace, and both their absence from work due to illness (absenteeism) or working ill (presenteeism) can compromise patient safety and the quality of health care delivered. Following this premise, we wanted to determine whether presenteeism and absenteeism were associated with patient safety culture (PSC) and in what way. Our sample consisted of 595 Croatian healthcare workers (150 physicians and 445 nurses) who answered the short-form WHO Health and Work Performance Questionnaire and the Hospital Survey on Patient Safety Culture. The results have confirmed the association with both presenteeism and absenteeism in several PSC dimensions, but not as we expected based on the premise from which we started. Opposite to our expectations, lower job performance (as a measure of presenteeism) was associated with higher PSC instead of lower PSC. Absenteeism, in turn, was associated with lower PSC, just as we expected. These findings suggest that it is the PSC that shapes presenteeist and absenteeist behaviour and not the other way around. High PSC leads to presenteeism, and low PSC to absenteeism. We also believe that the presenteeism questionnaires should be adjusted to health care and better define what lower performance means both quantitatively and qualitatively in a hospital setting.

Work ability index among healthcare personnel in a university hospital in Tehran, Iran.

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Mehrdad, R; Mazloumi, A; Arshi, S; Kazemi, Z

2016-03-09

Work ability is an important issue from a social point of view, as it is essential for workers health and welfare. This study aimed to determine work ability among healthcare personnel and to investigate its relationship with demographic and lifestyle-related factors. Data were collected using the Work Ability Index (WAI) questionnaire among 517 personnel of a hospital in Tehran, Iran. Findings showed a mean WAI of 40.3 (±5.2) for the study population. Work ability was significantly lower in the older personnel and higher for men. A significant correlation was observed between BMI and exercise activity and WAI score. Moreover, employees with experience of less than five years had significant higher work ability than those with 16-20 years of service. Considering the young study population, it seems the mean WAI is not as desirable. The use of lifestyle promoting programs, besides workplace interventions, can be an effective strategy to increase work ability among healthcare workers.

Minor mental disorders in Taiwanese healthcare workers and the associations with psychosocial work conditions

OpenAIRE

Cheng, Wan-Ju; Cheng, Yawen

2017-01-01

Healthcare workers face multiple psychosocial work hazards intrinsic to their work, including heavy workloads and shift work. However, how contemporary adverse psychosocial work conditions, such as workplace justice and insecurity, may contribute to increased mental health risks has rarely been studied. This study aimed to search for modifiable psychosocial work factors associated with mental health disorders in Taiwanese healthcare workers. Methods: A total of 349 healthcare workers were ...

Impact of a hospital-wide hand hygiene promotion strategy on healthcare-associated infections.

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Ling, Moi Lin; How, Kue Bien

2012-03-23

During the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) outbreak, high compliance in healthcare workers to hand hygiene was primarily driven by fear. However, the post-SARS period confirmed that this practice was not sustainable. At the Singapore General Hospital, a 1,600-bedded acute tertiary care hospital, the hand hygiene program was revised in early 2007 following Singapore's signing of the pledge to the World Health Organization (WHO) "Clean Care is Safer Care" program. A multi-prong approach was used in designing the hand hygiene program. This included system change; training and education; evaluation and feedback; reminders in the workplace; and institutional safety climate. Hand hygiene compliance rate improved from 20% (in January 2007) to 61% (2010). Improvement was also seen annually in the compliance to each of the 5 moments as well as in all staff categories. Healthcare-associated MRSA infections were reduced from 0.6 (2007) to 0.3 (2010) per 1000 patient-days. Leadership's support of the program evidenced through visible leadership presence, messaging and release of resources is the key factor in helping to make the program a true success. The hospital was recognised as a Global Hand Hygiene Expert Centre in January 2011. The WHO multi-prong interventions work in improving compliance and reducing healthcare associated infections.

Community health workers: a bridge to healthcare for people who inject drugs.

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Morgan, Kirsty; Lee, Jessica; Sebar, Bernadette

2015-04-01

Although people who inject drugs (PWIDs) have increased healthcare needs, their poor access and utilisation of mainstream primary healthcare services is well documented. To address this situation, community health workers (CHWs) who have personal experience of drug injecting in addition to healthcare training or qualifications are sometimes utilised. However, the role peer workers play as members of clinical primary healthcare teams in Australia and how they manage the healthcare needs of PWID, has been poorly documented. A qualitative ethnomethodological approach was used to study the methods used by CHWs. Data was collected using participant observation of CHWs in a PWID-targeted primary healthcare centre. CHW healthcare consultations with PWID were audio-recorded and transcribed verbatim. Transcripts along with field notes were analysed using membership categorisation and conversation analysis techniques to reveal how CHWs' personal and professional experience shapes their healthcare interactions with PWID clients. CHWs' personal experience of injecting drug use is an asset they utilise along with their knowledge of clinical practice and service systems. It provides them with specialised knowledge and language--resources that they draw upon to build trust with clients and accomplish transparent, non-judgmental interactions that enable PWID clients to be active participants in the management of their healthcare. Existing literature often discusses these principles at a theoretical level. This study demonstrates how CHWs achieve them at a micro-level through the use of indexical language and displays of the membership categories 'PWID' and 'healthcare worker'. This research explicates how CHWs serve as an interface between PWID clients and conventional healthcare providers. CHWs deployment of IDU-specific language, membership knowledge, values and behaviours, enable them to interact in ways that foster transparent communication and client participation in

Why healthcare workers are sick of TB

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Arne von Delft

2015-03-01

Full Text Available Dr Thato Mosidi never expected to be diagnosed with tuberculosis (TB, despite widely prevalent exposure and very limited infection control measures. The life-threatening diagnosis of primary extensively drug-resistant TB (XDR-TB came as an even greater shock. The inconvenient truth is that, rather than being protected, Dr Mosidi and thousands of her healthcare colleagues are at an increased risk of TB and especially drug-resistant TB. In this viewpoint paper we debunk the widely held false belief that healthcare workers are somehow immune to TB disease (TB-proof and explore some of the key factors contributing to the pervasive stigmatization and subsequent non-disclosure of occupational TB. Our front-line workers are some of the first to suffer the consequences of a progressively more resistant and fatal TB epidemic, and urgent interventions are needed to ensure the safety and continued availability of these precious healthcare resources. These include the rapid development and scale-up of improved diagnostic and treatment options, strengthened infection control measures, and focused interventions to tackle stigma and discrimination in all its forms. We call our colleagues to action to protect themselves and those they care for.

Effect of workplace- versus home-based physical exercise on pain in healthcare workers: study protocol for a single blinded cluster randomized controlled trial

Science.gov (United States)

2014-01-01

Background The prevalence and consequences of musculoskeletal pain is considerable among healthcare workers, allegedly due to high physical work demands of healthcare work. Previous investigations have shown promising results of physical exercise for relieving pain among different occupational groups, but the question remains whether such physical exercise should be performed at the workplace or conducted as home-based exercise. Performing physical exercise at the workplace together with colleagues may be more motivating for some employees and thus increase adherence. On the other hand, physical exercise performed during working hours at the workplace may be costly for the employers in terms of time spend. Thus, it seems relevant to compare the efficacy of workplace- versus home-based training on musculoskeletal pain. This study is intended to investigate the effect of workplace-based versus home-based physical exercise on musculoskeletal pain among healthcare workers. Methods/Design This study was designed as a cluster randomized controlled trial performed at 3 hospitals in Copenhagen, Denmark. Clusters are hospital departments and hospital units. Cluster randomization was chosen to increase adherence and avoid contamination between interventions. Two hundred healthcare workers from 18 departments located at three different hospitals is allocated to 10 weeks of 1) workplace based physical exercise performed during working hours (using kettlebells, elastic bands and exercise balls) for 5 × 10 minutes per week and up to 5 group-based coaching sessions, or 2) home based physical exercise performed during leisure time (using elastic bands and body weight exercises) for 5 × 10 minutes per week. Both intervention groups will also receive ergonomic instructions on patient handling and use of lifting aides etc. Inclusion criteria are female healthcare workers working at a hospital. Average pain intensity (VAS scale 0-10) of the back, neck and shoulder

Stress and Burnout in Health-Care Workers after the 2009 L’Aquila Earthquake: A Cross-Sectional Observational Study

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Mattei, Antonella; Fiasca, Fabiana; Mazzei, Mariachiara; Necozione, Stefano; Bianchini, Valeria

2017-01-01

Burnout is a work-related mental health impairment, which is now recognized as a real problem in the context of the helping professions due to its adverse health outcomes on efficiency. To our knowledge, the literature on the postdisaster scenario in Italy is limited by a focus on mental health professionals rather than other health-care workers. Our cross-sectional study aims to evaluate the prevalence of burnout and psychopathological distress in different categories of health-care workers, i.e., physicians, nurses, and health-care assistants, working in different departments of L’Aquila St. Salvatore General Hospital 6 years after the 2009 earthquake in order to prevent and reduce work-related burnout. With a two-stage cluster sampling, a total of 8 departments out of a total of 28 departments were selected and the total sample included 300 health-care workers. All the participants completed the following self-reporting questionnaires: a sociodemographic data form, a Maslach Burnout Inventory and a General Health Questionnaire 12 Items (GHQ-12). Statistically significant differences emerged between the total scores of the GHQ-12: post hoc analysis showed that the total average scores of the GHQ-12 were significantly higher in doctors than in health-care assistants. A high prevalence of burnout among doctors (25.97%) emerged. Using multivariate analysis, we identified a hostile relationship with colleagues, direct exposure to the L’Aquila earthquake and moderate to high levels of distress as being burnout predictors. Investigating the prevalence of burnout and distress in health-care staff in a postdisaster setting and identifying predictors of burnout development such as stress levels, time-management skills and work-life balance will contribute to the development of preventative strategies and better organization at work with a view to improving public health efficacy and reducing public health costs, given that these workers live in the disaster

Stress and Burnout in Health-Care Workers after the 2009 L'Aquila Earthquake: A Cross-Sectional Observational Study.

Science.gov (United States)

Mattei, Antonella; Fiasca, Fabiana; Mazzei, Mariachiara; Necozione, Stefano; Bianchini, Valeria

2017-01-01

Burnout is a work-related mental health impairment, which is now recognized as a real problem in the context of the helping professions due to its adverse health outcomes on efficiency. To our knowledge, the literature on the postdisaster scenario in Italy is limited by a focus on mental health professionals rather than other health-care workers. Our cross-sectional study aims to evaluate the prevalence of burnout and psychopathological distress in different categories of health-care workers, i.e., physicians, nurses, and health-care assistants, working in different departments of L'Aquila St. Salvatore General Hospital 6 years after the 2009 earthquake in order to prevent and reduce work-related burnout. With a two-stage cluster sampling, a total of 8 departments out of a total of 28 departments were selected and the total sample included 300 health-care workers. All the participants completed the following self-reporting questionnaires: a sociodemographic data form, a Maslach Burnout Inventory and a General Health Questionnaire 12 Items (GHQ-12). Statistically significant differences emerged between the total scores of the GHQ-12: post hoc analysis showed that the total average scores of the GHQ-12 were significantly higher in doctors than in health-care assistants. A high prevalence of burnout among doctors (25.97%) emerged. Using multivariate analysis, we identified a hostile relationship with colleagues, direct exposure to the L'Aquila earthquake and moderate to high levels of distress as being burnout predictors. Investigating the prevalence of burnout and distress in health-care staff in a postdisaster setting and identifying predictors of burnout development such as stress levels, time-management skills and work-life balance will contribute to the development of preventative strategies and better organization at work with a view to improving public health efficacy and reducing public health costs, given that these workers live in the disaster

Stress and Burnout in Health-Care Workers after the 2009 L’Aquila Earthquake: A Cross-Sectional Observational Study

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Antonella Mattei

2017-06-01

Full Text Available Burnout is a work-related mental health impairment, which is now recognized as a real problem in the context of the helping professions due to its adverse health outcomes on efficiency. To our knowledge, the literature on the postdisaster scenario in Italy is limited by a focus on mental health professionals rather than other health-care workers. Our cross-sectional study aims to evaluate the prevalence of burnout and psychopathological distress in different categories of health-care workers, i.e., physicians, nurses, and health-care assistants, working in different departments of L’Aquila St. Salvatore General Hospital 6 years after the 2009 earthquake in order to prevent and reduce work-related burnout. With a two-stage cluster sampling, a total of 8 departments out of a total of 28 departments were selected and the total sample included 300 health-care workers. All the participants completed the following self-reporting questionnaires: a sociodemographic data form, a Maslach Burnout Inventory and a General Health Questionnaire 12 Items (GHQ-12. Statistically significant differences emerged between the total scores of the GHQ-12: post hoc analysis showed that the total average scores of the GHQ-12 were significantly higher in doctors than in health-care assistants. A high prevalence of burnout among doctors (25.97% emerged. Using multivariate analysis, we identified a hostile relationship with colleagues, direct exposure to the L’Aquila earthquake and moderate to high levels of distress as being burnout predictors. Investigating the prevalence of burnout and distress in health-care staff in a postdisaster setting and identifying predictors of burnout development such as stress levels, time-management skills and work-life balance will contribute to the development of preventative strategies and better organization at work with a view to improving public health efficacy and reducing public health costs, given that these workers live in the

Effect of Workplace- versus Home-Based Physical Exercise on Muscle Response to Sudden Trunk Perturbation among Healthcare Workers

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Jakobsen, Markus D; Sundstrup, Emil; Brandt, Mikkel

2015-01-01

Objectives. The present study investigates the effect of workplace- versus home-based physical exercise on muscle reflex response to sudden trunk perturbation among healthcare workers. Methods. Two hundred female healthcare workers (age: 42 [SD 11], BMI: 24 [SD 4], and pain intensity: 3.1 [SD 2.......2] on a scale of 0-10) from 18 departments at three hospitals were randomized at the cluster level to 10 weeks of (1) workplace physical exercise (WORK) performed in groups during working hours for 5 × 10 minutes per week and up to 5 group-based coaching sessions on motivation for regular physical exercise...... perturbation. Furthermore, EMG preactivation of the erector spinae and fear avoidance were reduced more following WORK than HOME (95% CI -2.7--0.7 (P training sessions per week, respectively...

Leisure-time physical inactivity among healthcare workers.

Science.gov (United States)

Rocha, Saulo Vasconcelos; Barbosa, Aline Rodrigues; Araújo, Tania Maria

2018-01-15

To estimate the prevalence of leisure-time physical inactivity (LTPI) and associated factors among healthcare workers. The cross-sectional study carried out with 2684 healthcare workers from 4 municipalities from the northeast region, Brazil. The LTPI was assessed by dichotomous question. The association between LTPI and the various independent variables was examined through the multinomial logistic regression analysis (crude and adjusted). The prevalence of LTPI was 47.9% (95% confidence interval (CI): 46.01-48.80). The adjusted analysis (sociodemographic and occupational characteristics) showed that women and individuals with higher levels of education were more LTPI (p = 0.05). The prevalence of LTPI was high among the population investigated, especially among women and individuals with higher education. These results show the importance of developing actions to encourage adherence to physical activity during leisure time among workers, especially among the most vulnerable groups (people with higher education and women), given the benefits of this behavior to health. Int J Occup Med Environ Health 2018;31(3):251-260. This work is available in Open Access model and licensed under a CC BY-NC 3.0 PL license.

Infection control and practice of standard precautions among healthcare workers in northern Nigeria

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O E Amoran

2013-01-01

Full Text Available Background: Healthcare-associated infections (HAIs have been reported to be a serious problem in the healthcare services as they are common causes of illness and mortality among hospitalized patients including healthcare workers (HCWs. Compliance with these standard precautions has been shown to reduce the risk of exposure to blood and body fluids. Aims: This study therefore assesses the level of knowledge and compliance with standard precautions by the various cadre of HCWs and the factors influencing compliance in hospital environment in Nasarawa State, Northern Nigeria. Settings and Design: Nasarawa State has a current human immunodeficiency virus/acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS prevalence rate of 10.0%, which was higher than most states in Nigeria with a high level of illiteracy and ignorance. Majority of the people reside in the rural areas while a few are found in the towns, informal settlements with no direct access to healthcare facilities are common. Materials and Methods: This study is an analytical, cross-sectional study. Proportional sampling technique was used to obtain a representative sample and a structured self-administered questionnaire was used to collect relevant information from the healthcare providers working in Nasarawa State from January to February 2009. Statistical analysis used: To describe patient characteristics, we calculated proportions and medians. For categorical variables, we compared proportions using chi-square tests. A logistic regression model was produced with infection control as outcome variable to identify associated factors. Results: A total of 421 HCWs were interviewed, Majority (77.9% correctly describe universal precaution and infection control with 19.2, 19.2, and 28.0%, respectively unable to recognize vaccination, postexposure prophylaxis, and surveillance for emerging diseases as standard precaution for infection control. About 70.1% usually wear gloves before handling patients or

Factors affecting pain relief in response to physical exercise interventions among healthcare workers.

Science.gov (United States)

Jakobsen, M D; Sundstrup, E; Brandt, M; Andersen, L L

2017-12-01

The aim of this study is to identify factors associated with musculo-skeletal pain reduction during workplace-based or home-based physical exercise interventions among healthcare workers. Two hundred female healthcare workers (age: 42.0, BMI: 24.1, average pain intensity: 3.1 on a scale of 0-10) from three hospitals participated. Participants were randomly allocated at the cluster level (18 departments) to 10 weeks of (i) workplace physical exercise (WORK) performed in groups during working hours for 5 × 10 minutes per week and up to five group-based coaching sessions on motivation for regular physical exercise, or (ii) home-based physical exercise (HOME) performed alone during leisure-time for 5 × 10 minutes per week. Linear mixed models accounting for cluster identified factors affecting pain reduction. On average 2.2 (SD: 1.1) and 1.0 (SD: 1.2) training sessions were performed per week in WORK and HOME, respectively. The multi-adjusted analysis showed a significant effect on pain reduction of both training adherence (P=.04) and intervention group (P=.04) with participants in WORK experiencing greater reductions compared with HOME. Obesity at baseline was associated with better outcome. Leisure-time exercise, daily patient transfer, age, and chronic pain did not affect the changes in pain. In conclusion, even when adjusted for training adherence, performing physical exercise at the workplace is more effective than home-based exercise in reducing musculo-skeletal pain in healthcare workers. Noteworthy, obese individuals may especially benefit from physical exercise interventions targeting musculo-skeletal pain. © 2016 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

[Smoking prevalence in hospital workers: meta-analysis in 45 Catalan hospitals].

Science.gov (United States)

Martínez, Cristina; Martínez-Sánchez, Jose M; Antón, Laura; Riccobene, Anna; Fu, Marcela; Quirós, Nuria; Saltó, Esteve; Fernández, Esteve

2016-01-01

To estimate the prevalence of smoking in workers from hospitals within the Catalan Network for Smoke-free hospitals from 2009 to 2012 according to workers' sociodemographic characteristics and the type of hospital. A meta-analysis was performed of prevalence surveys from representative samples of workers from 45 hospitals. The combined prevalence for all hospitals was calculated using a regression model with a random effects model weighted by sample size. The overall prevalence of smoking was 28.1% (95%CI: 26.1 to 30.0%) with a maximum and minimum of 40.3% and 19.1%, respectively. The health professionals with the lowest prevalence of smoking were physicians (16.4%; 95%CI: 12.9 to 19.9) and nurses (25.4%; 95%CI 21.6 to 29.2). The prevalence of smoking in hospital health workers was lower than in the general population of working age. Physicians were the group with the lowest smoking prevalence. Smoking cessation should be promoted among other professional groups. Copyright © 2015 SESPAS. Published by Elsevier Espana. All rights reserved.

Compensation patterns for healthcare workers in British Columbia, Canada.

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Alamgir, H; Siow, S; Yu, S; Ngan, K; Guzman, J

2009-06-01

This report examines relationships between the acceptance of compensation claims, and employee and workplace characteristics for healthcare workers in British Columbia, Canada to determine suitability of using only accepted claims for occupational epidemiology research. A retrospective cohort of full-time healthcare workers was constructed from an active incident surveillance database. Incidents filed for compensation over a 1-year period were examined for initial claim decision within a 6-month window relative to sub-sector of employment, age, sex, seniority, occupation of workers, and injury category. Compensation costs and duration of time lost for initially accepted claims were also investigated. Multiple logistic regression models with generalised estimating equations (GEEs) were used to calculate adjusted relative odds (ARO) of claims decision accounting for confounding factors and clustering effects. Employees of three health regions in British Columbia filed 2274 work-related claims in a year, of which 1863 (82%) were initially accepted for compensation. Proportion of claims accepted was lowest in community care (79%) and corporate office settings (79%) and highest in long-term care settings (86%). Overall, 46% of claims resulting from allergy/irritation were accepted, in contrast to 98% acceptance of claims from cuts and puncture wounds. Licensed practical nurses had the lowest odds of claims not accepted compared with registered nurses (ARO (95% CI) = 0.55 (0.33 to 0.91)), whereas management/administrative staff had the highest odds (ARO = 2.91 (1.25 to 6.79)) of claims not accepted. A trend was observed with higher seniority of workers associated with lower odds of non-acceptance of claims. Analysis from British Columbia's healthcare sector suggests variation in workers' compensation acceptance exists across sub-sectors, occupations, seniority of workers, and injury categories. The patterns observed, however, were independent of age and sex of workers

Needlestick and sharps injuries among health care workers at public tertiary hospitals in an urban community in Mongolia

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Tsolmon Muugolog

2011-06-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Needlestick and sharps injuries (NSSIs are one of the major risk factors for blood-borne infections at healthcare facilities. This study examines the current situation of NSSIs among health care workers at public tertiary hospitals in an urban community in Mongolia and explores strategies for the prevention of these injuries. Findings A survey of 621 health care workers was undertaken in two public tertiary hospitals in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, in July 2006. A semi-structured and self-administered questionnaire was distributed to study injection practices and the occurrence of NSSIs. A multiple logistic regression analysis was performed to investigate factors associated with experiencing NSSIs. Among the 435 healthcare workers who returned a completed questionnaire, the incidence of NSSIs during the previous 3 months was 38.4%. Health care workers were more likely to report NSSIs if they worked longer than 35 hours per week (odds ratio, OR: 2.47; 95% confidence interval, CI: 1.31-4.66 and administered more than 10 injections per day (OR: 4.76; 95% CI: 1.97-11.49. The likelihood of self-reporting NSSIs significantly decreased if health care workers adhered to universal precautions (OR: 0.34; 95% CI: 0.17-0.68. Conclusions NSSIs are a common public health problem at public tertiary hospitals in Mongolia. The promotion of adequate working conditions, elimination of excessive injection use, and adherence to universal precautions will be important for the future control of potential infections with blood-borne pathogens due to occupational exposures to sharps in this setting.

First impressions last… A survey of knowledge of first aid in burn-related injuries amongst hospital workers.

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Tay, Poi Hoon; Pinder, Richard; Coulson, Samuel; Rawlins, Jeremy

2013-03-01

The administration of first aid in burns has been shown to have a significant influence on the ultimate severity of the burn. We wanted to assess in-hospital healthcare (HCW), and non-healthcare workers' (nHCW) knowledge of first aid in burns. A purpose-designed questionnaire, including information about previous attendance at a first aid course and four clinical scenarios of burns, was distributed to HCWs in the local hospitals and non-medical students in the Universities of Leeds and Sheffield. 697 questionnaires were completed - 397 (57%) from HCW and 300 (43%) from nHCW. 59% of HCW had attended a first aid course, 68% of these courses included teaching on first aid in burns. HCW who had completed a first aid course generally did better than those who had not. Only 16% of HCW achieved correct answers in all questions compared to 30% nHCW. We show that the knowledge of first aid in burns is relatively poor amongst HCW and that attendance at a burns first aid course improves knowledge (although perhaps not as much as one might hope). We recommend that the burns content of first aid courses be reviewed, and that there is a requirement for ALL hospital healthcare workers to undertake a first aid course, which includes appropriate burns first aid. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd and ISBI. All rights reserved.

Self-care among healthcare social workers: An exploratory study.

Science.gov (United States)

Miller, J Jay; Lianekhammy, Joann; Pope, Natalie; Lee, Jacquelyn; Grise-Owens, Erlene

2017-01-01

Despite growing interest in self-care, few studies have explicitly examined the self-care practices of healthcare social workers. This exploratory study investigated self-care among practitioners (N = 138) in one southeastern state. Overall, data suggest that healthcare social workers only moderately engaged in self-care. Additionally, analyses revealed significant differences in self-care practices by financial stability, overall health, and licensure status, respectively. Interestingly, perceived health status and current financial situation were significant predictors for overall self-care practices. After a brief review of the literature, this narrative will explicate findings, elucidate discussion points, identify salient implications, and conclude with areas for future research.

Management Commitment to Safety, Teamwork, and Hospital Worker Injuries

OpenAIRE

McGonagle, Alyssa K.; Essenmacher, Lynnette; Hamblin, Lydia; Luborsky, Mark; Upfal, Mark; Arnetz, Judith

2016-01-01

Although many studies link teamwork in health care settings to patient safety, evidence linking teamwork to hospital worker safety is lacking. This study addresses this gap by providing evidence linking teamwork perceptions in hospital workers to worker injuries, and further, finds a linkage between manager commitment to safety and teamwork. Organizational records of worker injuries and survey responses regarding management commitment to safety and teamwork from 446 hospital workers within 42...

Competence of Healthcare Workers in Sexual Health Education for Female Adolescents at Schools

OpenAIRE

Mozhgan Javadnoori; Sanaz Zangeneh; Mitra Tadayon; Mohamadreza Akhoond

2016-01-01

Background & aim: Sexual health education is one of the responsibilities of healthcare workers at schools, which can reduce the risk of sexually transmitted diseases such as AIDS, unwanted pregnancy, abortion, substance abuse, sexual violence, and suicidal tendencies. This study aimed to investigate healthcare workers’ competence in sexual health education for female adolescents at schools. Methods:This cross-sectional study was conducted on 300 healthcare workers, responsible for sexual heal...

75 FR 11922 - Apria Healthcare, Including On-Site Leased Workers From Corestaff, Ultimate Staffing (Roth...

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2010-03-12

... DEPARTMENT OF LABOR Employment and Training Administration [TA-W-71,054C] Apria Healthcare..., 2009, applicable to workers of Apria Healthcare, including on-site leased workers from Corestaff... subject firm. The workers are engaged in activities related to the information technology and patient...

Influenza vaccine effectiveness among healthcare workers in comparison to hospitalized patients: A 2004-2009 case-test, negative-control, prospective study

Science.gov (United States)

Vanhems, P; Baghdadi, Y; Roche, S; Bénet, T; Regis, C; Lina, B; Robert, O; Voirin, N; Ecochard, R; Amour, S

2016-01-01

The objective of this study was to calculate Vaccine Effectiveness (VE) in healthcare workers (HCW) and to compare VE between patients and HCW. A case-control investigation based on the prospective study was conducted between 2004 and 2009 in a teaching hospital. All HCW with influenza-like illness (ILI) from participating units (n = 24) were included, and vaccination status was characterized by interview. A total of 150 HCW presented ILI; 130 (87%) were female, 27 (18%) were positive for influenza, and 42 (28%) were vaccinated. Adjusted VE was 89% (95% CI 39 to 98). Among patients, adjusted VE was 42% (95% CI −39 to 76). The difference of VE (VEhcw - VEpat) was 46.15% (95% CI 2.41 to 144). The VE ratio (VEhcw / VEpat) was 2.09 (95% CI −1.60 to 134.17). Influenza VE differed between HCW and patients when the flu season was taken into account. This finding confirms the major impact of host determinants on influenza VE. PMID:26327520

A successful strategy for increasing the influenza vaccination rate of healthcare workers without a mandatory policy outside of the United States: a multifaceted intervention in a Japanese tertiary care center.

Science.gov (United States)

Honda, Hitoshi; Sato, Yumiko; Yamazaki, Akinori; Padival, Simi; Kumagai, Akira; Babcock, Hilary

2013-11-01

Although mandatory vaccination programs have been effective in improving the vaccination rate among healthcare workers, implementing this type of program can be challenging because of varied reasons for vaccine refusal. The purpose of our study is to measure improvement in the influenza vaccination rate from a multifaceted intervention at a Japanese tertiary care center where implementing a mandatory vaccination program is difficult. Before-and-after trial. Healthcare workers at a 550-bed, tertiary care, academic medical center in Sapporo, Japan. We performed a multifaceted intervention including (1) use of a declination form, (2) free vaccination, (3) hospital-wide announcements during the vaccination period, (4) prospective audit and real-time telephone interview for healthcare workers who did not receive the vaccine, (5) medical interview with the hospital executive for noncompliant (no vaccine, no declination form) healthcare workers during the vaccination period, and (6) mandatory submission of a vaccination document if vaccinated outside of the study institution. With the new multifaceted intervention, the vaccination rate in the 2012-2013 season increased substantially, up to 97%. This rate is similar to that reported in studies with a mandatory vaccination program. Improved vaccination acceptance, particularly among physicians, likely contributed to the overall increase in the vaccination rate reported in the study. Implementation of comprehensive strategies with strong leadership can lead to substantial improvements in vaccine uptake among healthcare workers even without a mandatory vaccination policy. The concept is especially important for institutions where implementing mandatory vaccination programs is challenging.

Management Commitment to Safety, Teamwork, and Hospital Worker Injuries.

Science.gov (United States)

McGonagle, Alyssa K; Essenmacher, Lynnette; Hamblin, Lydia; Luborsky, Mark; Upfal, Mark; Arnetz, Judith

2016-01-01

Although many studies link teamwork in health care settings to patient safety, evidence linking teamwork to hospital worker safety is lacking. This study addresses this gap by providing evidence linking teamwork perceptions in hospital workers to worker injuries, and further, finds a linkage between manager commitment to safety and teamwork. Organizational records of worker injuries and survey responses regarding management commitment to safety and teamwork from 446 hospital workers within 42 work units in a multi-site hospital system were examined. Results underscored the particular importance of teamwork on worker injuries as well as the importance of management commitment to safety as relating to teamwork. To improve worker safety, organizational leaders and unit managers should work to maintain environments wherein teamwork can thrive.

Impact of a hospital-wide hand hygiene promotion strategy on healthcare-associated infections

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Ling Moi Lin

2012-03-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background During the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS outbreak, high compliance in healthcare workers to hand hygiene was primarily driven by fear. However, the post-SARS period confirmed that this practice was not sustainable. At the Singapore General Hospital, a 1,600-bedded acute tertiary care hospital, the hand hygiene program was revised in early 2007 following Singapore's signing of the pledge to the World Health Organization (WHO "Clean Care is Safer Care" program. Findings A multi-prong approach was used in designing the hand hygiene program. This included system change; training and education; evaluation and feedback; reminders in the workplace; and institutional safety climate. Hand hygiene compliance rate improved from 20% (in January 2007 to 61% (2010. Improvement was also seen annually in the compliance to each of the 5 moments as well as in all staff categories. Healthcare-associated MRSA infections were reduced from 0.6 (2007 to 0.3 (2010 per 1000 patient-days. Conclusions Leadership's support of the program evidenced through visible leadership presence, messaging and release of resources is the key factor in helping to make the program a true success. The hospital was recognised as a Global Hand Hygiene Expert Centre in January 2011. The WHO multi-prong interventions work in improving compliance and reducing healthcare associated infections.

Colonization of patients, healthcare workers, and the environment with healthcare-associated Staphylococcus epidermidis genotypes in an intensive care unit: a prospective observational cohort study.

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Widerström, Micael; Wiström, Johan; Edebro, Helén; Marklund, Elisabeth; Backman, Mattias; Lindqvist, Per; Monsen, Tor

2016-12-09

During the last decades, healthcare-associated genotypes of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus epidermidis (HA-MRSE) have been established as important opportunistic pathogens. However, data on potential reservoirs on HA-MRSE is limited. The aim of the present study was to investigate the dynamics and to which extent HA-MRSE genotypes colonize patients, healthcare workers (HCWs) and the environment in an intensive care unit (ICU). Over 12 months in 2006-2007, swab samples were obtained from patients admitted directly from the community to the ICU and patients transferred from a referral hospital, as well as from HCWs, and the ICU environment. Patients were sampled every third day during hospitalization. Antibiotic susceptibility testing was performed according to EUCAST guidelines. Pulsed-field gel electrophoresis and multilocus sequence typing were used to determine the genetic relatedness of a subset of MRSE isolates. We identified 620 MRSE isolates from 570 cultures obtained from 37 HCWs, 14 patients, and 14 environmental surfaces in the ICU. HA-MRSE genotypes were identified at admission in only one of the nine patients admitted directly from the community, of which the majority subsequently were colonized by HA-MRSE genotypes within 3 days during hospitalization. Almost all (89%) of HCWs were nasal carriers of HA-MRSE genotypes. Similarly, a significant proportion of patients transferred from the referral hospital and fomites in the ICU were widely colonized with HA-MRSE genotypes. Patients transferred from a referral hospital, HCWs, and the hospital environment serve as important reservoirs for HA-MRSE. These observations highlight the need for implementation of effective infection prevention and control measures aiming at reducing HA-MRSE transmission in the healthcare setting.

Ergonomic and socioeconomic risk factors for hospital workers' compensation injury claims.

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Boyer, Jon; Galizzi, Monica; Cifuentes, Manuel; d'Errico, Angelo; Gore, Rebecca; Punnett, Laura; Slatin, Craig

2009-07-01

Hospital workers are a diverse population with high rates of musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs). The risk of MSD leading to workers' compensation (WC) claims is likely to show a gradient by socioeconomic status (SES) that may be partly explained by working conditions. A single community hospital provided workforce demographics and WC claim records for 2003-2005. An ergonomic job exposure matrix (JEM) was developed for these healthcare jobs from direct observation of physical workload and extraction of physical and psychosocial job requirements from the O*NET online database. Occupational exposures and SES categories were assigned to workers through their O*NET job titles. Univariate and multivariate Poisson regression analyses were performed to estimate the propensity to file an injury claim in relation to individual factors, occupational exposures, and SES. The jobs with the highest injury rates were nurses, semi-professionals, and semi-skilled. Increased physical work and psychological demands along with low job tenure were associated with an increase in risk, while risk decreased with psychosocial rewards and supervisor support. Both occupational and individual factors mediated the relationship between SES and rate of injury claims. Physical and organizational features of these hospital jobs along with low job tenure predicted WC injury claim risk and explained a substantial proportion of the effects of SES. Further studies that include lifestyle risk factors and control for prior injuries and co-morbidities are warranted to strengthen the current study findings.

Facts about Hospital Worker Safety

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... statistics show that hospitals are still relatively hazardous workplaces, and they have much room to improve. OSHA has developed this factbook to help hospital safety managers and other stakeholders understand the challenges of worker ...

[Types of conflicts and conflict management among Hungarian healthcare workers].

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Csupor, Éva; Kuna, Ágnes; Pintér, Judit Nóra; Kaló, Zsuzsa; Csabai, Márta

2017-04-01

Efficient communication, conflict management and cooperation are the key factors of a successful patient care. This study is part of an international comparative research. The aim of this study is to unfold conflicts among healthcare workers. 73 healthcare workers were interviewed using a standardized interview protocol. The in-person interviews used the critical incident method. 30 interviews (15 doctors, 15 nurses) were analysed with the Atlas.ti 7 content analysis software. The sources, types, effects of conflicts and conflict management strategies were investigated. The content analysis unfolded the specificities of conflicts in healthcare based on personal experiences. Organizational hierarchy was a substantial source of conflict, especially among physicians, which originates from implicit rules. As a result of the avoiding conflict management the conflicts remain partly unresolved which has negative individual and group effect. Our conceptual framework helps to develop a proper intervention specific to healthcare. Orv. Hetil., 2017, 158(16), 625-632.

The CRADLE vital signs alert: qualitative evaluation of a novel device designed for use in pregnancy by healthcare workers in low-resource settings.

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Nathan, Hannah L; Boene, Helena; Munguambe, Khatia; Sevene, Esperança; Akeju, David; Adetoro, Olalekan O; Charanthimath, Umesh; Bellad, Mrutyunjaya B; de Greeff, Annemarie; Anthony, John; Hall, David R; Steyn, Wilhelm; Vidler, Marianne; von Dadelszen, Peter; Chappell, Lucy C; Sandall, Jane; Shennan, Andrew H

2018-01-05

Vital signs measurement can identify pregnant and postpartum women who require urgent treatment or referral. In low-resource settings, healthcare workers have limited access to accurate vital signs measuring devices suitable for their environment and training. The CRADLE Vital Signs Alert (VSA) is a novel device measuring blood pressure and pulse that is accurate in pregnancy and designed for low-resource settings. Its traffic light early warning system alerts healthcare workers to the need for escalation of care for women with hypertension, haemorrhage or sepsis. This study evaluated the usability and acceptability of the CRADLE VSA device. Evaluation was conducted in community and primary care settings in India, Mozambique and Nigeria and tertiary hospitals in South Africa. Purposeful sampling was used to convene 155 interviews and six focus groups with healthcare workers using the device (n = 205) and pregnant women and their family members (n = 41). Interviews and focus groups were conducted in the local language and audio-recorded, transcribed and translated into English for analysis. Thematic analysis was undertaken using an a priori thematic framework, as well as an inductive approach. Most healthcare workers perceived the CRADLE device to be easy to use and accurate. The traffic lights early warning system was unanimously reported positively, giving healthcare workers confidence with decision-making and a sense of professionalism. However, a minority in South Africa described manual inflation as tiring, particularly when measuring vital signs in obese and hypertensive women (n = 4) and a few South African healthcare workers distrusted the device's accuracy (n = 7). Unanimously, pregnant women liked the CRADLE device. The traffic light early warning system gave women and their families a better understanding of the importance of vital signs in pregnancy and during the postpartum period. The CRADLE device was well accepted by healthcare workers

Lean healthcare in developing countries: evidence from Brazilian hospitals.

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Costa, Luana Bonome Message; Filho, Moacir Godinho; Rentes, Antonio Freitas; Bertani, Thiago Moreno; Mardegan, Ronaldo

2017-01-01

The present study evaluates how five sectors of two Brazilian hospitals have implemented lean healthcare concepts in their operations. The main characteristics of the implementation process are analyzed in the present study: the motivational factor for implementation, implementation time, form (consultancy or internal), team (hospital and consultants), lean implementation continuity/sustainability, lean healthcare tools and methods implemented, problems/improvement opportunities, lean healthcare barriers faced during the implementation process, and critical factors that affected the implementation and the results obtained in each case. The case studies indicate that reducing patient lead times and costs and making financial improvements were the primary factors that motivated lean healthcare implementation in the hospitals studied. Several tools and methods were used in the cases studied, especially value stream mapping and DMAIC. The barriers found in both hospitals are primarily associated with the human factor. Additionally, the results obtained after implementation were analyzed and improvements in financial aspects, productivity and capacity, and lead time reduction of the analyzed sectors were observed. Further, this study also exhibited four propositions elaborated from the results obtained from the cases that highlighted barriers and challenges to lean healthcare implementation in developing countries. Two of these barriers are hospital organizational structure (and, consequently, how the senior management works with medical staff), and outsourcing hospital activities. This study also concluded that the initialization and maintenance of lean healthcare implementation rely heavily on external support because lean healthcare subject knowledge is not yet available in the healthcare organization, which represents a challenge. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

[Adverse events self-declaration system and influenza vaccination coverage of healthcare workers in a tertiary hospital].

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Velasco Munoz, Cesar; Sequera, Víctor-Guillermo; Vilajeliu, Alba; Aldea, Marta; Mena, Guillermo; Quesada, Sebastiana; Varela, Pilar; Olivé, Victoria; Bayas, José M; Trilla, Antoni

2016-02-19

During the influenza vaccination campaign 2011-2012 we established a self-declaration system of adverse events (AEs) in healthcare workers (HCW). The aim of this study is to describe the vaccinated population and analyse vaccination coverage and self-declared AEs after the voluntary flu vaccination in a university hospital in Barcelona. Observational study. We used the HCW immunization record to calculate the vaccination coverage. We collected AEs using a voluntary, anonymous, self-administered survey during the 2011-2012 flu vaccination campaign. We performed a logistic regression model to determine the associated factors to declare AEs. The influenza vaccination coverage in HCW was 30.5% (n=1,507/4,944). We received completed surveys from 358 vaccinated HCW (23.8% of all vaccinated). We registered AEs in 186 respondents to the survey (52.0% of all respondents). Of these, 75.3% (n=140) reported local symptoms after the flu vaccination, 9.7% (n=18) reported systemic symptoms and 15.1% (n=28) both local and systemic symptoms. No serious AEs were self-reported. Female sex and aged under 35 were both factors associated with declaring AEs. Our self-reporting system did not register serious AEs in HCW, resulting in an opportunity to improve HCW trust in flu vaccination. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.

Preventing occupational stress in healthcare workers

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Jani H. Ruotsalainen

Full Text Available ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND: Healthcare workers can suffer from occupational stress which may lead to serious mental and physical health problems. OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the effectiveness of work and person-directed interventions in preventing stress at work in healthcare workers. METHODS: Search methods: We searched the Cochrane Depression Anxiety and Neurosis Group trials Specialised Register, MEDLINE, PsychInfo and Cochrane Occupational Health Field database. Selection criteria: Randomised controlled clinical trials (RCT of interventions aimed at preventing psychological stress in healthcare workers. For work-directed interventions interrupted time series and prospective cohort were also eligible. Data collection and analysis: Two authors independently extracted data and assessed trial quality. Meta-analysis and qualitative synthesis were performed where appropriate. MAIN RESULTS: We identified 14 RCTs, three cluster-randomised trials and two crossover trials, including a total of 1,564 participants in intervention groups and 1,248 controls. Two trials were of high quality. Interventions were grouped into 1 person-directed: cognitive-behavioural, relaxation, music-making, therapeutic massage and multicomponent; and 2 work-directed: attitude change and communication, support from colleagues and participatory problem solving and decision-making, and changes in work organisation. There is limited evidence that person-directed interventions can reduce stress (standardised mean difference or SMD -0.85; 95% CI -1.21, -0.49; burnout: Emotional Exhaustion (weighted mean difference or WMD -5.82; 95% CI -11.02, -0.63 and lack of Personal Accomplishment (WMD -3.61; 95% CI -4.65, -2.58; and anxiety: state anxiety (WMD -9.42; 95% CI -16.92, -1.93 and trait anxiety (WMD -6.91; 95% CI -12.80, -1.01. One trial showed that stress remained low a month after intervention (WMD -6.10; 95% CI -8.44, -3.76. Another trial showed a reduction in Emotional Exhaustion (Mean

Healthcare waste management practices and risk perceptions: findings from hospitals in the Algarve region, Portugal.

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Ferreira, Vera; Teixeira, Margarida Ribau

2010-12-01

The management of healthcare wastes is receiving greater attention because of the risks to both human health and the environment caused by inadequate waste management practices. In that context, the objective of this study was to analyse the healthcare waste management practices in hospitals of the Algarve region, Portugal, and in particular to assess the risk perceptions of, and actual risk to, healthcare staff. The study included three of the six hospitals in the region, covering 41% of the bed capacity. Data were collected via surveys, interviews, and on-site observations. The results indicate that waste separation is the main deficiency in healthcare waste practice, with correct separation being positively related to the degree of daily contact with the waste. Risk perceptions of healthcare staff show the highest levels for the environment (4.24) and waste workers (4.08), and the lowest for patients (3.29) and visitors (2.80), again being positively associated with the degree of daily contact. Risk perceptions of healthcare staff are related to the difficulties of the correct separation of wastes and the lack of knowledge concerning the importance of that separation. The risk of infection with needlesticks/sharps is higher during patient care than during waste handling, and the frequency of these injuries is related to the daily tasks of each healthcare group (doctors, nurses, and housekeepers). Furthermore, legislative definitions and classifications of healthcare wastes appear to have conditioned the management practices associated with, and the perceptions of risk concerning, healthcare wastes. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Exploring the self-compassion of health-care social workers: How do they fare?

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Lianekhammy, Joann; Miller, J Jay; Lee, Jacquelyn; Pope, Natalie; Barnhart, Sheila; Grise-Owens, Erlene

2018-05-03

Indubitably, the challenges facing health-care social workers are becoming increasingly complex. Whilst these problematic professional circumstances compound the need for self-compassion among health-care social workers, few studies, if any, have explicitly examined self-compassion among this practitioner group. This cross-sectional study explored self-compassion among a sample of practitioners (N = 138) in one southeastern state. Results indicate that health-care social workers in this sample engage in self-compassion only moderately. Further, occupational and demographic/life characteristics (e.g., age, years practicing social work, average hours worked per week, health status, and relationship status, among others) are able to predict self-compassion scores. After a terse review of relevant literature, this paper will explicate findings from this study, discuss relevant points derived from said findings, and identify salient implication for health-care social work praxis.

[Accident with biological material at the prehospital mobile care: reality for health and non-healthcare workers].

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Tipple, Anaclara Ferreira Veiga; Silva, Elisangelo Aparecido Costa; Teles, Sheila Araújo; Mendonça, Katiane Martins; Souza, Adenícia Custódia Silva E; Melo, Dulcelene Sousa

2013-01-01

Analytical transversal study that was conducted with the objectives of identifying the prevalence and characterizing the accidents with biological material among professionals in pre-hospital service (PHS) and comparing the risk behaviors adopted by healthcare and non-healthcare groups that can affect the occurrence and seriousness of such accidents. Data were obtained by questionnaire applied to all PHS workers in Goiânia-GO. The study revealed a high prevalence of accidents involving biological material which, although higher for the healthcare group, also affected the non-healthcare group. There were significant (p accidents in both groups: not using gloves, masks or eye protectors; inappropriate disposal of sharps; inadequate dress; re-capping of needles; and a lack of immunization against hepatitis B. The results underscore the importance of both groups in adhering to preventive measures, and further point to the need to structure and implement vigilance and control system for this type of accident.

Safe injection practice among health-care workers in Gharbiya Governorate, Egypt.

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Ismail, N A; Aboul Ftouh, A M; El-Shoubary, W H; Mahaba, H

2007-01-01

We assessed safe injection practices among 1100 health-care workers in 25 health-care facilities in Gharbiya Governorate. Questionnaires were used to collect information and 278 injections were observed using a standardized checklist. There was a lack of infection control policies in all the facilities and a lack of many supplies needed for safe injection. Proper needle manipulation before disposal was observed in only 41% of injections, safe needle disposal in 47.5% and safe syringe disposal in 0%. Reuse of used syringes and needles was reported by 13.2% of the health-care workers and 66.2% had experienced a needle-stick injury. Only 11.3% had received a full course of hepatitis B vaccination.

Conceptualisation of job-related wellbeing, stress and burnout among healthcare workers in rural Ethiopia: a qualitative study.

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Selamu, Medhin; Thornicroft, Graham; Fekadu, Abebaw; Hanlon, Charlotte

2017-06-19

Wellbeing of healthcare workers is important for the effective functioning of health systems. The aim of this study was to explore the conceptualisations of wellbeing, stress and burnout among healthcare workers in primary healthcare settings in rural Ethiopia in order to inform the development of contextually appropriate interventions. A qualitative study was conducted in a rural zone of southern Ethiopia. A total of 52 frontline primary healthcare workers participated in in-depth interviews (n = 18) or Focus Group Discussions (FGDs) (4 groups, total n = 34). There were 35 facility based healthcare professionals and 17 community-based health workers. Data were analysed using thematic analysis. Most participants conceptualised wellbeing as absence of stress rather than as a positive state. Many threats to wellbeing were identified. For facility-based workers, the main stressors were inadequate supplies leading to fears of acquiring infection and concerns about performance evaluation. For community health workers, the main stressor was role ambiguity. Workload and economic self-sufficiency were a concern for both groups. Burnout and its symptoms were recognised and reported by most as a problem of other healthcare workers. Derogatory and stigmatising terms, such as "chronics", were used to refer to those who had served for many years and who appeared to have become drained of all compassion. Most participants viewed burnout as inevitable if they continued to work in their current workplace without career progression. Structural and environmental aspects of work emerged as potential targets to improve wellbeing, combined with tackling stigmatising attitudes towards mental health problems. An unmet need for intervention for healthcare workers who develop burnout or emotional difficulties was identified. Ethiopian primary healthcare workers commonly face job-related stress and experience features of burnout, which may contribute to the high turnover of staff and

Quality of life among healthcare workers: a multicentre cross-sectional study in Italy.

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Kheiraoui, F; Gualano, M R; Mannocci, A; Boccia, A; La Torre, G

2012-07-01

To evaluate the quality of life among doctors, nurses, and occupational safety and health technologists (OSHT). Cross-sectional study was undertaken in a population of healthcare workers in 10 Italian regions. The Italian version of short form-36 (SF-36) was anonymously and voluntarily self-administered by participants to assess the perceived health-related quality of life (HRQOL). The HRQOL scores for the sample and the Italian population were compared. A multiple linear regression was performed to assess the influence of age, gender, role, socializing time, working time, years spent in healthcare and years spent in the specific department on the SF-36 score. The sample included 324 healthcare workers [57.1% women, mean age 39.0 (standard deviation 10.2) years]: 52.6% were medical doctors, 36.8% were nurses and 10.5% were OSHTs. Workers with a career of >15 years achieved a general health score lower than that of workers with a shorter career, while those who spent more time in socializing activities achieved a higher mental health score. The multivariate analysis showed that increasing age is positively related to role emotional levels (β = 0.243; P = 0.002), while it appears to be inversely related to general health (β = -0.218; P = 0.007) and physical function (β = -0.246; P = 0.001). Nurses had lower scores for bodily pain (β = -0.214; P social function (β = -0.242; P = 0.001) and role emotional (β = -0.211; P = 0.006) compared with doctors. Compared with the general Italian population, healthcare workers had higher scores for general health, physical function, role physical, bodily pain and mental health, and lower scores for vitality, social function and role emotional. Healthcare workers have different levels of HRQOL related to their professional role. In particular, nurses have lower quality of life. These results may help to identify the main roles and attitudes that could cause frustration, dissatisfaction and emotional stress in healthcare

Effect of workplace- versus home-based physical exercise on muscle response to sudden trunk perturbation among healthcare workers

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Jakobsen, Markus D.; Sundstrup, Emil; Brandt, Mikkel

2015-01-01

.2] on a scale of 0-10) from 18 departments at three hospitals were randomized at the cluster level to 10 weeks of (1) workplace physical exercise (WORK) performed in groups during working hours for 5 × 10 minutes per week and up to 5 group-based coaching sessions on motivation for regular physical exercise...... perturbation. Furthermore, EMG preactivation of the erector spinae and fear avoidance were reduced more following WORK than HOME (95% CI -2.7--0.7 (P WORK and HOME performed 2.2 (SD: 1.1) and 1.0 (SD: 1.2) training sessions per week, respectively......Objectives. The present study investigates the effect of workplace- versus home-based physical exercise on muscle reflex response to sudden trunk perturbation among healthcare workers. Methods. Two hundred female healthcare workers (age: 42 [SD 11], BMI: 24 [SD 4], and pain intensity: 3.1 [SD 2...

Healthcare workers' behaviors and personal determinants associated with providing adequate sexual and reproductive healthcare services in sub-Saharan Africa: a systematic review.

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Jonas, Kim; Crutzen, Rik; van den Borne, Bart; Reddy, Priscilla

2017-03-13

Healthcare workers may affect the utilization of sexual and reproductive healthcare (SRH) services, and quality of care thereof, for example by their behaviours or attitudes they hold. This can become a hindrance to accessing and utilizing SRH services, particularly by young people, and thus a better understanding of these behaviours and associated factors is needed to improve access to and utilization of SRH services. A systematic review of literature was conducted to identify studies focusing on healthcare workers' behaviors and personal determinants associated with providing adequate SRH services in sub-Saharan Africa (January 1990 - October 2015). Five databases were searched until 30th October 2015, using a search strategy that was adapted based on the technical requirements of each specific database. Articles were independently screened for eligibility by two researchers. Of the 125-screened full-text articles, 35 studies met all the inclusion criteria. Negative behaviours and attitudes of healthcare workers, as well as other personal determinants, such as poor knowledge and skills of SRH services, and related factors, like availability of essential drugs and equipment are associated with provision of inadequate SRH services. Some healthcare workers still have negative attitudes towards young people using contraceptives and are more likely to limit access to and utilization of SRH by adolescents especially. Knowledge of and implementation of specific SRH components are below optimum levels according to the WHO recommended guidelines. Healthcare workers' negative behaviours and attitudes are unlikely to encourage women in general to access and utilize SRH services, but more specifically young women. Knowledge of SRH services, including basic emergency obstetric care (EmOC) is insufficient among healthcare workers in SSA. A protocol for this systematic review was registered with PROSPERO and the registration number is: CRD42015017509 .

House of healing, house of disrespect: a Kantian perspective on disrespectful behaviour among hospital workers.

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Bernstein, Mark; Fundner, Rita

2002-01-01

Respect toward patients is one of the most fundamental and central tenets guiding both modern bioethical practice and the everyday behaviour of all healthcare professionals. However, similar courtesy and respect is often breached in day-to-day interactions between hospital workers. Many examples are relatively minor, while egregious examples such as gender discrimination and physical abuse do occur. The more egregious transgressions may be handled by formal processes, even legal proceedings. However, the innumerable smaller examples of disrespectful behaviour are ubiquitous and insidious in their erosion of a productive collaborative approach to patient care and other aspects of functioning within the institution. The authors briefly summarize some of the pertinent literature on this subject and analyze the problem of disrespect in the hospital with special focus on the issue as seen from the perspective of the moral philosophy of Immanuel Kant. Some simple recommendations for improving disrespectful behaviour amongst hospital workers are offered.

Exposure of hospitality workers to environmental tobacco smoke

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Bates, M; Fawcett, J; Dickson, S; Berezowski, R; Garrett, N

2002-01-01

Objective: To determine quantitatively the extent of exposure of hospitality workers to environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) exposure during the course of a work shift, and to relate these results to the customer smoking policy of the workplace. Subjects: Three categories of non-smoking workers were recruited: (1) staff from hospitality premises (bars and restaurants) that permitted smoking by customers; (2) staff from smokefree hospitality premises; and (3) government employees in smokefree workplaces. All participants met with a member of the study team before they began work, and again at the end of their shift or work day. At each meeting, participants answered questions from a standardised questionnaire and supplied a saliva sample. Main outcome measures: Saliva samples were analysed for cotinine. The difference between the first and second saliva sample cotinine concentrations indicated the degree of exposure to ETS over the course of the work shift. Results: Hospitality workers in premises allowing smoking by customers had significantly greater increases in cotinine than workers in smokefree premises. Workers in hospitality premises with no restrictions on customer smoking were more highly exposed to ETS than workers in premises permitting smoking only in designated areas. Conclusions: Overall, there was a clear association between within-shift cotinine concentration change and smoking policy. Workers in premises permitting customer smoking reported a higher prevalence of respiratory and irritation symptoms than workers in smokefree workplaces. Concentrations of salivary cotinine found in exposed workers in this study have been associated with substantial involuntary risks for cancer and heart disease. PMID:12035005

Motivation Types and Mental Health of UK Hospitality Workers.

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Kotera, Yasuhiro; Adhikari, Prateek; Van Gordon, William

2018-01-01

The primary purposes of this study were to (i) assess levels of different types of work motivation in a sample of UK hospitality workers and make a cross-cultural comparison with Chinese counterparts and (ii) identify how work motivation and shame-based attitudes towards mental health explain the variance in mental health problems in UK hospitality workers. One hundred three UK hospitality workers completed self-report measures, and correlation and multiple regression analyses were conducted to identify significant relationships. Findings demonstrate that internal and external motivation levels were higher in UK versus Chinese hospitality workers. Furthermore, external motivation was more significantly associated with shame and mental health problems compared to internal motivation. Motivation accounted for 34-50% of mental health problems. This is the first study to explore the relationship between motivation, shame, and mental health in UK hospitality workers. Findings suggest that augmenting internal motivation may be a novel means of addressing mental health problems in this worker population.

Computer-assisted resilience training to prepare healthcare workers for pandemic influenza: a randomized trial of the optimal dose of training

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Vincent Leslie

2010-03-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Working in a hospital during an extraordinary infectious disease outbreak can cause significant stress and contribute to healthcare workers choosing to reduce patient contact. Psychological training of healthcare workers prior to an influenza pandemic may reduce stress-related absenteeism, however, established training methods that change behavior and attitudes are too resource-intensive for widespread use. This study tests the feasibility and effectiveness of a less expensive alternative - an interactive, computer-assisted training course designed to build resilience to the stresses of working during a pandemic. Methods A "dose-finding" study compared pre-post changes in three different durations of training. We measured variables that are likely to mediate stress-responses in a pandemic before and after training: confidence in support and training, pandemic-related self-efficacy, coping style and interpersonal problems. Results 158 hospital workers took the course and were randomly assigned to the short (7 sessions, median cumulative duration 111 minutes, medium (12 sessions, 158 minutes or long (17 sessions, 223 minutes version. Using an intention-to-treat analysis, the course was associated with significant improvements in confidence in support and training, pandemic self-efficacy and interpersonal problems. Participants who under-utilized coping via problem-solving or seeking support or over-utilized escape-avoidance experienced improved coping. Comparison of doses showed improved interpersonal problems in the medium and long course but not in the short course. There was a trend towards higher drop-out rates with longer duration of training. Conclusions Computer-assisted resilience training in healthcare workers appears to be of significant benefit and merits further study under pandemic conditions. Comparing three "doses" of the course suggested that the medium course was optimal.

Evaluation of Collection and Disposal of Hospital Waste in Hospitals and Healthcare Centers

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Saeid Nazemi

2012-08-01

Full Text Available Currently, one of the environmental issues is waste of hospitals and healthcare facilities which due to hazardous, toxic, and disease-causing agents such as pharmaceutical, chemical and infectious disease, is of particular sensitivity. According to a 2002 survey by WHO, it was determined that 22 million people worldwide suffer from infectious diseases annually, because of contacting hospital wastes. Also based on a research conducted in 22 countries, 18 to 64 percent of hospitals wastes are not disposed properly [1]. The purpose f the study is to appraise collection and disposal of hospital wastes in hospitals and healthcare centers of Shahroud.In this sectional study, 3 university hospitals (580 beds and 10 healthcare facilities were investigated for six months (mehr-azar 89 at Shahroud. In order to determine the amount of waste, produced waste of an entire day was weighted in hospitals and health centers. In this research, proposed questionnaires of WHO for developing countries was used to evaluate collection and disposal system of hospitals waste. Collected data was coded and analyzed by SPSS ver.15.

Healthcare worker and family caregiver hand hygiene in Bangladeshi healthcare facilities: results from the Bangladesh National Hygiene Baseline Survey.

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Horng, L M; Unicomb, L; Alam, M-U; Halder, A K; Shoab, A K; Ghosh, P K; Opel, A; Islam, M K; Luby, S P

2016-11-01

Healthcare facility hand hygiene impacts patient care, healthcare worker safety, and infection control, but low-income countries have few data to guide interventions. To conduct a nationally representative survey of hand hygiene infrastructure and behaviour in Bangladeshi healthcare facilities to establish baseline data to aid policy. The 2013 Bangladesh National Hygiene Baseline Survey examined water, sanitation, and hand hygiene across households, schools, restaurants and food vendors, traditional birth attendants, and healthcare facilities. We used probability proportional to size sampling to select 100 rural and urban population clusters, and then surveyed hand hygiene infrastructure in 875 inpatient healthcare facilities, observing behaviour in 100 facilities. More than 96% of facilities had 'improved' water sources, but environmental contamination occurred frequently around water sources. Soap was available at 78-92% of handwashing locations for doctors and nurses, but just 4-30% for patients and family. Only 2% of 4676 hand hygiene opportunities resulted in recommended actions: using alcohol sanitizer or washing both hands with soap, then drying by air or clean cloth. Healthcare workers performed recommended hand hygiene in 9% of 919 opportunities: more after patient contact (26%) than before (11%). Family caregivers frequently washed hands with only water (48% of 2751 opportunities), but with little soap (3%). Healthcare workers had more access to hand hygiene materials and performed better hand hygiene than family, but still had low adherence. Increasing hand hygiene materials and behaviour could improve infection control in Bangladeshi healthcare facilities. Copyright © 2016 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.

Capacity of middle management in health-care organizations for working with people—the case of Slovenian hospitals

Science.gov (United States)

2013-01-01

Background Effective human resources management plays a vital role in the success of health-care sector reform. Leaders are selected for their clinical expertise and not their management skills, which is often the case at the middle-management level. The purpose of this study was to examine the situation in some fields that involve working with people in health-care organizations at middle-management level. Methods The study included eight state-owned hospitals in Slovenia. A cross-sectional study included 119 middle managers and 778 employees. Quota sampling was used for the subgroups. Structured survey questionnaires were administered to leaders and employees, each consisting of 24 statements in four content sets evaluated on a 5-point Likert-type scale. Respondents were also asked about the type and number of training or education programmes they had participated in over the last three years. Descriptive statistics, two-way analysis of variance, Pearson’s correlation coefficient and multiple linear regression were used. The study was conducted from March to December 2008. Results Statistically significant differences were established between leaders and employees in all content sets; no significant differences were found when comparing health-care providers and health-administration workers. Employment position was found to be a significant predictor for employee development (β = 0.273, P employee relationship (β = 0.291, P motivation (β = 0.258, P motivation: respondents with a higher level of education were rated with a lower score (β = -0.117, P = 0.024). Health-care providers participate in management programmes less frequently than do health-administration workers. Conclusion Employee participation in change-implementation processes was low, as was awareness of the importance of employee development. Education of employees in Slovenian hospitals for leadership roles is still not perceived as a necessary investment for improving work processes

Accidental exposure to biological material in healthcare workers at a university hospital: Evaluation and follow-up of 404 cases.

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Gutierrez, Eliana Battaggia; Lopes, Marta Heloísa; Yasuda, Maria Aparecida Shikanai

2005-01-01

The care and follow-up provided to healthcare workers (HCWs) from a large teaching hospital who were exposed to biological material between 1 August 1998 and 31 January 2002 is described here. After exposure, the HCW is evaluated by a nurse and doctor in an emergency consultation and receives follow-up counselling. The collection of 10 ml of blood sample from each HCW and its source patient, when known, is made for immunoenzymatic testing for HIV, HBV and HCV. Evaluation and follow-up of 404 cases revealed that the exposures were concentrated in only a few areas of the hospital; 83% of the HCWs exposed were seen by a doctor responsible for the prophylaxis up to 3 h after exposure. Blood was involved in 76.7% (309) of the exposures. The patient source of the biological material was known in 80.7% (326) of the exposed individuals studied; 80 (24.5%) sources had serological evidence of infection with 1 or more agents: 16.2% were anti-HCV positive, 3.8% were HAgBs positive and 10.9% were anti-HIV positive. 67% (273) of the study population completed the proposed follow-up. No confirmed seroconversion occurred. In conclusion, the observed adherence to the follow-up was quite low, and measures to improve it must be taken. Surprisingly, no difference in adherence to the follow-up was observed among those exposed HCW at risk, i.e. those with an infected or unknown source patient. Analysis of post-exposure management revealed excess prescription of antiretroviral drugs, vaccine and immunoglobulin. Infection by HCV is the most important risk of concern, in our hospital, in accidents with biological material.

Enterobacteriaceae ISOLATES FROM THE ORAL CAVITY OF WORKERS IN A BRAZILIAN ONCOLOGY HOSPITAL

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Lara Stefânia Netto de Oliveira LEÃO-VASCONCELOS

2015-04-01

Full Text Available The evaluation of workers as potential reservoirs and disseminators of pathogenic bacteria has been described as a strategy for the prevention and control of healthcare-associated infections (HAIs. The aim of this study was to evaluate the presence of Enterobacteriaceae in the oral cavity of workers at an oncology hospital in the Midwest region of Brazil, as well as to characterize the phenotypic profile of the isolates. Saliva samples of 294 workers from the hospital’s healthcare and support teams were collected. Microbiological procedures were performed according to standard techniques. Among the participants, 55 (18.7% were colonized by Enterobacteriaceae in the oral cavity. A total of 64 bacteria were isolated, including potentially pathogenic species. The most prevalent species was Enterobacter gergoviae (17.2%. The highest rates of resistance were observed for β-lactams, and 48.4% of the isolates were considered multiresistant. Regarding the enterobacteria isolated, the production of ESBL and KPC was negative. Nevertheless, among the 43 isolates of the CESP group, 51.2% were considered AmpC β-lactamase producers by induction, and 48.8% were hyper-producing mutants. The significant prevalence of carriers of Enterobacteriaceae and the phenotypic profile of the isolates represents a concern, especially due to the multiresistance and production of AmpC β-lactamases.

Transmission of Staphylococcus aureus between health-care workers, the environment, and patients in an intensive care unit: a longitudinal cohort study based on whole-genome sequencing.

Science.gov (United States)

Price, James R; Cole, Kevin; Bexley, Andrew; Kostiou, Vasiliki; Eyre, David W; Golubchik, Tanya; Wilson, Daniel J; Crook, Derrick W; Walker, A Sarah; Peto, Timothy E A; Llewelyn, Martin J; Paul, John

2017-02-01

Health-care workers have been implicated in nosocomial outbreaks of Staphylococcus aureus, but the dearth of evidence from non-outbreak situations means that routine health-care worker screening and S aureus eradication are controversial. We aimed to determine how often S aureus is transmitted from health-care workers or the environment to patients in an intensive care unit (ICU) and a high-dependency unit (HDU) where standard infection control measures were in place. In this longitudinal cohort study, we systematically sampled health-care workers, the environment, and patients over 14 months at the ICU and HDU of the Royal Sussex County Hospital, Brighton, England. Nasal swabs were taken from health-care workers every 4 weeks, bed spaces were sampled monthly, and screening swabs were obtained from patients at admission to the ICU or HDU, weekly thereafter, and at discharge. Isolates were cultured and their whole genome sequenced, and we used the threshold of 40 single-nucleotide variants (SNVs) or fewer to define subtypes and infer recent transmission. Between Oct 31, 2011, and Dec 23, 2012, we sampled 198 health-care workers, 40 environmental locations, and 1854 patients; 1819 isolates were sequenced. Median nasal carriage rate of S aureus in health-care workers at 4-weekly timepoints was 36·9% (IQR 35·7-37·3), and 115 (58%) health-care workers had S aureus detected at least once during the study. S aureus was identified in 8-50% of environmental samples. 605 genetically distinct subtypes were identified (median SNV difference 273, IQR 162-399) at a rate of 38 (IQR 34-42) per 4-weekly cycle. Only 25 instances of transmission to patients (seven from health-care workers, two from the environment, and 16 from other patients) were detected. In the presence of standard infection control measures, health-care workers were infrequently sources of transmission to patients. S aureus epidemiology in the ICU and HDU is characterised by continuous ingress of distinct

Competence of Healthcare Workers in Sexual Health Education for Female Adolescents at Schools

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Mozhgan Javadnoori

2016-04-01

Full Text Available Background & aim: Sexual health education is one of the responsibilities of healthcare workers at schools, which can reduce the risk of sexually transmitted diseases such as AIDS, unwanted pregnancy, abortion, substance abuse, sexual violence, and suicidal tendencies. This study aimed to investigate healthcare workers’ competence in sexual health education for female adolescents at schools. Methods:This cross-sectional study was conducted on 300 healthcare workers, responsible for sexual health education at schools in 2015. A valid and reliable researcher-made questionnaire was completed by the healthcare workers in order to assess their competence in sexual health education at healthcare centers of Khuzestan, Iran. To assess the competence of the participants (i.e., knowledge, attitude, confidence, and performance, descriptive statistics were calculated for quantitative variables. Also, mean, standard deviation, frequency, and percentage were calculated for qualitative variables. Pearson’s correlation test was performed to assess the relationship between the subjects’ knowledge, attitude, confidence, and performance. Also, the association between demographic variables and participants’ knowledge, attitude, confidence, and performance was evaluated, using analysis of variance (ANOVA. Data were analyzed, using SPSS version 21.0. Results: Knowledge, attitude, and confidence of healthcare workers in sexual health education were desirable. However, the subjects showed a poor performance in teaching students the required skills to control their emotions, instincts, homosexual tendencies, and masturbation. There was a significant correlation between performance, attitude, and confidence, knowledge and attitude, performance and confidence, and confidence, performance, and attitude (P

Adherence to malaria diagnosis and treatment guidelines among healthcare workers in Ogun State, Nigeria

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Oluyomi F. Bamiselu

2016-08-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Malaria case management remains a vital component of malaria control strategies. Despite the introduction of national malaria treatment guidelines and scale-up of malaria control interventions in Nigeria, anecdotal evidence shows some deviations from the guidelines in malaria case management. This study assessed factors influencing adherence to malaria diagnosis and treatment guidelines among healthcare workers in public and private sectors in Ogun State, Nigeria. Methods A comparative cross-sectional study was carried out among 432 (216 public and 216 private healthcare workers selected from nine Local Government Areas using a multistage sampling technique. A pre-tested interviewer administered questionnaire was used to collect information on availability and use of malaria Rapid Diagnostic Test (mRDT and artemisinin combination therapy (ACT, for management of uncomplicated malaria. Adherence was defined as when choice of antimalarials for parasitological confirmed malaria cases was restricted to recommended antimalarial medicines. Association between adherence and independent variables were tested using Chi-square at 5 % level of significance. Results Malaria RDT was available in 81.9 % of the public health facilities and 19.4 % of the private health facilities (p = 0.001. Its use was higher among public healthcare workers (85.2 % compared to 32.9 % in private facilities (p = 0.000. Presumptive diagnosis of malaria was higher among private healthcare workers (94.9 % compared to 22.7 % public facilities (p = <0.0001. The main reason for non-usage of mRDT among private healthcare workers was its perceived unreliability of mRDT (40.9 %. Monotherapy including artesunate (58.3 % vs 12.5 %, amodiaquine (38.9 % vs 8.3 % and chloroquine (26.4 % vs 4.2 % were significantly more available in private than public health facilities, respectively. Adherence to guidelines was significantly higher among public

[Prevalence of antibodies to hepatitis A virus in healthcare workers and associated variables].

Science.gov (United States)

Carreras-Valls, Rosa; Valverde-Lozano, Judit; Benito-Carreras, Dolors; Inglés-Torruella, Joan; Vilardell-Ynaraja, Miquel; Garre-Olmo, Josep; Gil-Soto, Rosa; Escalé-Roca, Margarita

2013-01-01

Vaccination against hepatitis A is recommended in risk groups, including healthcare workers. The objective of this study was to determine the prevalence of antibodies to HAV (IgG) among workers in the healthcare setting in order to establish criteria for vaccination. A cross-sectional, analytic, observational study of 4,864 employees was undertaken in four healthcare companies in Catalonia (Spain). The variables gathered included personal data, professional category, location of employment, and serology. The overall prevalence of antibodies to HAV was 52.7%. The prevalence significantly increased with greater age. The mean age of seropositive workers was 41.5 years compared with 34.3 in workers with negative serology. The highest prevalence of antibodies was found in cleaning employees (74.2%) and catering staff (75.3%). Given the high prevalence of seronegative adults susceptible to infection and the characteristics of their professional activities, vaccination of all staff working in health institutions should be considered. Copyright © 2012 SESPAS. Published by Elsevier Espana. All rights reserved.

Older hospitalized patients' experiences of dialogue with healthcare providers in hospitals

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Nielsen, Gitte; Larsen, Karen Lyng; Uhrenfeldt, Lisbeth

2017-01-01

REVIEW QUESTION/OBJECTIVE:: The objective is to identify and synthesize findings from qualitative studies of older (over 65 years) hospitalized patients' experiences of the barriers and facilitators to their dialogues with healthcare providers (HCPs) concerning their health and well-being.Specifi......REVIEW QUESTION/OBJECTIVE:: The objective is to identify and synthesize findings from qualitative studies of older (over 65 years) hospitalized patients' experiences of the barriers and facilitators to their dialogues with healthcare providers (HCPs) concerning their health and well...

Knowledge, opinions and practices of healthcare workers related to ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Liska Janse van Rensburg

Methods: For this descriptive cross-sectional study, all the healthcare workers in the ma- ... Only 6% could comprehensively explain the term “exclusive breastfeeding” as per ..... tients will benefit from improved training sessions and effec-.

Public Health Risks from Mismanagement of Healthcare Wastes in Shinyanga Municipality Health Facilities, Tanzania

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Kizito Kuchibanda

2015-01-01

Full Text Available The increase of healthcare facilities in Shinyanga municipality has resulted in an increase of healthcare wastes, which poses serious threats to the environment, health workers, and the general public. This research was conducted to investigate management practices of healthcare wastes in Shinyanga municipality with a view of assessing health risks to health workers and the general public. The study, which was carried out in three hospitals, involved the use of questionnaires, in-depth interview, and observation checklist. The results revealed that healthcare wastes are not quantified or segregated in all the three hospitals. Healthcare wastes at the Shinyanga Regional Referral Hospital are disposed of by on-site incineration and burning and some wastes are disposed off-site. At Kolandoto DDH only on-site burning and land disposal are practiced, while at Kambarage UHC healthcare solid wastes are incinerated, disposed of on land disposal, and burned. Waste management workers do not have formal training in waste management techniques and the hospital administrations pay very little attention to appropriate management of healthcare wastes. In light of this, it is evident that management of healthcare solid wastes is not practiced in accordance with the national and WHO’s recommended standards.

The Hand Eczema Trial (HET): Design of a randomised clinical trial of the effect of classification and individual counselling versus no intervention among health-care workers with hand eczema

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Ibler, Kristina Sophie; Agner, Tove; Hansen, Jane L.

2010-01-01

strategies are needed to reduce occupational hand eczema. METHODS/DESIGN: We describe the design of a randomised clinical trial to investigate the effects of classification of hand eczema plus individual counselling versus no intervention. The trial includes health-care workers with hand eczema identified...... from a self-administered questionnaire delivered to 3181 health-care workers in three Danish hospitals. The questionnaire identifies the prevalence of hand eczema, knowledge of skin-protection, and exposures that can lead to hand eczema. At entry, all participants are assessed regarding: disease...

The Relationship between Organizational Justice and Quality Performance among Healthcare Workers: A Pilot Study

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Salwa Attia Mohamed

2014-01-01

Full Text Available Organization justice refers to the extent to which employees perceive workplace procedure, interactions, and outcomes to be fair in nature. So, this study aimed to investigate the relationship between organizational justice and quality performance among health care workers. The study was conducted at the Public Hospital in Fayoum, Egypt. The study included a convenience sample of 100 healthcare workers (60 nurses and 40 physicians that were recruited. Tools used for data collection included (1 questionnaire sheet which is used to measure health workers’ perception of organizational justices. It includes four types: distributive, procedural, interpersonal, and informational justice. (2 Quality performance questionnaire sheet: this tool was used to examine health workers’ perception regarding their quality performance. It contained three types: information, value, and skill. The results revealed that a positive correlation was found between organizational justice components and quality performance among the various categories of health workers’ perception (P≤0.05. It has been recommended to replicate the study on a larger probability sample from different hospital settings to achieve more generalizable results and reinforce justice during organization of ministry centers in Egypt.

Bridging the gap among healthcare workers and decision-makers ...

International Development Research Centre (IDRC) Digital Library (Canada)

Bridging the gap among healthcare workers and decision-makers through improved ... Through this project, researchers will build on insights gained from previous ... and identify the critical factors required for the scale-up and integration of the ...

Awareness and attitude to deceased kidney donation among health-care workers in Sokoto, Nigeria.

Science.gov (United States)

Agwu, Ngwobia Peter; Awosan, Kehinde Joseph; Ukwuani, Solomon Ifeanyi; Oyibo, Emmanuel Ugbede; Makusidi, Muhammad Aliyu; Ajala, Rotimi Abiodun

2018-01-01

Access to renal replacement therapy by the increasing population of patients with end-stage kidney disease across Sub-Saharan Africa, including Nigeria, has become a major public health challenge. Although deceased kidney donation constitutes a viable source, its uptake by patients is contingent on its acceptance by health-care workers. The aim of this study is to assess the awareness and attitude to deceased kidney donation among health-care workers in Sokoto, Nigeria. A cross-sectional study was conducted among 470 staff of Usmanu Danfodiyo University Teaching Hospital, Sokoto, Nigeria (attending a 1-week seminar), selected by universal sampling. Data were collected with a set of pretested, self-administered, and semi-structured questionnaire. The mean age of the respondents was 34.1 ± 7.8 years, and most of them (77.7%) were aged donation, only about half (51.9%) were willing to accept deceased kidney donation. Furthermore, 43.4% were willing to give consent to donate deceased relative's kidney, and 26.1% were willing to carry an organ donation card. Predictors of willingness to accept deceased kidney donation were male sex, being a medical doctor or laboratory scientist and being a Moslem (Odds ratio >2, P donation is crucial to promoting its acceptance among them.

Analysis of the healthcare waste management status in Tehran hospitals.

Science.gov (United States)

Malekahmadi, Fariba; Yunesian, Masud; Yaghmaeian, Kamyar; Nadafi, Kazem

2014-01-01

Considering the importance of healthcare waste management, following the ratification of the Waste Management law in 2005 and the subsequent approval of its executive bylaw in 2006 and finally the healthcare waste management criteria passing by the parliament in 2008, a review on the status of healthcare waste management is needed to implement the mentioned law properly. In this retrospective study during six months period all public hospitals in Iran's capital city, Tehran, were selected to conduct the survey. Data collected through an expert-standardized questionnaire was analyzed by using SPSS software. The results of the current status of healthcare waste management in Tehran hospitals showed 5.6% of hospitals were ranked excellent, 50.7% good, 26.4% medium, and the 13.9% of hospitals were ranked weak and 3.5% ranked very poor. The findings showed that appropriate technologies should be used to have better disposal stage. As the ratified criteria were not fully observed by all the selected hospitals, training courses and comprehensive program conducting by each hospital could be enjoyed as practical tools to implement the all stages of healthcare waste management properly.

Patients' and healthcare workers' perceptions of a patient safety advisory.

Science.gov (United States)

Schwappach, David L B; Frank, Olga; Koppenberg, Joachim; Müller, Beat; Wasserfallen, Jean-Blaise

2011-12-01

To assess patients' and healthcare workers' (hcw) attitudes and experiences with a patient safety advisory, to investigate predictors for patients' safety-related behaviors and determinants for staff support for the advisory. Cross-sectional surveys of patients (n= 1053) and hcw (n= 275). Three Swiss hospitals. Patients who received the safety advisory and hcw caring for these patients. Patient safety advisory disseminated to patients at the study hospitals. Attitudes towards and experiences with the advisory. Hcw support for the intervention and patients' intentions to apply the recommendations were modelled using regression analyses. Patients (95%) and hcw (78%) agreed that hospitals should educate patients how to prevent errors. Hcw and patients' evaluations of the safety advisory were positive and followed a similar pattern. Patients' intentions to engage in safety were significantly predicted by behavioral control, subjective norms, attitudes, safety behaviors during hospitalization and experiences with taking action. Hcw support for the campaign was predicted by rating of the advisory (Odds ratio (OR) 3.4, confidence interval (CI) 1.8-6.1, Ppatients (OR 1.9, CI 1.1-3.3, P= 0.034) and experience of unpleasant situations (OR 0.6, CI 0.4-1.0, P= 0.035). The safety advisory was well accepted by patients and hcw. To be successful, the advisory should be accompanied by measures that target norms and barriers in patients, and support staff in dealing with difficult situations.

Motivators and barriers to mammography screening uptake by female health-care workers in primary health-care centres: a cross-sectional study.

Science.gov (United States)

Nazzal, Zaher; Sholi, Hisham; Sholi, Suha B; Sholi, Mohammad B; Lahaseh, Rawya

2018-02-21

Mammography screening is an effective tool for early detection and management of breast cancer. Female health-care workers' awareness of breast cancer screening is important because their beliefs and behaviours could influence other women. The aim of this study was to assess mammography screening uptake by female health-care workers at primary health-care centres and to identify the primary motivators and barriers that affect uptake. This cross-sectional study included all governmental primary health-care centres in the West Bank. Governorates were grouped into three regions as follows: north West Bank (Nablus, Jenin, Tulkarm, Tubas, Qalqiliya, and Salfit), middle West Bank (Jerusalem, Jericho, and Ramallah), and south West Bank (Hebron, and Bethlehem). The study population included all female health-care workers older than 40 years. Those who performed mammography for a suspected mass or other breast abnormalities were excluded. A self-administered questionnaire was used to collect data on demographic characteristics, knowledge about mammography screening, the extent and regularity of mammography screening, and motivators and barriers influencing their mammography screening uptake. The rate of mammography screening uptake was calculated. χ 2 test and t tests were used to assess screening motivators and barriers. The study was approved by the Institutional Review Board of the An-Najah National University. Participation was voluntary, and written consent was obtained from each participant. 299 female health-care workers completed a self-administered questionnaire. The mean age of the participants was 46 years (SD 4·7). 284 (95%) women had adequate knowledge about breast cancer and mammography screening, and 149 (50%) women reported having had at least one mammogram. 62 (21%) women had had regular scheduled mammograms. The most frequent reported motivators were the perceived benefit that early detection of breast cancer is important for its management (269 [90

Depression amongst healthcare workers in Maiduguri, north-eastern ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

ABEOLUGBENGAS

1 Department of Mental Health, College of Medical Sciences, University of Maiduguri, Borno State, Nigeria. .... social workers. Similarly, non-clinical staffs were grouped into senior staff of central administration, finance/hospital records, engineering/works & maintenance .... and styles of coping among hospital nurses by.

Patients-to-healthcare workers HIV transmission risk from sharp ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Biruck Desalegn * biruck471@yahoo.ca, Hunachew Beyene & Ryo Yamada

2012-08-20

Aug 20, 2012 ... Keywords: risk of HIV transmission, healthcare workers, Hawassa City. Résumé ... Journal des Aspects Sociaux du VIH/SIDA. 1. Downloaded by ..... tively low risk of contracting HIV regardless of the safety of medical practice ...

Impact of brief communication training among hospital social workers.

Science.gov (United States)

Bunting, Morgan; Cagle, John G

2016-01-01

Hospital social workers are often the fulcrum of communication between physicians, patients, and families especially when patients are facing life-threatening illness. This study aims to understand the impact of a brief training for hospital social workers. The training is designed to improve communication skills and self-efficacy, as well as lessen fears of death and dying. Repeated-measures tests were used to assess outcomes across three time points. Twenty-nine university-based hospital social workers participated. Results trended in the desired directions. Communication self-efficacy improved immediately following the training, and this was sustained 1 month following training completion. Although participants were relatively experienced, improvement was still demonstrated and maintained suggesting brief communication training is promising for hospital social workers across the career.

Back Pain Prevalence- Do Healthcare Workers and Trainees Have ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Aim: To determine the level of knowledge of healthcare workers on the risk ... that the knowledge of the respondents on the possible causative effects of postures, ... educational status and gender do not influence the level of knowledge of the ...

Patient safety climate and worker safety behaviours in acute hospitals in Scotland.

Science.gov (United States)

Agnew, Cakil; Flin, Rhona; Mearns, Kathryn

2013-06-01

To obtain a measure of hospital safety climate from a sample of National Health Service (NHS) acute hospitals in Scotland and to test whether these scores were associated with worker safety behaviors, and patient and worker injuries. Data were from 1,866 NHS clinical staff in six Scottish acute hospitals. A Scottish Hospital Safety Questionnaire measured hospital safety climate (Hospital Survey on Patient Safety Culture), worker safety behaviors, and worker and patient injuries. The associations between the hospital safety climate scores and the outcome measures (safety behaviors, worker and patient injury rates) were examined. Hospital safety climate scores were significantly correlated with clinical workers' safety behavior and patient and worker injury measures, although the effect sizes were smaller for the latter. Regression analyses revealed that perceptions of staffing levels and managerial commitment were significant predictors for all the safety outcome measures. Both patient-specific and more generic safety climate items were found to have significant impacts on safety outcome measures. This study demonstrated the influences of different aspects of hospital safety climate on both patient and worker safety outcomes. Moreover, it has been shown that in a hospital setting, a safety climate supporting safer patient care would also help to ensure worker safety. The Scottish Hospital Safety Questionnaire has proved to be a usable method of measuring both hospital safety climate as well as patient and worker safety outcomes. Copyright © 2013 National Safety Council and Elsevier Ltd. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Mobile Device Security: Perspectives of Future Healthcare Workers.

Science.gov (United States)

Hewitt, Barbara; Dolezel, Diane; McLeod, Alexander

2017-01-01

Healthcare data breaches on mobile devices continue to increase, yet the healthcare industry has not adopted mobile device security standards. This increase is disturbing because individuals are often accessing patients' protected health information on personal mobile devices, which could lead to a data breach. This deficiency led the researchers to explore the perceptions of future healthcare workers regarding mobile device security. To determine healthcare students' perspectives on mobile device security, the investigators designed and distributed a survey based on the Technology Threat Avoidance Theory. Three hundred thirty-five students participated in the survey. The data were analyzed to determine participants' perceptions about security threats, effectiveness and costs of safeguards, self-efficacy, susceptibility, severity, and their motivation and actions to secure their mobile devices. Awareness of interventions to protect mobile devices was also examined. Results indicate that while future healthcare professionals perceive the severity of threats to their mobile data, they do not feel personally susceptible. Additionally, participants were knowledgeable about security safeguards, but their knowledge of costs and problems related to the adoption of these measures was mixed. These findings indicate that increasing security awareness of healthcare professionals should be a priority.

Promotion of flu vaccination among healthcare workers in an Italian academic hospital: An experience with tailored web tools.

Science.gov (United States)

Conte, Alessandro; Quattrin, Rosanna; Filiputti, Elisa; Cocconi, Roberto; Arnoldo, Luca; Tricarico, Pierfrancesco; Delendi, Mauro; Brusaferro, Silvio

2016-10-02

Influenza causes significant mortality particularly among the elderly and high-risk groups. Healthcare workers (HCWs) are at risk of occupational exposure due to contact with patients. Aims of this study was to promote flu shot among HCWs through a multimedia campaign in a large North-Eastern Italian Hospital. The 2013/2014 flu vaccination multimedia campaign addressed to HCWs was developed by maintaining pre-existing tools (letters in pay slip and poster displayed in wards) and creating 4 on-line spots (30") delivered trough the hospital intranet. Campaign effectiveness was assessed in terms of changes in knowledge, attitude and practice comparing data of pre (10 items) and post test (20 items) survey on a randomized sample of HCWs. Response rates were 92.6% (464/501) in pre-test and 83.2% (417/501) in post-test. 93.8% (391/417) of HCWs reported to awareness of the campaign to promote vaccination. Spots were seen by 59.6% (233/391) of HCWs. Some reasons for vaccine denial, "not believing in vaccine efficacy" (34.7% to 14.9%), "not considering flu as a serious problem" (from 24% to 12.6%), "thinking not to get sick" (28.7% to 18.2%) or "being against the vaccine" (32.7% to 21%), showed a statistically significant reduction after the exposure to the campaign. The "intention to get vaccinated in the next year" instead, raised effectively (13.1% to 36.6%). Vaccinated HCWs rate in 2013-2014 season was 7.6% (221/2910), and 5.6% (164/2910) in 2012-2013 (pweb tools deserve to be better studied as effective approach to convey health information among HCWs.

Knowledge, opinions and practices of healthcare workers related to infant feeding in the context of HIV

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Liska Janse van Rensburg

2016-12-01

Conclusion: Healthcare workers' knowledge did not conform favourably with the current WHO guidelines. These healthcare workers were actively involved in the care of patients in the maternity wards where HIV-infected mothers regularly seek counselling on infant feeding matters.

Risky sexual behaviour and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) among healthcare workers.

Science.gov (United States)

Khamisa, Natasha; Mokgobi, Maboe

2018-01-01

South Africa is known to have one of the highest prevalence rates of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) globally, with one in seven healthcare workers being HIV-positive. An HIV-positive healthcare workforce is less equipped to respond to the increasing spread of the epidemic. Assessment of the factors contributing to high HIV prevalence rates among healthcare workers is important in planning the development of human resources. This review sought to identify and understand predominant risky sexual behaviours among healthcare workers in HIV and AIDS-affected countries. This study reviewed articles focusing on sexual behaviour among healthcare workers. Major health science databases (e.g. ProQuest, Cochrane, PubMed and CINAHL) were searched for combinations of keywords including 'healthcare workers', 'risky sexual behaviour' and 'HIV and AIDS'. Articles from a range of countries met inclusion and exclusion criteria. Findings of the study revealed three main contributing factors: unprotected sex, multiple sex partners and sexual violence. Sexual violence emerged as the dominant risk factor in the majority of the studies. Most research was conducted in developed countries where the HIV infection rate is much lower than it is in developing countries. More research needs to be conducted in developing countries and appropriate strategies should be implemented to reduce sexual violence among healthcare workers. Appropriate procedures on reporting sexual violence coupled with education on HIV and AIDS as well as influencing attitudes and belief systems could assist in reducing the spread of HIV and AIDS within the healthcare workforce while minimising the effect on patient care.

Physical exercise at the workplace prevents deterioration of work ability among healthcare workers: cluster randomized controlled trial.

Science.gov (United States)

Jakobsen, Markus D; Sundstrup, Emil; Brandt, Mikkel; Jay, Kenneth; Aagaard, Per; Andersen, Lars L

2015-11-25

Imbalance between individual resources and work demands can lead to musculoskeletal disorders and reduced work ability. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of workplace- versus home-based physical exercise on work ability among healthcare workers. Two hundred female healthcare workers (Age: 42.0, BMI: 24.1, work ability index [WAI]: 43.1) from 18 departments at three Danish hospitals participated (Copenhagen, Denmark, Aug 2013-Jan 2014). Participants were randomly allocated at the cluster level to 10 weeks of: 1) workplace physical exercise (WORK) performed during working hours for 5x10 min per week and up to 5 group-based coaching sessions on motivation for regular physical exercise, or 2) home-based physical exercise (HOME) performed during leisure time for 5x10 min per week. Both groups received ergonomic counseling on patient handling and use of lifting aides. The main outcome measure was the change from baseline to 10-week follow-up in WAI. Significant group by time interaction was observed for WAI (p WORK compared with HOME corresponding to a small effect size (Cohens'd = 0.24). Within-group changes indicated that between-group differences were mainly caused by a reduction in WAI in HOME. Of the seven items of WAI, item 2 (work ability in relation to the demands of the job) and item 5 (sickness absence during the past year) were improved in WORK compared with HOME (P work ability among female healthcare workers. ClinicalTrials.gov NCT01921764 . Registered 10 August 2013.

Are healthcare workers ready for Ebola? An assessment of their knowledge and attitude in a referral hospital in South India.

Science.gov (United States)

Ahmad, Akram; Khan, Muhammad Umair; Jamshed, Shazia Qasim; Kumar, Bandari Deepak; Kumar, Gogikar Sudhir; Reddy, Puchchakayala Goverdhan; Ajmera, Sudhakar

2016-08-02

The World Health Organization (WHO) declared the Ebola virus disease (EVD) epidemic to be a public health emergency of international concern. Healthcare workers (HCWs) are at the highest risk of infection, as they may come into contact with patients' blood or fluids. This study was conducted to assess knowledge and attitudes of HCWs towards EVD in India. A descriptive, cross-sectional study was conducted in a multispecialty public sector referral hospital of Telangana, India. Knowledge and attitude of HCWs were evaluated using a pre-validated questionnaire. A sample of 278 participants was selected to participate in this study. The Chi-squared test was used to assess the relationship between attitudes and demographic characteristics. Logistic regression was used examine the association between knowledge and study variables. Of 257 participants who responded (92.4% response rate), 157 (61.1%) were females. The majority of the respondents were physicians (n = 117, 45.5%). Radio and television were the major sources of information about EVD reported by participants (89%). Overall knowledge of HCWs was poor (mean knowledge score: 6.57 ± 2.57). Knowledge of physicians and experienced workers (≥ 10 years) was significantly higher than their respective groups. The overall attitude of the participants was positive (mean attitude score: 1.62 ± 0.57). Significant positive correlations between knowledge and attitude were observed. The findings indicate that participants lack basic understanding of EVD. We recommend future studies be conducted across India to identify and subsequently bridge the knowledge gaps among HCWs.

Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease Fact Sheet for Healthcare Workers and Morticians

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... here Home » Disorders » Patient & Caregiver Education » Fact Sheets Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease Fact Sheet for Healthcare Workers and Morticians Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD) is a rare, fatal brain disorder that ...

Web-based training for primary healthcare workers in rural China: a qualitative exploration of stakeholders' perceptions.

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Zhixia Zhang

Full Text Available Equitable access to basic public health services is a priority in China. However, primary healthcare workers' competence to deliver public health services is relatively poor because they lack professional training. Since the availability of web-based training has increased in China, the current study explored stakeholders' perceptions of a web-based training program on basic public health services to understand their thoughts, experiences, and attitudes about it.Six focus group discussions with primary healthcare workers and three with directors of township hospitals, county-level Health Bureaus, and county-level Centers for Disease Control and Prevention were conducted in Yichang City during 2013. Semi-structured topic guides were used to facilitate qualitative data collection. Audio recordings of the sessions were transcribed verbatim and theme analysis was performed.Most of the study's participants, especially the village doctors, had insufficient knowledge of basic public health services. The existing training program for primary healthcare workers consisted of ineffective traditional face-to-face sessions and often posed accessibility problems for the trainees. Most of the study's participants had a positive attitude about web-based learning and expressed a strong desire to receive this novel training approach because of its flexibility and convenience. The perceived barriers to utilizing the web-based training method included poor computer literacy, lack of personal interaction, inadequate infrastructure, and lack of time and motivation. The facilitators of this approach included the training content applicability, the user-friendly and interactive learning format, and policy support.Web-based training on basic public health services is a promising option in rural China. The findings of the study will contribute knowledge to implementation of web-based training in similar settings.

The Impact of Healthcare Workers Job Environment on Their Mental-emotional Health. Coping Strategies: The Case of a Local General Hospital.

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Koinis, Aristotelis; Giannou, Vasiliki; Drantaki, Vasiliki; Angelaina, Sophia; Stratou, Elpida; Saridi, Maria

2015-04-13

Workplace stress can influence healthcare professionals' physical and emotional well-being by curbing their efficiency and having a negative impact on their overall quality of life. The aim of the present study was to investigate the impact that work environment in a local public general hospital can have on the health workers' mental-emotional health and find strategies in order to cope with negative consequences. The study took place from July 2010 to October 2010. Our sample consisted of 200 healthcare professionals aged 21-58 years working in a 240-bed general hospital and the response rate was 91.36%). Our research protocol was first approved by the hospital's review board. A standardized questionnaire that investigates strategies for coping with stressful conditions was used. A standardized questionnaire was used in the present study Coping Strategies for Stressful Events, evaluating the strategies that persons employ in order to overcome a stressful situation or event. The questionnaire was first tested for validity and reliability which were found satisfactory (Cronbach's α=0.862). Strict anonymity of the participants was guaranteed. The SPSS 16.0 software was used for the statistical analysis. Regression analysis showed that health professionals' emotional health can be influenced by strategies for dealing with stressful events, since positive re-assessment, quitting and seeking social support are predisposing factors regarding the three first quality of life factors of the World Health Organization Quality of Life - BREF. More specifically, for the physical health factor, positive re-assessment (t=3.370, P=0.001) and quitting (t=-2.564, P=0.011) are predisposing factors. For the 'mental health and spirituality' regression model, positive re-assessment (t=5.528, P=0.000) and seeking social support (t=-1.991, P=0.048) are also predisposing factors, while regarding social relationships positive re-assessment (t=4.289, P=0.000) is a predisposing factor

Healthcare-associated infection in Burkina Faso: an assessment in a district hospital

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Hervé Hien

2012-12-01

Full Text Available In developing countries, few data are available on healthcare-associated infections. In Burkina Faso, there has been a failure to take into account risk management and patient safety in the quality assurance program. The main objective of our study was to carry out an assessment of healthcare-associated infection in a first level hospital. We conducted a crosssectional study in June 2011 in the care units of Ziniaré District Hospital (Ziniaré, Burkina Faso. The hospital has been divided in three components: i hospital population (care providers, in-patients and patients’ guardians; ii healthcare and services organization; iii hospital environment. We included: care providers of the clinical services, hospital inpatients and patients’ guardians, hospitalization infrastructure and nursing units, and all the documents relating to standards and protocols. Data collection has been done by direct observation, interviews and biological samples taken at different settings. In hospital population, care providers and patients’ guardians represented a high source of infection: adherence to hygiene practice on the part of care providers was low (12/19, and no patients’ guardian experienced good conditions of staying in the hospital. In healthcare and services organization, healthcare waste management represented a high-risk source of infection. In hospital environment, hygiene level of the infrastructure in the hospital rooms was low (6.67%. Prevalence of isolated bacteria was 71.8%. Urinary-tract catheters infections were the most significant in our sample, followed by surgical-site infections. In total, 56.26% (9/19 of germs were -Lactamase producers (ESBL. They were represented by Escherichia coli and Klebsiella pneumoniae. Our analysis identified clearly healthcare-associated infection as a problem in Ziniaré district hospital. Hence, a national program of quality assurance in the hospitals should now integrate the risk infectious management

Burnout among healthcare workers at L'Aquila: its prevalence and associated factors.

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Mattei, Antonella; Fiasca, Fabiana; Mazzei, Mariachiara; Abbossida, Vincenzo; Bianchini, Valeria

2017-12-01

Burnout, which is now recognized as a real problem in terms of its negative outcome on healthcare efficiency, is a stress condition that can be increased by exposure to natural disasters, such as the 2009 L'Aquila earthquake. This study aims to evaluate burnout syndrome, its associated risk factors and stress levels, and the individual coping strategies among healthcare professionals at L'Aquila General Hospital. A cross-sectional study of 190 healthcare workers was conducted. There was a questionnaire for the collection of the socio-demographic, occupational and anamnestic data, and the Maslach Burnout Inventory, the General Health Questionnaire-12 items (GHQ-12) and the Brief COPE were used. The burnout dimensions showed high scores in Emotional Exhaustion (38.95%), in Depersonalization (23.68%) and in lack of Personal Accomplishment (23.16%), along with the presence of moderate to high levels of distress (54.21%). In addition to factors already known to be associated with burnout (job perception and high levels of distress) exposure to an earthquake emerged as a factor independently associated with the syndrome. Adaptive coping strategies such as religiosity showed a significant and negative relationship with burnout. Our research highlights the need for interventions directed at a reduction in workload and work-stressors and an improvement of adaptive coping strategies, especially in a post-disaster workplace.

Work engagement and occupational stress in nurses and other healthcare workers: the role of organisational and personal factors.

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Fiabane, Elena; Giorgi, Ines; Sguazzin, Cinzia; Argentero, Piergiorgio

2013-09-01

The aims of this study were to: (1) identify the role of organisational and personal factors in predicting work engagement in healthcare workers and (2) compare work engagement and occupational stress perceptions of healthcare professional categories. Healthcare professionals, with particular regard to nurses, are exposed to several job stressors that can adversely affect both their mental and physical health and also decrease work engagement. Work engagement can be considered as the positive opposite of burnout, and it is characterised by energy, involvement and professional efficacy. A cross-sectional survey research was conducted with self-report questionnaires. The Maslach Burnout Inventory-General Survey, the Areas of Worklife Scale and four scales from the Occupational Stress Indicator were administered to a sample of 198 hospital staff (registered nurses, nurse aides, physicians and physiotherapists), of which 110 participated in the study. The most significant predictors of energy were workload, mental health and job satisfaction; the best predictors of involvement were community, workload, mental health and job satisfaction; professional efficacy was best predicted by values and job satisfaction. In relation to the second aim, physiotherapists had the highest levels of occupational stress and disengagement from their work, while nurse aides were the most work-engaged and job-satisfied professional category, with positive perceptions of the work environment. Both organisational and personal factors were found to be significantly associated with work engagement. In this study, physiotherapists were the category with the highest risk of work-related psychological problems, whereas nurse aides had the lowest risk. Interventions aimed at improving clinical practice and psychological health of nurses and hospital staff should focus on workload, workers' personal expectations and job satisfaction. © 2013 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

A total quality management approach to healthcare waste management in Namazi Hospital, Iran.

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Askarian, Mehrdad; Heidarpoor, Peigham; Assadian, Ojan

2010-11-01

Healthcare waste comprises all wastes generated at healthcare facilities, medical research centers and laboratories. Although 75-90% of these wastes are classified as household waste posing no potential risk, 10-25% are deemed to be hazardous, representing a potential threat to healthcare workers, patients, the environment and even the general population, if not disposed of appropriately. If hazardous and non-hazardous waste is mixed and not segregated prior to disposal, costs will increase substantially. Medical waste management is a worldwide issue. In Iran, the majority of problems are associated with an exponential growth in the healthcare sector together with low- or non-compliance with guidelines and recommendations. The aim of this study was to reduce the amounts of infectious waste by clear definition and segregation of waste at the production site in Namazi Hospital in Shiraz, Iran. Namazi Hospital was selected as a study site with an aim to achieving a significant decrease in infectious waste and implementing a total quality management (TQM) method. Infectious and non-infectious waste was weighed at 29 admission wards over a 1-month period. Before the introduction of the new guidelines and the new waste management concept, weight of total waste was 6.67 kg per occupied bed per day (kg/occupied bed/day), of which 73% was infectious and 27% non-infectious waste. After intervention, total waste was reduced to 5.92 kg/occupied bed/day, of which infectious waste represented 61% and non-infectious waste 30%. The implementation of a new waste management concept achieved a 26% reduction in infectious waste. A structured waste management concept together with clear definitions and staff training will result in waste reduction, consequently leading to decreased expenditure in healthcare settings. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Preventing Absenteeism and Promoting Resilience Among Health Care Workers In Biological Emergencies

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Lesperance, Ann M.; Miller, James S.

2009-05-08

The ability to ensure adequate numbers of medical staff represents a crucial part of the medical response to any disaster. However, healthcare worker absenteeism during disasters, especially in the event of an attack of biological terrorism or an epidemic such as pandemic influenza, is a serious concern. Though a significant rate of absenteeism is often included as a baseline assumption in emergency planning, published reports on strategies to minimize absenteeism are comparatively few. This report documents interviews with managers and emergency response planners at hospitals and public health agencies and reviews existing survey data on healthcare worker absenteeism and studies of disasters to glean lessons about the needs of healthcare workers during those disasters. Based on this research, expected rates of absenteeism and individual determinants of absenteeism are presented along with recommendations of steps that hospitals, emergency medical services departments, public health organizations, and government agencies can take to meet the needs of healthcare workers and minimize absenteeism during a biological event.

An investigation of factors influencing healthcare workers' use and acceptance of e-learning in post-school healthcare education.

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Mikalsen, Marius; Walderhaug, Ståle

2009-01-01

The objective of the study presented here was to perform an empirical investigation on factors affecting healthcare workers acceptance and utilisation of e-learning in post-school healthcare education. E-learning benefits are realised when key features of e-learning are not only applied, but deemed useful, compatible with the learning process and supportive in order to reach the overall goals of the learning process. We conducted a survey of 14 state-enrolled nurses and skilled-workers within the field of healthcare in Norway. The results show that perceived compatibility and subjective norm explain system usage of the e-learning tool amongst the students. We found that the fact that the students considered the e-learning to be compatible with the course in question had a positive effect on e-learning tool usage. We also found support for factors such as facilitating conditions and ease of use leads to the e-learning tool being considered useful.

Bacterial contamination and stethoscope disinfection practices: a cross-sectional survey of healthcare workers in Karachi, Pakistan.

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Rao, Danish Ahmed; Aman, Aiysha; Muhammad Mubeen, Syed; Shah, Ahmed

2017-07-01

Stethoscopes routinely used for clinical examination of patients may potentially transfer micro-organisms and cause iatrogenic infections. This study was undertaken to detect the presence of microorganisms on stethoscopes used clinically in hospitals of Karachi, Pakistan and to ascertain the infection control practices of healthcare workers (HCWs). In a cross-sectional study, 118 samples were collected from public and private institutions. Samples were tested for the presence and sensitivity of pathogenic microorganisms. Microorganisms were found on diaphragms of 33/64 (51.6%) and 19/57 (33.3%) stethoscopes in public and private sector hospitals, respectively. Methycillin resistance was identified in all staphylococcally contaminated samples. Only 33 (18%) respondents reported cleaning their stethoscopes regularly. We highlight the need for more and better on-the-job routines for decontaminating stethoscopes among HCWs in Karachi.

Multidisciplinary in-hospital teams improve patient outcomes: A review.

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Epstein, Nancy E

2014-01-01

The use of multidisciplinary in-hospital teams limits adverse events (AE), improves outcomes, and adds to patient and employee satisfaction. Acting like "well-oiled machines," multidisciplinary in-hospital teams include "staff" from different levels of the treatment pyramid (e.g. staff including nurses' aids, surgical technicians, nurses, anesthesiologists, attending physicians, and others). Their enhanced teamwork counters the "silo effect" by enhancing communication between the different levels of healthcare workers and thus reduces AE (e.g. morbidity/mortality) while improving patient and healthcare worker satisfaction. Multiple articles across diverse disciplines incorporate a variety of concepts of "teamwork" for staff covering emergency rooms (ERs), hospital wards, intensive care units (ICUs), and most critically, operating rooms (ORs). Cohesive teamwork improved communication between different levels of healthcare workers, and limited adverse events, improved outcomes, decreased the length of stay (LOS), and yielded greater patient "staff" satisfaction. Within hospitals, delivering the best medical/surgical care is a "team sport." The goals include: Maximizing patient safety (e.g. limiting AE) and satisfaction, decreasing the LOS, and increasing the quality of outcomes. Added benefits include optimizing healthcare workers' performance, reducing hospital costs/complications, and increasing job satisfaction. This review should remind hospital administrators of the critical need to keep multidisciplinary teams together, so that they can continue to operate their "well-oiled machines" enhancing the quality/safety of patient care, while enabling "staff" to optimize their performance and enhance their job satisfaction.

Displacement Ventilation in Hospital Environments

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Li, Yuguo; Nielsen, Peter V.; Sandberg, Mats

2011-01-01

Hospital differ from conventional buildings in terms of ventilation needs. Exhaled infectious droplets or droplet nuclei of an infected patient need to be removed in general wards, waiting areas and isolation rooms to minimize transmission to health-care workers, other patients and visitors. In m....... In most health-care environments, harmful microorganisms and infectious aerosols may exist in relatively high concentration. They are particularly harmful to patients due to reduced immunity, and to those with open wounds.......Hospital differ from conventional buildings in terms of ventilation needs. Exhaled infectious droplets or droplet nuclei of an infected patient need to be removed in general wards, waiting areas and isolation rooms to minimize transmission to health-care workers, other patients and visitors...

Are female healthcare workers at higher risk of occupational injury?

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Alamgir, Hasanat; Yu, Shicheng; Drebit, Sharla; Fast, Catherine; Kidd, Catherine

2009-05-01

Differential risks of occupational injuries by gender have been examined across various industries. With the number of employees in healthcare rising and an overwhelming proportion of this workforce being female, it is important to address this issue in this growing sector. To determine whether compensated work-related injuries among females are higher than their male colleagues in the British Columbia healthcare sector. Incidents of occupational injury resulting in compensated days lost from work over a 1-year period for all healthcare workers were extracted from a standardized operational database and the numbers of productive hours were obtained from payroll data. Injuries were grouped into all injuries and musculoskeletal injuries (MSIs). Detailed analysis was conducted using Poisson regression modelling. A total of 42 332 employees were included in the study of whom 11% were male and 89% female. When adjusted for age, occupation, sub-sector, employment category, health region and facility, female workers had significantly higher risk of all injuries [rate ratio (95% CI) = 1.58 (1.24-2.01)] and MSIs [1.43 (1.11-1.85)] compared to their male colleagues. Occupational health and safety initiatives should be gender sensitive and developed accordingly.

Risky sexual behaviour and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV and acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS among healthcare workers

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Natasha Khamisa

2018-01-01

Full Text Available Background: South Africa is known to have one of the highest prevalence rates of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV and acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS globally, with one in seven healthcare workers being HIV-positive. An HIV-positive healthcare workforce is less equipped to respond to the increasing spread of the epidemic. Objectives: Assessment of the factors contributing to high HIV prevalence rates among healthcare workers is important in planning the development of human resources. This review sought to identify and understand predominant risky sexual behaviours among healthcare workers in HIV and AIDS-affected countries. Methods: This study reviewed articles focusing on sexual behaviour among healthcare workers. Major health science databases (e.g. ProQuest, Cochrane, PubMed and CINAHL were searched for combinations of keywords including ‘healthcare workers’, ‘risky sexual behaviour’ and ‘HIV and AIDS’. Articles from a range of countries met inclusion and exclusion criteria. Results: Findings of the study revealed three main contributing factors: unprotected sex, multiple sex partners and sexual violence. Sexual violence emerged as the dominant risk factor in the majority of the studies. Most research was conducted in developed countries where the HIV infection rate is much lower than it is in developing countries. Conclusion: More research needs to be conducted in developing countries and appropriate strategies should be implemented to reduce sexual violence among healthcare workers. Appropriate procedures on reporting sexual violence coupled with education on HIV and AIDS as well as influencing attitudes and belief systems could assist in reducing the spread of HIV and AIDS within the healthcare workforce while minimising the effect on patient care.

Obesity and health problems among South African healthcare workers

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Background: Obesity has reached epidemic proportions globally. In South Africa, 56% of white men, 49% of black men and 75% of black women have been reported to be overweight or obese. The focus of this study is on South African healthcare workers (HCW), because they are considered role models for health for ...

Perception and attitude of healthcare workers towards the use of a ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Perception and attitude of healthcare workers towards the use of a female condom in Gaborone, Botswana. ... Journal Home > Vol 21, No 1 (2016) > ... contracting the Human Immunodeficiency Virus/Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome ...

Work-related quality of life of Ugandan healthcare workers.

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Opollo, J G; Gray, J; Spies, L A

2014-03-01

To describe perceived work-related quality of life of Ugandan healthcare workers. A secondary aim was to seek participant input on ways to improve work environments. Poor patient outcomes, decreased employee motivation and decisions to leave the organization have been linked to poor work conditions. Interventions to correct healthcare worker shortage in developing countries require information about work quality of life. Descriptive cross-sectional study conducted in health and educational settings in Uganda in July 2011. Participants completed the Biographical Information Scale demographic questionnaire and the validated 24-item Work-Related Quality of Life scale. Sample included 146 healthcare workers employed in various settings. Participants reported poorer quality of work life on the work conditions, control at work and home-work interface subscales. Participants perceived stress at work to be low and experienced higher job career satisfaction. There was a significant relationship between work-related quality of life, gender and hours worked. Participants' suggestions to improve work life ranged from simple no-cost suggestions to more complex system level interventions. Work-related quality of life was low in this convenience sample. Perceived stress at work was lower than expected, but may have been due to nurses' expectations of a normal work assignment. Predominantly women, the participants had significant caregiving responsibilities. Nurses must acquire a seat at the table where crucial decisions about nursing and its future are made. By advancing leadership skills, nurses can effectively advocate for organizational changes that address broad factors related to increasing job satisfaction, and retaining and attracting nurses. Nurses can influence work quality of life individually and collectively by identifying workplace concerns, demanding safe work environments, fostering teamwork and enhancing professional growth. © 2014 International Council of Nurses.

Occupational Exposure to Infection: A study on Healthcare Waste Handlers of a Tertiary Care Hospital in South India.

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Shivalli, Siddharudha; Sowmyashree, H

2015-11-01

Occupational exposure to infection is an important public health concern. Such accidents are associated with a few, but pose significant risk to worker's health, family and the community. 1) To assess the knowledge and attitude of waste handlers regarding healthcare waste management in tertiary care hospital of Mangalore. 2) To assess the occupational risk of exposure to infection in their work setting. A cross-sectional study was conducted among healthcare waste handlers (involved in collection, storage and safe disposal) in a tertiary care hospital of Mangalore, India. A semi-structured and pre-tested proforma was used to assess respondents' knowledge and percentage score was calculated based on a scoring system. Chi square and independent sample t tests were applied to judge the association of study variables with knowledge and occupational risk of infection. A total of 43 healthcare waste handlers participated in the study and all were females. Almost half of them had poor knowledge (healthcare waste management. As much as 41.8% of them had exposure to healthcare waste and 'needle stick injury' was the most common type. Age, literacy and experience did not significantly (p>0.05) influence the knowledge and occupational risk of infection. Respondents' knowledge regarding healthcare waste management was unsatisfactory. They were at high risk of occupational exposure to infection. It emphasizes the need of refresher training and reinforcement of personal protection measures in their work setting. © Journal of the Association of Physicians of India 2011.

Workforce diversity among public healthcare workers in Nigeria: Implications on job satisfaction and organisational commitment

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Ayodotun Stephen Ibidunni

2018-06-01

Full Text Available The aim of this research was to present a data article that identify the relationship between workforce diversity, job satisfaction and employee commitment among public healthcare workers in Nigeria. Copies of structured questionnaire were administered to 133 public healthcare workers from the Lagos state ministry of health in Nigeria. Using descriptive and structural equation modelling statistical analysis, the data revealed the relationship between workforce diversity and job satisfaction, workforce diversity and organisational commitment, and the role of job satisfaction on organisational commitment was also established. Keywords: Workforce diversity, Job satisfaction, Employee commitment, Public healthcare, Diversity management

Comparing patient and healthcare worker experiences during a dengue outbreak in Singapore: understanding the patient journey and the introduction of a point-of-care test (POCT) toward better care delivery.

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Tan, Qinghui; Hildon, Zoe J-L; Singh, Shweta; Jing, Jin; Thein, Tun Linn; Coker, Richard; Vrijhoef, Hubertus J M; Leo, Yee Sin

2017-07-19

In the aftermath of an upsurge in the number of dengue cases in 2013 and 2014, the SD BIOLINE Dengue Duo rapid diagnostic Point-of-Care Test (POCT) kit was introduced in Tan Tock Seng Hospital, Singapore in June 2013. It is known that the success of POCT usage is contingent on its implementation within the health system. We evaluated health services delivery and the Dengue Duo rapid diagnostic test kit application in Singapore from healthcare workers' perspectives and patient experiences of dengue at surge times. Focus group discussions were conducted with dengue patients, from before and after the POCT implementation period. In-depth interviews with semi-structured components with healthcare workers were carried out. A patient centred process mapping technique was used for evaluation, which mapped the patient's journey and was mirrored from the healthcare worker's perspective. Patients and healthcare workers confirmed a wide range of symptoms in adults, making it challenging to determine diagnosis. There were multiple routes to help seeking, and no 'typical patient journey', with patients either presenting directly to the hospital emergency department, or being referred there by a primary care provider. Patients groups diagnosed before and after POCT implementation expressed some differences between speed of diagnoses and attitudes of doctors, yet shared negative feelings about waiting times and a lack of communication and poor information delivery. However, the POCT did not in its current implementation do much to help waiting times. Healthcare workers expressed that public perceptions of dengue in recent years was a major factor in changing patient management, and that the POCT kit was helpful in improving the speed and accuracy of diagnoses. Health service delivery for dengue patients in Singapore was overall perceived to be of an acceptable clinical standard, which was enhanced by the introduction of the POCT. However, improvements can be focused on Adapting

Occupational Health Hazards among Healthcare Workers in Kampala, Uganda

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Rawlance Ndejjo

2015-01-01

Full Text Available Objective. To assess the occupational health hazards faced by healthcare workers and the mitigation measures. Methods. We conducted a cross-sectional study utilizing quantitative data collection methods among 200 respondents who worked in 8 major health facilities in Kampala. Results. Overall, 50.0% of respondents reported experiencing an occupational health hazard. Among these, 39.5% experienced biological hazards while 31.5% experienced nonbiological hazards. Predictors for experiencing hazards included not wearing the necessary personal protective equipment (PPE, working overtime, job related pressures, and working in multiple health facilities. Control measures to mitigate hazards were availing separate areas and containers to store medical waste and provision of safety tools and equipment. Conclusion. Healthcare workers in this setting experience several hazards in their workplaces. Associated factors include not wearing all necessary protective equipment, working overtime, experiencing work related pressures, and working in multiple facilities. Interventions should be instituted to mitigate the hazards. Specifically PPE supply gaps, job related pressures, and complacence in adhering to mitigation measures should be addressed.

Knowledge and Risk Perceptions of Occupational Infections Among Health-care Workers in Malaysia

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Ganesh Chidambar Subramanian

2017-09-01

Full Text Available Health-care workers are at risk of exposure to occupational infections with subsequent risk of contracting diseases, disability, and even death. A systematic collection of occupational disease data is useful for monitoring current trends in work situations and disease exposures; however, these data are usually limited due to under-reporting. The objective of this study was to review literature related to knowledge, risk perceptions, and practices regarding occupational exposures to infectious diseases in Malaysian health-care settings, in particular regarding blood-borne infections, universal precautions, use of personal protective equipment, and clinical waste management. The data are useful for determining improvements in knowledge and risk perceptions among health-care workers with developments of health policies and essential interventions for prevention and control of occupational diseases.

Compassion Fatigue among Healthcare, Emergency and Community Service Workers: A Systematic Review

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Fiona Cocker

2016-06-01

Full Text Available Compassion fatigue (CF is stress resulting from exposure to a traumatized individual. CF has been described as the convergence of secondary traumatic stress (STS and cumulative burnout (BO, a state of physical and mental exhaustion caused by a depleted ability to cope with one’s everyday environment. Professionals regularly exposed to the traumatic experiences of the people they service, such as healthcare, emergency and community service workers, are particularly susceptible to developing CF. This can impact standards of patient care, relationships with colleagues, or lead to more serious mental health conditions such as posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD, anxiety or depression. A systematic review of the effectiveness of interventions to reduce CF in healthcare, emergency and community service workers was conducted. Thirteen relevant studies were identified, the majority of which were conducted on nurses (n = 10. Three included studies focused on community service workers (social workers, disability sector workers, while no studies targeting emergency service workers were identified. Seven studies reported a significant difference post-intervention in BO (n = 4 or STS (n = 3. This review revealed that evidence of the effectiveness of CF interventions in at-risk health and social care professions is relatively recent. Therefore, we recommend more research to determine how best to protect vulnerable workers at work to prevent not only CF, but also the health and economic consequences related to the ensuing, and more disabling, physical and mental health outcomes.

Attitudes, knowledge and practices of healthcare workers regarding occupational exposure of pulmonary tuberculosis

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Lesley T. Bhebhe

2014-10-01

Objective: Following a high incidence of TB among HCWs at Maluti Adventist Hospital in Lesotho, a study was carried out to assess the knowledge, attitudes and practices of HCWs regarding healthcare-associated TB infection and infection controls. Methods: This was a cross-sectional study performed in June 2011; it involved HCWs at Maluti Adventist Hospital who were involved with patients and/or sputum. Stratified sampling of 140 HCWs was performed, of whom, 129 (92.0% took part. A self-administered, semi-structured questionnaire was used. Results: Most respondents (89.2% had appropriate knowledge of transmission, diagnosis and prevention of TB; however, only 22.0% of the respondents knew the appropriate method of sputum collection. All of the respondents (100.0% were motivated and willing to implement IPC measures. A significant proportion of participants (36.4% reported poor infection control practices, with the majority of inappropriate practices being the administrative infection controls (> 80.0%. Only 38.8% of the participants reported to be using the appropriate N-95 respirator. Conclusion: Poor infection control practices regarding occupational TB exposure were demonstrated, the worst being the first-line administrative infection controls. Critical knowledge gaps were identified; however, there was encouraging willingness by HCWs to adapt to recommended infection control measures. Healthcare workers are inevitably exposed to TB, due to frequent interaction with patients with undiagnosed and potentially contagious TB. Implementation of infection prevention and control practices is critical whenever there is a possibility of exposure.

Burnout and physical and mental health among Swedish healthcare workers

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Peterson, U.; Demerouti, E.; Bergström, G.; Samuelsson, M.; Asberg, M.; Nygren, A.

2008-01-01

Title. Burnout and physical and mental health among Swedish healthcare workers Aim. This paper is a report of a study to investigate how burnout relates to self-reported physical and mental health, sleep disturbance, memory and lifestyle factors. Background. Previous research on the possible

Knowledge, attitude and practice of pharmacists and health-care workers regarding oral contraceptives correct usage, side-effects and contraindications.

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Sattari, M; Mokhtari, Z; Jabari, H; Mashayekhi, S O

2013-06-01

Despite the success of the Iranian family planning programme, the number of unwanted pregnancies remains high. To investigate whether health workers in Tabriz are providing correct information and counselling about OCP use, the current study was planned to examine the level of knowledge, attitude and practice of OCP providers. A sample of 150 health-care workers in health houses and 150 community/hospital pharmacists answered a questionnaire about knowledge of correct use of OCP, side-effects, contraindications, danger signs/symptoms and non-contraceptive benefits, and whether they counselled patients about these subjects. Knowledge of pharmacists and health workers was not as high as expected and in many topics they were counselling patients even when they had incorrect knowledge and in other areas they were not providing information to patients despite having the correct knowledge. Better continuing education for OCP providers and especially for pharmacists seems necessary.

Developing models for the prediction of hospital healthcare waste generation rate.

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Tesfahun, Esubalew; Kumie, Abera; Beyene, Abebe

2016-01-01

An increase in the number of health institutions, along with frequent use of disposable medical products, has contributed to the increase of healthcare waste generation rate. For proper handling of healthcare waste, it is crucial to predict the amount of waste generation beforehand. Predictive models can help to optimise healthcare waste management systems, set guidelines and evaluate the prevailing strategies for healthcare waste handling and disposal. However, there is no mathematical model developed for Ethiopian hospitals to predict healthcare waste generation rate. Therefore, the objective of this research was to develop models for the prediction of a healthcare waste generation rate. A longitudinal study design was used to generate long-term data on solid healthcare waste composition, generation rate and develop predictive models. The results revealed that the healthcare waste generation rate has a strong linear correlation with the number of inpatients (R(2) = 0.965), and a weak one with the number of outpatients (R(2) = 0.424). Statistical analysis was carried out to develop models for the prediction of the quantity of waste generated at each hospital (public, teaching and private). In these models, the number of inpatients and outpatients were revealed to be significant factors on the quantity of waste generated. The influence of the number of inpatients and outpatients treated varies at different hospitals. Therefore, different models were developed based on the types of hospitals. © The Author(s) 2015.

[Influenza vaccination of hospital healthcare staff from the perspective of the employer: a positive balance].

Science.gov (United States)

Hak, Eelko; Knol, Lisanne M; Wilschut, Jan C; Postma, Maarten J

2010-01-01

To assess the annual productivity loss among hospital healthcare workers attributable to influenza and to estimate the costs and economic benefits of a vaccination programme from the perspective of the the employer. Cost-benefit analysis. The percentage of work loss due to influenza was determined using monthly age and gender specific figures for productivity loss among healthcare workers of the University Medical Center Groningen (UMCG), the Netherlands over the period January 2006-June 2008. Influenza periods were determined on the basis of national surveillance data. The average increase in productivity loss in these periods was estimated by comparison with the periods outside influenza seasons. The direct costs of productivity loss from the perspective of the employer were estimated using the friction cost method. In the sensitivity analyses various modelling parameters were varied, such as the vaccination coverage. In the UMCG, with approximately 9,400 employees, the estimated annual costs associated with productivity loss due to influenza before the introduction of the yearly influenza vaccination program were € 675,242 or on average, € 72 per employee. The economic benefits of the current vaccination program with a vaccination coverage of 24% with a vaccine effectiveness of 71% were estimated at € 89,858 or € 10 per employee. The nett economic benefits of a vaccination program with a target vaccination coverage of 70% with a vaccine effectiveness of 71% were estimated at € 244,325 or € 26 per employee. This modelling study performed from the perspective of the employer showed that an annual influenza vaccination programme for hospital personnel can save costs.

Perceptions of the hospital ethical environment among hospital social workers in the United States.

Science.gov (United States)

Pugh, Greg L

2015-01-01

Hospital social workers are in a unique context of practice, and one where the ethical environment has a profound influence on the ethical behavior. This study determined the ratings of ethical environment by hospital social workers in large nationwide sample. Correlates suggest by and compared to studies of ethical environment with nurses are explored. Positive ratings of the ethical environment are primarily associated with job satisfaction, as well as working in a centralized social work department and for a non-profit hospital. Religiosity and MSW education were not predictive. Implications and suggestions for managing the hospital ethical environment are provided.

Benchmarking healthcare logistics processes: a comparative case study of Danish and US hospitals

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Feibert, Diana Cordes; Andersen, Bjørn; Jacobsen, Peter

2017-01-01

Logistics processes in hospitals are vital in the provision of patient care. Improving healthcare logistics processes provides an opportunity for reduced healthcare costs and better support of clinical processes. Hospitals are faced with increasing healthcare costs around the world and improvement...... initiatives prevalent in manufacturing industries such as lean, business process reengineering and benchmarking have seen an increase in use in healthcare. This study investigates how logistics processes in a hospital can be benchmarked to improve process performance. A comparative case study of the bed...... logistics process and the pharmaceutical distribution process was conducted at a Danish and a US hospital. The case study results identified decision criteria for designing efficient and effective healthcare logistics processes. The most important decision criteria were related to quality, security...

Differences in microbiological profile between community-acquired, healthcare-associated and hospital-acquired infections.

Science.gov (United States)

Cardoso, Teresa; Ribeiro, Orquídea; Aragão, Irene; Costa-Pereira, Altamiro; Sarmento, António

2013-01-01

Microbiological profiles were analysed and compared for intra-abdominal, urinary, respiratory and bloodstream infections according to place of acquisition: community-acquired, with a separate analysis of healthcare-associated, and hospital-acquired. Prospective cohort study performed at a university tertiary care hospital over 1 year. Inclusion criteria were meeting the Centers for Disease Control definition of intra-abdominal, urinary, respiratory and bloodstream infections. A total of 1035 patients were included in the study. More than 25% of intra-abdominal infections were polymicrobial; multi-drug resistant gram-negatives were 38% in community-acquired, 50% in healthcare-associated and 57% in hospital-acquired. E. coli was the most prevalent among urinary infections: 69% in community-acquired, 56% in healthcare-associated and 26% in hospital-acquired; ESBL producers' pathogens were 10% in healthcare-associated and 3% in community-acquired and hospital-acquired. In respiratory infections Streptococcus pneumoniae was the most prevalent in community-acquired (54%) and MRSA in healthcare-associated (24%) and hospital-acquired (24%). A significant association was found between MRSA respiratory infection and hospitalization in the previous year (adjusted OR = 6.3), previous instrumentation (adjusted OR = 4.3) and previous antibiotic therapy (adjusted OR = 5.7); no cases were documented among patients without risk factors. Hospital mortality rate was 10% in community-acquired, 14% in healthcare-associated and 19% in hospital-acquired infection. This study shows that healthcare-associated has a different microbiologic profile than those from community or hospital acquired for the four main focus of infection. Knowledge of this fact is important because the existing guidelines for community-acquired are not entirely applicable for this group of patients.

Development of a Data Collection Instrument for Violent Patient Encounters against Healthcare Workers

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Samantha R. Hauff

2012-12-01

Full Text Available Introduction: Healthcare and social workers have the highest incidence of workplace violence ofany industry. Assaults toward healthcare workers account for nearly half of all nonfatal injuries fromoccupational violence. Our goal was to develop and evaluate an instrument for prospective collectionof data relevant to emergency department (ED violence against healthcare workers.Methods: Participants at a high-volume tertiary care center were shown 11 vignettes portrayingverbal and physical assaults and responded to a survey developed by the research team andpiloted by ED personnel addressing the type and severity of violence portrayed. Demographic andemployment groups were compared using the independent-samples Mann-Whitney U Test.Results: There were 193 participants (91 male. We found few statistical differences whencomparing occupational and gender groups. Males assigned higher severity scores to acts ofverbal violence versus females (mean M,F=3.08, 2.70; p<0.001. While not achieving statisticalsignificance, subgroup analysis revealed that attending physicians rated acts of verbal violencehigher than resident physicians, and nurses assigned higher severity scores to acts of sexual,verbal, and physical violence versus their physician counterparts.Conclusion: This survey instrument is the first tool shown to be accurate and reliable in characterizingacts of violence in the ED across all demographic and employment groups using filmed vignettesof violent acts. Gender and occupation of ED workers does not appear to play a significant role inperception of severity workplace violence

Hospital Acquisitions Before Healthcare Reform.

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McCue, Michael J; Thompson, Jon M; Kim, Tae Hyun

2015-01-01

The hospital industry has experienced increased consolidation in the past 20 years. Since 2010, in particular, there has been a large rise in the number of hospital acquisitions, and observers have suggested this is due in part to the expected impact of federal healthcare reform legislation. This article reports on a study undertaken to identify the market, management, and financial factors affecting acute care, community hospitals acquired between 2010 and 2012. We identified 77 such hospitals and compared them to other acute care facilities. To assess how different factors were associated with acquisitions, the study used multiple logistic regressions whereby market factors were included first, followed by management and financial factors. Study findings show that acquired hospitals were located in markets with lower rates of preferred provider organization (PPO) penetration compared with nonacquired hospitals. Occupancy rate was found to be inversely related to acquisition rate; however, case-mix index was significantly and positively related to a hospital's being acquired. Financial factors negatively associated with a hospital's being acquired included age of plant and cash flow margin. In contrast to the findings from earlier studies of hospital acquisitions, our results showed that acquired hospitals possessed newer assets. However, similar to the findings of other studies, the cash flow margin of acquired hospitals was lower than that of nonacquired facilities.

Risk of Potential Exposure Incident in Non-healthcare Workers in Contact with Infectious and Municipal Waste

Science.gov (United States)

Kanisek, Sanja; Gmajnić, Rudika; Barać, Ivana

2018-01-01

Abstract Introduction The proper classification of sharp and infectious waste in situ by the healthcare workers is an important measure of prevention of sharps and other exposure incidents in non-healthcare workers, who handle such waste. The aim was to examine the practice of classifying sharp and infectious waste in family and dental practices. Methods An analysis of 50 bags of infectious and 50 bags of municipal waste from five family and five dental practices for five days in October 2016 at the Health centre Osijek. Results Healthcare workers in 70% of the practices deposited sharps in infectious waste. In 56% of infectious waste bags, sharp object were found. More risky bags of infectious waste were produced by family practices (64%), but with no significant differences in relation to dental practices (48%), (P=0.143). Disposing of infectious into municipal waste was the case in 90% of the practitioners, where in 60% of municipal waste bags, infectious waste was disposed. Dental practices produced more risky bags of municipal waste (76%) in relation to family practices (44%), but with no significant difference (P=0.714). Conclusions The results of this research point to importance of performing audits of proper disposal of sharps and infectious waste to reduce the risks of injury to non-healthcare workers who come into contact with the said waste. Given results could be used for framing written protocols of proper disposal of sharps and infectious waste that should be visibly available in family and dental practices and for education of healthcare workers. PMID:29651317

Questionnaire-based analysis of infection prevention and control in healthcare facilities in Saudi Arabia in regards to Middle East Respiratory Syndrome.

Science.gov (United States)

Rabaan, Ali A; Alhani, Hatem M; Bazzi, Ali M; Al-Ahmed, Shamsah H

Effective implementation of infection prevention and control in healthcare facilities depends on training, awareness and compliance of healthcare workers. In Saudi Arabia recent significant hospital outbreaks, including Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus (MERS-CoV), have resulted from lack of, or breakdown in, infection prevention and control procedures. This study was designed to assess attitudes to, and awareness of, infection prevention and control policies and guidelines among healthcare workers of different professions and institution types in Saudi Arabia. A questionnaire was administered to 607 healthcare workers including physicians (n=133), nurses (n=162), laboratory staff (n=233) and other staff (n=79) in government hospitals, private hospitals and poly clinics. Results were compared using Chi square analysis according to profession type, institution type, age group and nationality (Saudi or non-Saudi) to assess variability. Responses suggested that there are relatively high levels of uncertainty among healthcare workers across a range of infection prevention and control issues, including institution-specific issues, surveillance and reporting standards, and readiness and competence to implement policies and respond to outbreaks. There was evidence to suggest that staff in private hospitals and nurses were more confident than other staff types. Carelessness of healthcare workers was the top-cited factor contributing to causes of outbreaks (65.07% of total group), and hospital infrastructure and design was the top-cited factor contributing to spread of infection in the hospital (54.20%), followed closely by lack and shortage of staff (53.71%) and no infection control training program (51.73%). An electronic surveillance system was considered the most effective by staff (81.22%). We have identified areas of concern among healthcare workers in Saudi Arabia on infection prevention and control which vary between institutions and among different

Influenza vaccination for healthcare workers in the UK: appraisal of systematic reviews and policy options

Science.gov (United States)

Kliner, Merav; Keenan, Alex; Sinclair, David; Ghebrehewet, Sam; Garner, Paul

2016-01-01

Background The UK Department of Health recommends annual influenza vaccination for healthcare workers, but uptake remains low. For staff, there is uncertainty about the rationale for vaccination and evidence underpinning the recommendation. Objectives To clarify the rationale, and evidence base, for influenza vaccination of healthcare workers from the occupational health, employer and patient safety perspectives. Design Systematic appraisal of published systematic reviews. Results The quality of the 11 included reviews was variable; some included exactly the same trials but made conflicting recommendations. 3 reviews assessed vaccine effects in healthcare workers and found 1 trial reporting a vaccine efficacy (VE) of 88%. 6 reviews assessed vaccine effects in healthy adults, and VE was consistent with a median of 62% (95% CI 56 to 67). 2 reviews assessed effects on working days lost in healthcare workers (3 trials), and 3 reported effects in healthy adults (4 trials). The meta-analyses presented by the most recent reviews do not reach standard levels of statistical significance, but may be misleading as individual trials suggest benefit with wide variation in size of effect. The 2013 Cochrane review reported absolute effects close to 0 for laboratory-confirmed influenza, and hospitalisation for patients, but excluded data on clinically suspected influenza and all-cause mortality, which had shown potentially important effects in previous editions. A more recent systematic review reports these effects as a 42% reduction in clinically suspected influenza (95% CI 27 to 54) and a 29% reduction in all-cause mortality (95% CI 15 to 41). Conclusions The evidence for employer and patient safety benefits of influenza vaccination is not straightforward and has been interpreted differently by different systematic review authors. Future uptake of influenza vaccination among healthcare workers may benefit from a fully transparent guideline process by a panel representing all

Examining Perceptions about Mandatory Influenza Vaccination of Healthcare Workers through Online Comments on News Stories.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yang Lei

Full Text Available The aim of this study was to understand online public perceptions of the debate surrounding the choice of annual influenza vaccinations or wearing masks as a condition of employment for healthcare workers, such as the one enacted in British Columbia in August 2012.Four national and 82 local (British Columbia Canadian online news sites were searched for articles posted between August 2012 and May 2013 containing the words "healthcare workers" and "mandatory influenza vaccinations/immunizations" or "mandatory flu shots and healthcare workers." We included articles from sources that predominantly concerned our topic of interest and that generated reader comments. Two researchers coded the unedited comments using thematic analysis, categorizing codes to allow themes to emerge. In addition to themes, the comments were categorized by: 1 sentiment towards influenza vaccines; 2 support for mandatory vaccination policies; 3 citing of reference materials or statistics; 4 self-identified health-care worker status; and 5 sharing of a personal story.1163 comments made by 648 commenters responding to 36 articles were analyzed. Popular themes included concerns about freedom of choice, vaccine effectiveness, patient safety, and distrust in government, public health, and the pharmaceutical industry. Almost half (48% of commenters expressed a negative sentiment toward the influenza vaccine, 28% were positive, 20% were neutral, and 4% expressed mixed sentiment. Of those who commented on the policy, 75% did not support the condition to work policy, while 25% were in favour. Of the commenters, 11% self-identified as healthcare workers, 13% shared personal stories, and 18% cited a reference or statistic.The perception of the influenza vaccine in the comment sections of online news sites is fairly poor. Public health agencies should consider including online forums, comment sections, and social media sites as part of their communication channels to correct

Burnout in Hospital Social Workers Who Work with AIDS Patients.

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Oktay, Julianne S.

1992-01-01

Surveyed 128 hospital social workers who worked with Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) patients. Found that hospital AIDS social workers had slightly higher rates of emotional exhaustion and depersonalization on Maslach Burnout Inventory but also felt substantially higher level of personal accomplishment. Age, autonomy, and belonging to…

The effectiveness of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus colonisation screening in asymptomatic healthcare workers in an Irish orthopaedic unit.

LENUS (Irish Health Repository)

Edmundson, S P

2012-01-31

Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) infections are associated with increased mortality, costs and length of stay compared to non-MRSA infections. This observational 4-year study analyses the impact of screening and treating orthopaedic healthcare workers for MRSA colonisation. A total of 1,011 swabs were taken from 566 healthcare workers. Positive healthcare workers were treated with topical mupirocin to both anterior nares. The prevalence of MRSA colonisation on initial testing was 4.77%. The rate of positive MRSA colonisation of those tested on more than one occasion fell from 5.88% to 2.71% (p = 0.055) on subsequent screening. All healthcare workers receiving treatment were successfully cleared of colonisation; however, some required more than one course of treatment. These results show that there could be a role for screening and treating orthopaedic staff for MRSA colonisation as part of a strategy to reduce the prevalence of MRSA infections in orthopaedic units.

Vaccination Games with Peer Effects in a Heterogeneous Hospital Worker Population

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Troy Tassier

2015-01-01

Full Text Available We develop a game theoretic model to analyze the Nash equilibrium of vaccine decisions in a hospital population with heterogeneous contacts. We use the model in conjunction with person-to-person contact data within a large university hospital. We simulate, using agent-based models, the probability of infection for various worker types in the data and use these probabilities to identify the Nash equilibrium vaccine choices of hospital workers. The analysis suggests that there may be large differences in vaccination rates among hospital worker groups. We extend the model to include peer effects within the game. The peer effects may create additional equilibria or may further cement existing equilibria depending on parameter values. Further, depending on the magnitude of the peer effects and the costs of infection and vaccination, peer effects may increase or decrease differences in worker group vaccination rates within the hospital.

Perceptions of Hospital Pharmacist's Role in Pakistan's Healthcare ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Purpose: To investigate hospital pharmacists' perception of their current clinical role in Pakistan's healthcare system. Methods: This was a cross-sectional study in a population that consisted of hospital pharmacists in Islamabad, Faisalabad and Lahore which are three cities in Punjab State, Pakistan. A sample of 116 ...

Occupational skin diseases in Czech healthcare workers from 1997 to 2009.

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Machovcová, A; Fenclová, Z; Pelclová, D

2013-04-01

The healthcare sector ranked in second place among economic sectors in the Czech Republic, with about 11.4 % of all occupational diseases in 2009. Skin diseases constituted about 20 % of all occupational diseases. The aim of this study was to analyze the causes and trends in allergic and irritant-induced skin diseases in the healthcare sector. The data concerning occupational skin diseases (Chapter IV of the Czech List of Occupational Diseases, non-infectious skin illnesses) in the healthcare sector were analyzed from the Czech National Registry of Occupational Diseases from 1997 until 2009. The trends in the total counts and most frequent causes were evaluated. During the past 13 years, a total of 545 skin diseases were acknowledged in healthcare workers. Allergic contact dermatitis was diagnosed in 464 (85 %), irritant contact dermatitis in 71 (13 %) and contact urticaria in 10 subjects (2 %). Ninety-five percent of the patients were females. The overall incidence in individual years varied between 1.0 and 2.9 cases per 10,000 full-time employees per year. Disinfectants were the most frequent chemical agents causing more than one third of all allergic skin diseases (38 %), followed by rubber components (32 %) and cleaning agents (10 %). A general downward trend of diagnosed cases of occupational skin diseases in heath care workers in the Czech Republic over the past 13 years was demonstrated.

Processes of change used by healthcare workers to participate in ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

The aim of this study was to identify processes of change that healthcare workers (HCWs) use to progress from one stage of physical activity (PA) to another. This was a retrospective quantitative descriptive design involving 163 HCWs who were previously exposed to different education and motivation to exercise for a ...

Reducing stigma in healthcare and law enforcement: a novel approach to service provision for street level sex workers.

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Bodkin, Kate; Delahunty-Pike, Alannah; O'Shea, Tim

2015-04-09

Providing services for street level sex workers requires a multidisciplinary approach, addressing both health and safety concerns typical of their age and gender and those that arise specific to their line of work. Despite being a diverse population, studies have identified some specific health needs for sex workers including addictions treatment, mental health. Additionally, studies have shown a higher risk of physical and sexual assault for this population. The Persons at Risk program (PAR) in London, Ontario, Canada was started in 2005 to address the specific needs of street level sex workers by using a harm-reduction model for policing and healthcare provision. This qualitative study evaluated this model of care in terms of improving access to healthcare and essential police services for street level sex workers. A total of 14 semi-structured interviews were conducted with current and former female street level sex workers enrolled in the PAR program. In addition, 3 semi-structured interviews were conducted with health and law enforcement professionals. The research team then analyzed and coded the transcripts using qualitative description to identify key themes in the data. Results indicated that participants represent a vulnerable population with increased safety concerns and healthcare needs relating to addictions, mental health and infectious disease. Despite this, participants reported avoiding healthcare workers and police officers in the past because of fear of stigma or repercussions. All participants identified the harm reduction approach of the PAR program as being essential to their continued engagement with the program. Other important aspects included flexible hours, the location of the clinic, streamlined access to mental health and addictions treatment and the female gender of the police and healthcare worker. The PAR program provides sex workers access to much needed primary healthcare that is flexible and without judgment. In addition, they are

Impact of Community Health Workers on Use of Healthcare Services in the United States: A Systematic Review.

Science.gov (United States)

Jack, Helen E; Arabadjis, Sophia D; Sun, Lucy; Sullivan, Erin E; Phillips, Russell S

2017-03-01

As the US transitions to value-based healthcare, physicians and payers are incentivized to change healthcare delivery to improve quality of care while controlling costs. By assisting with the management of common chronic conditions, community health workers (CHWs) may improve healthcare quality, but physicians and payers who are making choices about care delivery also need to understand their effects on healthcare spending. We searched PubMed, Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, PsycINFO, Embase, and Web of Science from the inception of each database to 22 June 2015. We included US-based studies that evaluated a CHW intervention for patients with at least one chronic health condition and reported cost or healthcare utilization outcomes. We evaluated studies using tools specific to study design. Our search yielded 2,941 studies after removing duplicates. Thirty-four met inclusion and methodological criteria. Sixteen studies (47%) were randomized controlled trials (RCTs). RCTs typically had less positive outcomes than other study designs. Of the 16 RCTs, 12 reported utilization outcomes, of which 5 showed a significant reduction in one or more of ED visits, hospitalizations and/or urgent care visits. Significant reductions reported in ED visits ranged from 23%-51% and in hospitalizations ranged from 21%-50%, and the one significant reduction in urgent care visits was recorded at 60% (p < 0.05 for all). Our results suggest that CHW interventions have variable effects, but some may reduce costs and preventable utilization. These findings suggest that it is possible to achieve reductions in care utilization and cost savings by integrating CHWs into chronic care management. However, variations in cost and utilization outcomes suggest that CHWs alone do not make an intervention successful. The paucity of rigorous studies and heterogeneity of study designs limited conclusions about factors associated with reduced

The impact of tobacco use and secondhand smoke on hospitality workers.

Science.gov (United States)

Siegel, Michael; Barbeau, Elizabeth M; Osinubi, Omowunmi Y

2006-01-01

Tobacco use has a substantial impact on hospitality industry employees because of the disproportionate prevalence of smoking among these workers and because of the high levels of secondhand smoke to which they are exposed. The severity of this impact is evidenced by the high mortality rates observed among hospitality industry workers from diseases related to tobacco smoke exposure. Several states and localities have begun to enact laws to protect these workers from secondhand smoke exposure. Such policies seem to be effective in reducing exposure and improving health among these workers without causing any adverse impact on business. Occupational clinicians can play a significant role in protecting the health of hospitality workers by supporting laws to create smoke-free workplaces, including bars and restaurants, and promoting smoking cessation in these worksites.

[Effects on female healthcare workers of the ministry of health campaign against tobacco smoking.

Science.gov (United States)

La Torre, Giuseppe; Guastamacchia, Sergio; Barbagallo, Alfio; Mannocci, Alice

2017-11-01

Smoking prevalence among health care workers is higher in comparison with general population and the prevalence of women who smoke is higher than among men. In the prevention strategies the multimedia campaign may be a positive impact on the fight against tobacco. Objective. The aim of the study was to assess the impact of the last Italian campaign against smoking (Il fumo fammale) in the health care women workers. A cross-sectional study was conducted in Latium and Sicily (Italy) in 2015, through an interview on memories and impressions about the spots and after a new vision of the spot and eventually other comments. 357 individuals entered the study, 204 female health care workers and 153 from the general population. The female health care workers were more skeptical than the general population. The impressions aroused in the healthcare workers versus the general population were: sadness (OR=2.96;IC95%:1.17-7.49), indifference (OR=5.57;IC95%:2.43-12.77); while a cue to reflect was more considered from general population than health care workers (OR=0.13;IC95%:0.07-0.23). The female professionals health referred the main characteristics of the spot as no original, no impactful, no persuasive and boring too. In conclusion the multimedia campaign to fight against the smoking should be useful, but the psico-behavioural factors have applied and considered when it is implemented; to reduce the tobacco consumption in the healthcare workers can make them an example for the people of healthy life styles and they are a start up of prevention mechanism too. Furthermore it is important to consider the healthcare professional's opinions for future healthy communications and multimedia campaign on tobacco harm. Copyright© by Aracne Editrice, Roma, Italy.

Data linkage of inpatient hospitalization and workers' claims data sets to characterize occupational falls.

Science.gov (United States)

Bunn, Terry L; Slavova, Svetla; Bathke, Arne

2007-07-01

The identification of industry, occupation, and associated injury costs for worker falls in Kentucky have not been fully examined. The purpose of this study was to determine the associations between industry and occupation and 1) hospitalization length of stay; 2) hospitalization charges; and 3) workers' claims costs in workers suffering falls, using linked inpatient hospitalization discharge and workers' claims data sets. Hospitalization cases were selected with ICD-9-CM external cause of injury codes for falls and payer code of workers' claims for years 2000-2004. Selection criteria for workers'claims cases were International Association of Industrial Accident Boards and Commissions Electronic Data Interchange Nature (IAIABCEDIN) injuries coded as falls and/or slips. Common data variables between the two data sets such as date of birth, gender, date of injury, and hospital admission date were used to perform probabilistic data linkage using LinkSolv software. Statistical analysis was performed with non-parametric tests. Construction falls were the most prevalent for male workers and incurred the highest hospitalization and workers' compensation costs, whereas most female worker falls occurred in the services industry. The largest percentage of male worker falls was from one level to another, while the largest percentage of females experienced a fall, slip, or trip (not otherwise classified). When male construction worker falls were further analyzed, laborers and helpers had longer hospital stays as well as higher total charges when the worker fell from one level to another. Data linkage of hospitalization and workers' claims falls data provides additional information on industry, occupation, and costs that are not available when examining either data set alone.

Mask-wearing and respiratory infection in healthcare workers in Beijing, China

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Peng Yang

Full Text Available OBJECTIVES: The aim of the study was to determine rates of mask-wearing, of respiratory infection and the factors associated with mask-wearing and of respiratory infection in healthcare workers (HCWs in Beijing during the winter of 2007/2008. METHODS: We conducted a survey of 400 HCWs working in eight hospitals in Beijing by face to face interview using a standardized questionnaire. RESULTS: We found that 280/400 (70.0% of HCWs were compliant with mask-wearing while in contact with patients. Respiratory infection occurred in 238/400 (59.5% subjects from November, 2007 through February, 2008. Respiratory infection was higher among females (odds ratio [OR], 2.00 [95% confidence interval {CI}, 1.16-3.49] and staff working in larger hospitals (OR, 1.72 [95% CI, 1.092.72], but was lower among subjects with seasonal influenza vaccination (OR, 0.46 [95% CI, 0.280.76], wearing medical masks (reference: cotton-yarn; OR, 0.60 [95% CI, 0.39-0.91] or with good mask-wearing adherence (OR, 0.60 [95% CI, 0.37-0.98]. The risk of respiratory infection of HCWs working in low risk areas was similar to that of HCWs in high risk area. CONCLUSION: Our data suggest that female HCWs and staffs working in larger hospitals are the focus of prevention and control of respiratory infection in Beijing hospitals. Mask-wearing and seasonal influenza vaccination are protective for respiratory infection in HCWs; the protective efficacy of medical masks is better than that of cotton yarn ones; respiratory infection of HCWs working in low risk areas should also be given attention.

Effect of Shift Work on Sleep, Health, and Quality of Life of Health-care Workers.

Science.gov (United States)

Nena, Evangelia; Katsaouni, Maria; Steiropoulos, Paschalis; Theodorou, Evangelos; Constantinidis, Theodoros C; Tripsianis, Grigorios

2018-01-01

Shift work is associated with sleep disruption, impaired quality of life, and is a risk factor for several health conditions. Aim of this study was to investigate the impact of shift work on sleep and quality of life of health-care workers (HCW). Tertiary University hospital in Greece. Cross-sectional study. Included were HCW, working either in an irregular shift system or exclusively in morning shifts. All participants answered the WHO-5 Well-Being Index (WHO-5) and a questionnaire on demographics and medical history. Shift workers filled the Shift Work Disorders Screening Questionnaire (SWDSQ). Descriptive statistics, Student's t -test, one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA), Pearson's r correlation coefficient, and multivariate stepwise linear regression analysis were applied. Included were 312 employees (87.9% females), 194 working in irregular shift system and 118 in morning shifts. Most shift-workers (58.2%) were somehow or totally dissatisfied with their sleep quality. Regression analysis revealed the following independent determinants for sleep impairment: parenthood ( P 3 night shifts/week ( P work >5 years in an irregular shift system ( P work impairs quality of life, whereas its duration and frequency, along with age and family status of employees can have adverse effects on sleep.

Workforce diversity among public healthcare workers in Nigeria: Implications on job satisfaction and organisational commitment.

Science.gov (United States)

Ibidunni, Ayodotun Stephen; Falola, Hezekiah Olubusayo; Ibidunni, Oyebisi Mary; Salau, Odunayo Paul; Olokundun, Maxwell Ayodele; Borishade, Taiye Tairat; Amaihian, Augusta Bosede; Peter, Fred

2018-06-01

The aim of this research was to present a data article that identify the relationship between workforce diversity, job satisfaction and employee commitment among public healthcare workers in Nigeria. Copies of structured questionnaire were administered to 133 public healthcare workers from the Lagos state ministry of health in Nigeria. Using descriptive and structural equation modelling statistical analysis, the data revealed the relationship between workforce diversity and job satisfaction, workforce diversity and organisational commitment, and the role of job satisfaction on organisational commitment was also established.

Working after a tornado: a survey of hospital personnel in Joplin, Missouri.

Science.gov (United States)

Charney, Rachel; Rebmann, Terri; Flood, Robert G

2014-01-01

In 2011, an EF5 tornado hit Joplin, MO, requiring complete evacuation of 1 hospital and a patient surge to another. We sought to assess the resilience of healthcare workers in these hospitals as measured by number reporting to work, willingness to work, personal disaster preparedness, and childcare responsibilities following the disaster. In May 2013, a survey was distributed to healthcare workers at both Joplin hospitals that asked them to report their willingness to work and personal disaster preparedness following various disaster scenarios. For those with childcare responsibilities, scheduling, costs, and impact of hypothetical alternative childcare programs were considered in the analyses. A total of 1,234 healthcare workers completed the survey (response rate: 23.4%). Most (87.8%) worked the week following the Joplin tornado. Healthcare workers report more willingness to work during a future earthquake or tornado compared to their pre-Joplin tornado attitudes (86.2 vs 88.4%, t=-4.3, ptornado personal disaster preparedness, but only preevent preparedness was a significant predictor of postevent preparedness. Nearly half (48.5%, n=598) had childcare responsibilities; 61% (n=366) had childcare needs the week of the tornado, and 54% (n=198) required the use of alternative childcare. If their hospital had provided alternative childcare, 51% would have used it and 42% felt they would have been more willing to report to work. Most healthcare workers reported to work following this disaster, demonstrating true resilience. Disaster planners should be aware of these perceptions as they formulate their own emergency operation plans.

Job satisfaction and turnover intent among hospital social workers in the United States.

Science.gov (United States)

Pugh, Greg L

2016-08-01

Feelings of job satisfaction and turnover intentions among social workers affect work quality for both social workers and the people for whom they provide services. Existing literature on job satisfaction among hospital social workers is limited, and is overly focused on issues of compensation. There is job satisfaction research with hospital nurses available for comparison. Other informative social work research on job satisfaction and turnover exists in mental health and generally, across settings. Research on turnover intent in social work is primarily from child welfare settings and may not generalize. The literature notes gaps and contradictions about predictors of job satisfaction and turnover intent. Using a large national dataset of hospital social workers, this research clarifies and fills gaps regarding hospital social workers, and explores how Herzberg's theory of work can clarify the difference between sources of job dissatisfaction and job satisfaction. Findings include hospital social workers reporting high job satisfaction and that demographics do not contribute to the predictive models. The findings do support centralized social work departments and variety in the job functions of hospital social workers, and are consistent with the theoretical framework.

Occupational health hazards among health care workers of Shahid Sadoughi Hospital

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

F. Ghavidel

2007-04-01

Full Text Available Background and AimsBiological hazards exist throughout all healthcare settings and include airborne and blood borne pathogens. Health care workers are also subject to exposure to hazardous chemicals such as disinfectants and sterilizing agents. In addition to the traditional aforementioned categories of occupational hazards, health care workers experience the stress of being directly responsible for the care of very sick and dying patients, which, coupled with  increasing workloads, can seriously threaten their health and well-being.MethodsThe study population was all hospital staff (# 207, of whom198 health care workers eventually participated in the study. The questionnaires were administered to doctors, nurses and ward orderlies in Shahid Sadoughi Teaching Hospital Yazd, Iran. Data were analyzed by SPSS11.5 software using Fisher's exact and Chi square tests.ResultsThe common occupational health hazards were work-related stress (60.1%, bloodstains on skin (51%, needle-stick injuries (42.9%, assault from patients (21.2%, skin reaction (19.2%, sleep disturbance (15.2%, stew blood on mucosal (3.1% and use of drugs (4.5%. Nearly 4.5% of the staff used tranquilizers to cope with the work stress. A greater percentage of doctors compared to nurses and ward orderlies used safety precautions such as gloves, facemasks and aprons. 70.2% staff employed regular hand-washing after various procedures 68.2% of staff adopted regularly proper disposal of needles and sharps into separate puncture resistant containers. About 55.6% of the staff recap used needles.ConclusionIn according to frequent types of occupational related dangers, corporation between chiefs and members of health care center to decrease these seems wishful and we recommend preparing and distributing necessary guidelines with related awareness among these groups.

The relative effectiveness of managed care penetration and the healthcare safety net in reducing avoidable hospitalizations.

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Pracht, Etienne E; Orban, Barbara L; Comins, Meg M; Large, John T; Asin-Oostburg, Virginia

2011-01-01

Avoidable hospitalizations represent a key indicator for access to, and the quality of, primary care. Therefore, understanding their behavior is essential in terms of management of healthcare resources and costs. This analysis examines the affect of 2 healthcare strategies on the rate of avoidable hospitalization, managed care and the healthcare safety net. The avoidable hospitalizations definition developed by Weissman et al. (1992) was used to identify relevant inpatient episodes. A 2-stage simultaneous equations multivariate regression model with instrumental variables was used to estimate the relative influence of HMO penetration and the composition of local hospital markets on the rate of avoidable hospitalizations. Control variables in the model include healthcare supply and demand, demographic, socioeconomic, and health status characteristics. Increased market presence of public hospitals significantly reduced avoidable hospitalizations. HMO penetration did not influence the rate of avoidable hospitalizations. The results suggest that public investments in healthcare facilities and infrastructure are more effective in reducing avoidable hospitalizations. © 2011 National Association for Healthcare Quality.

An individual-based model of transmission of resistant bacteria in a veterinary teaching hospital.

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Neeraj Suthar

Full Text Available Veterinary nosocomial infections caused by antibiotic resistant bacteria cause increased morbidity, higher cost and length of treatment and increased zoonotic risk because of the difficulty in treating them. In this study, an individual-based model was developed to investigate the effects of movements of canine patients among ten areas (transmission points within a veterinary teaching hospital, and the effects of these movements on transmission of antibiotic susceptible and resistant pathogens. The model simulates contamination of transmission points, healthcare workers, and patients as well as the effects of decontamination of transmission points, disinfection of healthcare workers, and antibiotic treatments of canine patients. The model was parameterized using data obtained from hospital records, information obtained by interviews with hospital staff, and the published literature. The model suggested that transmission resulting from contact with healthcare workers was common, and that certain transmission points (housing wards, diagnostics room, and the intensive care unit presented higher risk for transmission than others (lobby and surgery. Sensitivity analyses using a range of parameter values demonstrated that the risk of acquisition of colonization by resistant pathogens decreased with shorter patient hospital stays (P<0.0001, more frequent decontamination of transmission points and disinfection of healthcare workers (P<0.0001 and better compliance of healthcare workers with hygiene practices (P<0.0001. More frequent decontamination of heavily trafficked transmission points was especially effective at reducing transmission of the model pathogen.

Prevalence and correlates of symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder among Chinese healthcare workers exposed to physical violence: a cross-sectional study

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Shi, Lei; Wang, Lingling; Jia, Xiaoli; Li, Zhe; Mu, Huitong; Liu, Xin; Peng, Boshi; Li, Anqi; Fan, Lihua

2017-01-01

Objectives Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a common psychological maladjustment to undergoing a traumatic event. Our aim was to measure the prevalence of PTSD among Chinese healthcare workers exposed to physical violence‚ and explore the associations of their demographic characteristics, social support, personality traits‚ and coping styles with their PTSD symptoms. Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted using the Workplace Violence Scale, Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Checklist-Civilian Version (PCL-C), Social Support Rating Scale (SSRS), Eysenck Personality Questionnaire-Revised Short Scale and Trait Coping Style Questionnaire. We used convenience sampling method to collect data from March 2015 to September 2016. Healthcare workers (n=2706) from 39 public hospitals located in Heilongjiang, Hebei and Beijing provinces of China completed the questionnaires (effective response rate=84.25%). Results Overall, the prevalence of physical violence in the previous 12 months was 13.60% (n=2706). The prevalence of PTSD among the healthcare workers who experienced physical violence was 28.0% (n=368). Most of the victims of physical violence (50.80%) did not exhibit PTSD symptoms based on their PCL-C scores, and 47.0% did not manifest the diagnostic criteria for PTSD after experiencing physical violence. The level of PTSD symptoms was negatively correlated with their scores on the SSRS (r=−0.188, pviolence contributes to the current prevalence of PTSD. The positive effects of social support on PTSD symptoms suggest that it has practical implications for interventions to promote psychological health. The healthcare workers’ coping styles influenced the development of PTSD symptoms. Therefore, adopting effective coping styles and receiving social support have potential roles in the recovery from trauma after experiencing physical violence. PMID:28765135

Buffering Effect of Job Resources in the Relationship between Job Demands and Work-to-Private-Life Interference: A Study among Health-Care Workers

OpenAIRE

Viotti, Sara; Converso, Daniela

2016-01-01

Background: The present study aims at investigating whether and how (1) job demands and job resources are associated with work-to-private-life interference (WLI) and (2) job resources moderate the relationship between job demands and WLI. Methods: Data were collected by a self-report questionnaire from three hospitals in Italy. The sample consisted of 889 health-care workers. Results: All job demands (i.e., quantitative demands, disproportionate patient expectations, and verbal aggressi...

Knowledge and practice regarding dengue and chikungunya: a cross-sectional study among Healthcare workers and community in Northern Tanzania.

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Kajeguka, Debora C; Desrochers, Rachelle E; Mwangi, Rose; Mgabo, Maseke R; Alifrangis, Michael; Kavishe, Reginald A; Mosha, Franklin W; Kulkarni, Manisha A

2017-05-01

To investigate knowledge and prevention practices regarding dengue and chikungunya amongst community members, as well as knowledge, treatment and diagnostic practices among healthcare workers. We conducted a cross-sectional survey with 125 community members and 125 healthcare workers from 13 health facilities in six villages in the Hai district of Tanzania. A knowledge score was generated based on participant responses to a structured questionnaire, with a score of 40 or higher (of 80 and 50 total scores for community members and healthcare workers, respectively) indicating good knowledge. We conducted qualitative survey (n = 40) to further assess knowledge and practice regarding dengue and chikungunya fever. 15.2% (n = 19) of community members had good knowledge regarding dengue, whereas 53.6%, (n = 67) of healthcare workers did. 20.3% (n = 16) of participants from lowland areas and 6.5% (n = 3) from highland areas had good knowledge of dengue (χ 2 = 4.25, P = 0.03). Only 2.4% (n = 3) of all participants had a good knowledge score for chikungunya. In the qualitative study, community members expressed uncertainty about dengue and chikungunya. Some healthcare workers thought that they were new diseases. There is insufficient knowledge regarding dengue and chikungunya fever among community members and healthcare workers. Health promotion activities on these diseases based on Ecological Health Mode components to increase knowledge and improve preventive practices should be developed. © 2017 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Latex Allergy In Health Care Workers

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Hayriye Sarıcaoğlu

2013-05-01

Full Text Available Background and Design: We aimed to determine the frequency of latex allergy in our hospital and to to evaluate the clinical and demographical features of the cases.Materials and Methods: A detailed questionnaire was administered to healthcare workers by a physician. Skin prick test with latex and patch test with rubber chemicals and a piece of latex glove were performed for all healthcare workers. Latex-specific IgE was measured in serum.Results: The study sample consisted of 36 nurses, 14 doctors, and 50 healthcare workers. While 46 subjects had symptoms, 54 subjects had no symptoms. The relationship of clinical disease with working duration, exposure duration (hour/day, history of atopy, and drug/food allergies was statistically significant. Five nurses and 1 healthcare worker had positive skin prick test. Two of them had positive latex-specific IgE. Positive skin prick test statistically significantly correlated with occupation, working duration, exposure duration (hour/day and positive latex-specific IgE. Two nurses and 2 healthcare workers had positive latex-specific IgE. Two of them had positive skin prick test. Positive latexspecific IgE statistically significantly correlated with working duration, exposure duration, and positive skin prick test. Patch test with a piece of latex glove was negative in all subjects. Three healthcare workers had positive patch test with thiuram-mix, one of them had also positive patch test with mercaptobenzothiazole.Discussion: One of the risk factors for latex allergy is occupations involving frequent exposure to latex products. Latex allergy should be taken into consideration if type I hypersensitivity reactions occur in occupational groups at risk for anaphylactic reaction.

Personal factors affecting ethical performance in healthcare workers during disasters and mass casualty incidents in Iran: a qualitative study.

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Kiani, Mehrzad; Fadavi, Mohsen; Khankeh, Hamidreza; Borhani, Fariba

2017-09-01

In emergencies and disasters, ethics are affected by both personal and organizational factors. Given the lack of organizational ethical guidelines in the disaster management system in Iran, the present study was conducted to explain the personal factors affecting ethics and ethical behaviors among disaster healthcare workers. The present qualitative inquiry was conducted using conventional content analysis to analyze the data collected from 21 in-depth unstructured interviews with healthcare workers with an experience of attending one or more fields of disaster. According to the data collected, personal factors can be classified into five major categories, including personal characteristics such as age and gender, personal values, threshold of tolerance, personal knowledge and reflective thinking. Without ethical guidelines, healthcare workers are intensely affected by the emotional climate of the event and guided by their beliefs. A combination of personal characteristics, competences and expertise thus form the basis of ethical conduct in disaster healthcare workers.

Salmonella bacteraemia among healthcare workers and their dependents

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Raza, A.; Sultan, F.; Mahboob, A.; Nazeer, S. H.; Nizammudin, S.

2014-01-01

Objectives: To determine the incidence and resistance pattern of Salmonella infection in healthcare workers and their dependents. Methods: The retrospective analysis was conducted at Shaukat Khanum Memorial Cancer Hospital and Research Centre, Lahore, and comprised records of employees and their dependents with bacteraemia from January 2007 to December 2011. Person-years were calculated using data from the human resources department. SPSS 19 was used for statistical analyses. Results: Of the total 2532 records available, 82(3.23%) patients were identified with Salmonella bacteraemia. Of them, 34(41.5%) patients were in age group 1-10, 15(18.3%) in 11-20, 26(31.7%) in 21-30, and 7(8.5%) were above 30 years. Besides, 48(58.5%) were males. Salmonella typhi was found in 44(53.7%) patients, Salmonella paratyphi A in 35(42.7%) and Salmonella species in 3(3.7%) patients. The yearly incidence of Salmonella infection in the study population ranged from 206 to 596 per 100000 person-years. Ciprofloxacin resistance was noted to be 56 (68.2%) followed by Ampicillin 29 (35.3%) and Co-trimoxazole 24 (29.2%). No strains were resistant to Cefiximeor Ceftriaxone. Conclusion: The yearly incidence of Salmonella bacteraemia ranged from 200 to 600 per 100000 person years. There was significant quinolone resistance among the isolates. (author)

Scientific literacy in hospital workers

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Guerci, Alba M.; Pinero, Adalberto; Zubiria, M. Guillermina; Sanz, Vanesa; Larragueta, Nicolas; Puntigliano, Diego

2008-01-01

Full text: Previous studies realized by our group have demonstrated radio-induction of genotoxic damage in peripheral blood of hospital workers exposed to chronic X-ray. The cytogenetic and cytomolecular damage was significant in the radiologists evaluated. Accordingly, we have researched the knowledge of risk radiation in 57 workers to different health centres, private and public, in La Plata city. Most of respondents (96.4%) answered to know the risk of working with radiation ionizing, but a large portion do not carry out with the appropriate safety rules. The workers have not interest in this rules, it is evidenced by negligence in the use of protective clothing and personal dosimeters. These results suggested that individuals could be sensitising to minimize their risk. For this purpose we are working in scientific literacy conferences which are organized by 'Asociacion de Tecnicos Radiologos y de Diagnostico por Imagenes de La Plata (ASTEDIRLP)'. (author)

Access to and utilisation of healthcare services by sex workers at ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

North Star Alliance (North Star) is a public-private partnership providing a healthcare service package in roadside wellness clinics (RWCs) to at-risk populations along transport corridors in sub-Saharan Africa. Objectives. To inform future service development for sex workers and describe North Star's contribution to ...

Geographic variation in expenditures for Workers' Compensation hospitalized claims.

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Miller, T R; Levy, D T

1999-02-01

Past literature finds considerable variation in the cost of physician care and in the utilization of medical procedures. Variation in the cost of hospitalized care has received little attention. We examine injury costs of hospitalized claims across states. Multivariate regression analysis is used to isolate state variations, while controlling for personal and injury characteristics, and state characteristics. Injuries to workers filing Workers' Compensation lost workday claims. About 35,000 randomly sampled Workers' Compensation claims from 17 states filed between 1979 and 1988. Medical payments per episode of three injury groups: upper and lower extremity fractures and dislocations, other upper extremity injuries, and back strains and sprains. Statistical analyses reveal considerable variation in expenditures for hospitalized injuries across states, even after controlling for case mix and state characteristics. A substantial portion of the variation is explained by state rate regulations; regulated states have lower costs. The large variation in costs suggests a potential to affect the costs of hospitalized care. Efforts should be directed at those areas that have higher costs without sufficient input price, quality, or case mix justification.

Influenza vaccination for healthcare workers in the UK: appraisal of systematic reviews and policy options.

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Kliner, Merav; Keenan, Alex; Sinclair, David; Ghebrehewet, Sam; Garner, Paul

2016-09-13

The UK Department of Health recommends annual influenza vaccination for healthcare workers, but uptake remains low. For staff, there is uncertainty about the rationale for vaccination and evidence underpinning the recommendation. To clarify the rationale, and evidence base, for influenza vaccination of healthcare workers from the occupational health, employer and patient safety perspectives. Systematic appraisal of published systematic reviews. The quality of the 11 included reviews was variable; some included exactly the same trials but made conflicting recommendations. 3 reviews assessed vaccine effects in healthcare workers and found 1 trial reporting a vaccine efficacy (VE) of 88%. 6 reviews assessed vaccine effects in healthy adults, and VE was consistent with a median of 62% (95% CI 56 to 67). 2 reviews assessed effects on working days lost in healthcare workers (3 trials), and 3 reported effects in healthy adults (4 trials). The meta-analyses presented by the most recent reviews do not reach standard levels of statistical significance, but may be misleading as individual trials suggest benefit with wide variation in size of effect. The 2013 Cochrane review reported absolute effects close to 0 for laboratory-confirmed influenza, and hospitalisation for patients, but excluded data on clinically suspected influenza and all-cause mortality, which had shown potentially important effects in previous editions. A more recent systematic review reports these effects as a 42% reduction in clinically suspected influenza (95% CI 27 to 54) and a 29% reduction in all-cause mortality (95% CI 15 to 41). The evidence for employer and patient safety benefits of influenza vaccination is not straightforward and has been interpreted differently by different systematic review authors. Future uptake of influenza vaccination among healthcare workers may benefit from a fully transparent guideline process by a panel representing all relevant stakeholders, which clearly communicates

A communication skills intervention for community healthcare workers reduces perceived patient aggression: a pretest-postest study.

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Swain, Nicola; Gale, Christopher

2014-09-01

Previous studies have shown that healthcare workers experience high levels of aggression from patients. Prevention packages to address this have received little research support. Communication skills have been shown to influence individuals' experience of aggression and are also amenable to training. This study aims to deliver a communication skills training package that will reduce the experience of aggression in the workplace for healthcare workers. An interactive, multimedia communication skills package was developed that would be suitable for community healthcare workers. The training consisted of four workshops, including teaching, discussion and DVD illustrative examples. These were based on research and clinical experience. This intervention was delivered in two community care organisations over several months. Fifty-six community healthcare workers took part in the trial in small groups. There were 46 females and 10 males with a median age of 45-54 years. For each group a series of four communication skills workshops were given. Measurements of perceived aggression and wellbeing were taken before the workshops, at the end of the workshops, one month after and two months after. Results show statistically significant reductions in perceived aggression one and two months after baseline measures (pcommunication skills training programme is both enjoyable and shows decreases in perceived aggression, distress, and increases in general mental wellness. A full RCT of this intervention is warranted. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Quantitative evaluation of infection control models in the prevention of nosocomial transmission of SARS virus to healthcare workers: implication to nosocomial viral infection control for healthcare workers.

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Yen, Muh-Yong; Lu, Yun-Ching; Huang, Pi-Hsiang; Chen, Chen-Ming; Chen, Yee-Chun; Lin, Yusen E

2010-07-01

Healthcare workers (HCWs) are at high risk of acquiring emerging infections while caring for patients, as has been shown in the recent SARS and swine flu epidemics. Using SARS as an example, we determined the effectiveness of infection control measures (ICMs) by logistic regression and structural equation modelling (SEM), a quantitative methodology that can test a hypothetical model and validates causal relationships among ICMs. Logistic regression showed that installing hand wash stations in the emergency room (p = 0.012, odds ratio = 1.07) was the only ICM significantly associated with the protection of HCWs from acquiring the SARS virus. The structural equation modelling results showed that the most important contributing factor (highest proportion of effectiveness) was installation of a fever screening station outside the emergency department (51%). Other measures included traffic control in the emergency department (19%), availability of an outbreak standard operation protocol (12%), mandatory temperature screening (9%), establishing a hand washing setup at each hospital checkpoint (3%), adding simplified isolation rooms (3%), and a standardized patient transfer protocol (3%). Installation of fever screening stations outside of the hospital and implementing traffic control in the emergency department contributed to 70% of the effectiveness in the prevention of SARS transmission. Our approach can be applied to the evaluation of control measures for other epidemic infectious diseases, including swine flu and avian flu.

Sources of motivation and frustration among healthcare workers administering antiretroviral treatment for HIV in rural Zimbabwe.

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Campbell, C; Scott, K; Madenhire, C; Nyamukapa, C; Gregson, S

2011-07-01

The roll-out of accessible and affordable antiretroviral (ARV) drugs for people living with HIV in low-income countries is drastically changing the nature of HIV-related healthcare. The Zimbabwean Ministry of Health has renewed efforts to make antiretroviral treatment (ART) for HIV free and publically available across the country. This paper describes the findings from a multi-method qualitative study including interviews and a focus group with healthcare workers (mostly nurses), totalling 25 participants, and field notes from over 100 hours of ethnographic observation in three rural Zimbabwean health centres. These health centres began providing free ARV drugs to HIV-positive people over one year prior to the research period. We examined sources of motivation and frustration among nurses administering ART in these resource-poor health centres. The findings suggest that healthcare workers administering ART in challenging circumstances are adept at drawing strength from the dramatic physical and emotional recoveries made possible by ART and from their personal memories of the suffering caused by HIV/AIDS among close friends or family. However, healthcare staff grappled with extreme resource shortages, which led to exhaustion and frustration. Surprisingly, only one year into ART provision, healthcare workers did not reference the professional challenges of their HIV work before ART became available, suggesting that medical breakthroughs such as ART rapidly come to be seen as a standard element of nursing. Our findings provide a basis for optimism that medical breakthroughs such as ART can reinvigorate healthcare workers in the short term. However, we caution that the daily challenges of nursing in poor environments, especially administering an ongoing and resource-intensive regime such as ART, must be addressed to enable nurses to continue delivering high-quality ART in sub-Saharan Africa.

Knowledge and perception of stroke amongst hospital workers in an African community.

Science.gov (United States)

Akinyemi, R O; Ogah, O S; Ogundipe, R F; Oyesola, O A; Oyadoke, A A; Ogunlana, M O; Otubogun, F M; Odeyinka, T F; Alabi, B S; Akinyemi, J O; Osinfade, J K; Kalaria, R N

2009-09-01

Stroke is a growing public health problem worldwide. Hospital workers are sources of knowledge on health issues including stroke. The present study aimed at assessing the knowledge and perception of a sample of Nigerian hospital workers about stroke. Hospital-based, cross-sectional survey. Respondents selected by systematic random sampling were interviewed using a 29-item pre-tested, structured, semi-closed questionnaire. There were 370 respondents (63% female, mean age: 34.4 +/- 7.5 years; 61% non-clinical workers). Twenty-nine per cent of respondents did not recognize the brain as the organ affected. Hypertension (88.6%) was the commonest risk factor identified; 13.8% identified evil spirit/witchcraft as a cause of stroke, whilst one-sided body weakness (61.9%) was most commonly identified as warning symptom. Hospital treatment was most preferred by 61.1% of respondents whilst spiritual healing was most preferred by 13.0%. In the bivariate analysis, higher level of education and being a clinical worker correlated with better stroke knowledge (P < 0.001). This study demonstrates gaps in the knowledge of these hospital workers about stroke, and treatment choice influenced by cultural and religious beliefs. Health education is still important, even, amongst health workers and stroke awareness campaigns may need to involve faith-based organizations.

Prevalence and correlates of symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder among Chinese healthcare workers exposed to physical violence: a cross-sectional study.

Science.gov (United States)

Shi, Lei; Wang, Lingling; Jia, Xiaoli; Li, Zhe; Mu, Huitong; Liu, Xin; Peng, Boshi; Li, Anqi; Fan, Lihua

2017-08-01

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a common psychological maladjustment to undergoing a traumatic event. Our aim was to measure the prevalence of PTSD among Chinese healthcare workers exposed to physical violence' and explore the associations of their demographic characteristics, social support, personality traits' and coping styles with their PTSD symptoms. A cross-sectional study was conducted using the Workplace Violence Scale, Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Checklist-Civilian Version (PCL-C), Social Support Rating Scale (SSRS), Eysenck Personality Questionnaire-Revised Short Scale and Trait Coping Style Questionnaire. We used convenience sampling method to collect data from March 2015 to September 2016. Healthcare workers (n=2706) from 39 public hospitals located in Heilongjiang, Hebei and Beijing provinces of China completed the questionnaires (effective response rate=84.25%). Overall, the prevalence of physical violence in the previous 12 months was 13.60% (n=2706). The prevalence of PTSD among the healthcare workers who experienced physical violence was 28.0% (n=368). Most of the victims of physical violence (50.80%) did not exhibit PTSD symptoms based on their PCL-C scores, and 47.0% did not manifest the diagnostic criteria for PTSD after experiencing physical violence. The level of PTSD symptoms was negatively correlated with their scores on the SSRS (r=-0.188, pPTSD symptoms (β=-0.376, p=0.001). However, the effect of positive coping was not significant in men. The results suggest that the aftermath of physical violence contributes to the current prevalence of PTSD. The positive effects of social support on PTSD symptoms suggest that it has practical implications for interventions to promote psychological health. The healthcare workers' coping styles influenced the development of PTSD symptoms. Therefore, adopting effective coping styles and receiving social support have potential roles in the recovery from trauma after experiencing physical

Burden and Stress among Psychiatry Residents and Psychiatric Healthcare Providers

Science.gov (United States)

Zuardi, Antonio Waldo; Ishara, Sergio; Bandeira, Marina

2011-01-01

Purpose: The authors compared the levels of job burden and stress in psychiatry residents with those of other healthcare professionals at inpatient and outpatient psychiatric hospitals in a medium-sized Brazilian city. Method: In this study, the levels of job burden and stress of 136 healthcare workers and 36 psychiatry residents from six various…

The persistent gap in health-care coverage between low- and high-income workers in Washington State: BRFSS, 2003-2007.

Science.gov (United States)

Fan, Z Joyce; Anderson, Naomi J; Foley, Michael; Rauser, Eddy; Silverstein, Barbara A

2011-01-01

We examined the disparities in health-care coverage between low- and high-income workers in Washington State (WA) to provide support for possible policy decisions for uninsured workers. We examined data from the WA Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System 2003-2007 and compared workers aged 18-64 years of low income (annual household income income (annual household income ≥$35,000) on proportions and sources of health-care coverage. We conducted multivariable logistic regression analyses on factors that were associated with the uninsured. Of the 54,536 survey respondents who were working-age adults in WA, 13,922 (25.5%) were low-income workers. The proportions of uninsured were 38.2% for low-income workers and 6.3% for high-income workers. While employment-based health benefits remained a dominant source of health insurance coverage, they covered only 40.2% of low-income workers relative to 81.5% of high-income workers. Besides income, workers were more likely to be uninsured if they were younger; male; Hispanic; less educated; not married; current smokers; self-employed; or employed in agriculture/forestry/fisheries, construction, and retail. More low-income workers (28.7%) reported cost as an issue in paying for health services than did their high-income counterparts (6.7%). A persistent gap in health-care coverage exists between low- and high-income workers. The identified characteristics of these workers can be used to implement policies to expand health insurance coverage.

A randomized controlled trial of a Return-to-Work Coordinator model of care in a general hospital to facilitate return to work of injured workers.

Science.gov (United States)

Tan, Heidi Siew Khoon; Yeo, Doreen Sai Ching; Giam, Joanna Yu Ting; Cheong, Florence Wai Fong; Chan, Kay Fei

2016-04-07

Return-to-work (RTW) programmes for injured workers have been prevalent in Western countries with established work injury management policies for decades. In recent years, more Asian countries have started to develop RTW programmes in the absence of work injury management policies. However, few studies have evaluated the effectiveness of RTW programmes in Asia. Return-to-work coordination has been found to be an important facilitator in RTW programmes. This study seeks to determine the effectiveness of a Return-to-work coordinator (RTWC) model of care in facilitating early RTW for injured workers in Singapore. A randomized controlled trial was used. 160 injured workers in a general hospital were randomly allocated to either control (receive usual hospital standard care) or intervention (assigned a RTWC) group. The RTWC closely supported RTW arrangements and proactively liaised with employers and healthcare professionals on RTW solutions for the injured workers. At three months post injury, workers in the intervention group RTW 10 days earlier than the control group, with a higher proportion of workers in the intervention group returning to modified jobs. There were no significant differences in the quality of life measures between the two groups. The addition of a RTWC into the hospital model of care is effective in facilitating early RTW for injured workers. This could be a potential model of care for injured workers in Asian countries where work injury management policies are not yet established.

[Healthcare professionals' knowledge, attitudes and practices in relation to standard hospital precautions].

Science.gov (United States)

Mandana Bambenongama, Norbert; Losimba Likwela, Joris

2013-01-01

The infectious risk in the healthcare setting is potentially ubiquitous. Several infectious agents may be transmitted to healthcare professionals, most of which are carried by blood and body fluids. The aim of this study was to assess knowledge, attitudes and practices of healthcare workers in delivery rooms and operating theatres about standard precautions in healthcare settings in order to deduce the actions to be implemented to improve their security. A descriptive cross-sectional survey was conducted in September 2011. A questionnaire was sent to 96 people using the direct interview technique. Only 20% of study subjects were familiar with the main bloodborne viruses (HBV, HCV and HIV). 67.8% of them considered that standard precautions must be applied only to women in labour and suspected HIV-positive patients. Almost all respondents (91.1%) had already been subject to at least one AES during the last 12 months. Respondents appeared to have a poor knowledge of the recommended actions following an AES. Recapping of needles after care is a practice reported by 55.6% of respondents. Routine use of protective barriers is unsatisfactory. The frequent failure of systematic application of standard precautions in healthcare settings by healthcare workers in the city of Isiro should lead the Ministry of Health to implement a process designed to increase awareness about standard precautions and improve the equipment necessary for strict compliance with these precautions.

Are Hospital Workers Healthy?: A Study of Cardiometabolic, Behavioral, and Psychosocial Factors Associated With Obesity Among Hospital Workers.

Science.gov (United States)

Sharma, Shreela V; Upadhyaya, Mudita; Karhade, Mandar; Baun, William B; Perkison, William B; Pompeii, Lisa A; Brown, Henry S; Hoelscher, Deanna M

2016-12-01

This study evaluated the cardiometabolic, behavioral, and psychosocial factors associated with weight status among hospital employees. A total of n = 924 employees across the six hospitals in Texas participated in this cross-sectional study, 2012 to 2013. Association between weight status and waist circumference, blood pressure, biomarkers, diet, physical activity, sedentary behaviors, and psychosocial factors was assessed. About 78.1% of employees were overweight/obese. Obese participants (body mass index [BMI] ≥30.0 kg/m) had higher consumption of potatoes, fats, sugary beverages, and spent more time watching television, playing computer games, and sitting than those having normal weight. Being obese was positively associated with blood pressure, blood glucose, low-density lipoprotein, and negatively associated with high-density lipoprotein. Finally, 78.8% of workers were dissatisfied with their worksite wellness with dissatisfaction being higher among obese employees. Being overweight (BMI 25.0 to 29.9 kg/m) was positively associated with blood pressure, but not other variables. Understanding the risk profile of hospital workers is critical to developing effective interventions.

Healthcare professionals' work engagement in Finnish university hospitals.

Science.gov (United States)

Lepistö, Sari; Alanen, Seija; Aalto, Pirjo; Järvinen, Päivi; Leino, Kaija; Mattila, Elina; Kaunonen, Marja

2017-10-10

Concerns about the sufficiency and dedication of the healthcare workforce have arisen as the baby boomer generation is retiring and the generation Y might have different working environment demands. To describe the association between work engagement of healthcare professionals' and its background factors at five Finnish university hospitals. Survey data were collected from nurses, physicians and administrative staff (n = 561) at all five university hospitals in Finland. Data were collected using an electronic questionnaire that comprised the Utrecht Work Engagement Scale (9 items) and 13 questions regarding the respondents' backgrounds. Descriptive and correlational analyses were used to examine the data. Most respondents were female (85%) and nursing staff (72%). Baby boomers (49%) were the largest generational cohort. The work engagement composite mean for the total sample was 5.0, indicating high work engagement. Significant differences in work engagement existed only among sex and age groups. The highest work engagement scores were among administrative staff. Work engagement among healthcare professionals in Finnish university hospitals is high. High work engagement might be explained by suitable job resources and challenges, as well as opportunities provided by a frontline care environment. Attention should especially be paid to meeting the needs of young people entering the workforce to strengthen their dedication and absorption. © 2017 Nordic College of Caring Science.

Using evidence-based medicine to protect healthcare workers from pandemic influenza: Is it possible?

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Gralton, Jan; McLaws, Mary-Louise

2011-01-01

To use evidence-based principles to develop infection control algorithms to ensure the protection of healthcare workers and the continuity of health service provision during a pandemic. : Evidence-based algorithms were developed from published research as well as "needs and values" assessments. Research evidence was obtained from 97 studies reporting the protectiveness of antiviral prophylaxis, seasonal vaccination, and mask use. Needs and values assessments were undertaken by international experts in pandemic infection control and local healthcare workers. Opportunity and resources costs were not determined. The Australian government commissioned the development of an evidence-based algorithm for inclusion in the 2008 revision of the Australian Health and Management Plan for Pandemic Influenza. Two international infection control teams responsible for healthcare worker safety during the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome outbreak reviewed the evidence-based algorithms. The algorithms were then reviewed for needs and values by eight local clinicians who were considered key frontline clinicians during the contain and sustain phases. The international teams reviewed for practicability of implementation, whereas local clinicians reviewed for clinician compliance. Despite strong evidence for vaccination and antiviral prophylaxis providing significant protection, clinicians believed they required the additional combinations of both masks and face shields. Despite the equivocal evidence for the efficacy of surgical and N95 masks and the provision of algorithms appropriate for the level of risk according to clinical care during a pandemic, clinicians still demanded N95 masks plus face shields in combination with prophylaxis and novel vaccination. Conventional evidence-based principles could not be applied to formulate recommendations due to the lack of pandemic-specific efficacy data of protection tools and the inherent unpredictability of pandemics. As an alternative

Effectiveness of an electronic hand hygiene monitoring system on healthcare workers' compliance to guidelines.

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Al Salman, J M; Hani, S; de Marcellis-Warin, N; Isa, Sister Fatima

2015-01-01

Hand hygiene is a growing concern among populations and is a crucial element in ensuring patient safety in a healthcare environment. Numerous management efforts have been conducted in that regard, including education, awareness and observations. To better evaluate the possible impact of technology on a healthcare setting, we observed the impact of a particular niche technology developed as an answer to the growing hand hygiene concerns. A study was conducted at Salmaniya Medical Complex (SMC) in Bahrain on a total of 16 Coronary Care Unit (CCU) beds where the system was installed, and the hand hygiene activity of healthcare workers (HCWs) in this area was monitored for a total period of 28 days. Comments, remarks and suggestions were noted, and improvements were made to the technology during the course of the trial. While resistance to change was significant, overall results were satisfactory. Compliance with hand hygiene techniques went from 38-42% to 60% at the beginning of the trial and then increased to an average of 75% at the end of the 28-day trial. In some cases, compliance peaked at 85% or even at 100%. Our case study demonstrates that technology can be used effectively in promoting and improving hand hygiene compliance in hospitals, which is one way to prevent cross-infections, especially in critical care areas. Copyright © 2014 King Saud Bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

HIV status disclosure to perinatally-infected adolescents in Zimbabwe: a qualitative study of adolescent and healthcare worker perspectives.

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Khameer K Kidia

Full Text Available Due to the scale up of antiretroviral therapy, increasing numbers of HIV-infected children are living into adolescence. As these children grow and surpass the immediate threat of death, the issue of informing them of their HIV status arises. This study aimed to understand how perinatally-infected adolescents learn about their HIV-status as well as to examine their preferences for the disclosure process.In-depth interviews were conducted with 31 (14 male, 17 female perinatally-infected adolescents aged 16-20 at an HIV clinic in Harare, Zimbabwe, and focused on adolescents' experiences of disclosure. In addition, 15 (1 male, 14 female healthcare workers participated in two focus groups that were centred on healthcare workers' practices surrounding disclosure in the clinic. Purposive sampling was used to recruit participants. A coding frame was developed and major themes were extracted using grounded theory methods.Healthcare workers encouraged caregivers to initiate disclosure in the home environment. However, many adolescents preferred disclosure to take place in the presence of healthcare workers at the clinic because it gave them access to accurate information as well as an environment that made test results seem more credible. Adolescents learned more specific information about living with an HIV-positive status and the meaning of that status from shared experiences among peers at the clinic.HIV-status disclosure to adolescents is distinct from disclosure to younger children and requires tailored, age-appropriate guidelines. Disclosure to this age group in a healthcare setting may help overcome some of the barriers associated with caregivers disclosing in the home environment and make the HIV status seem more credible to an adolescent. The study also highlights the value of peer support among adolescents, which could help reduce the burden of psychosocial care on caregivers and healthcare workers.

Workplace violence and the meaning of work in healthcare workers: A phenomenological study.

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Lamothe, Josianne; Guay, Stephane

2017-01-01

Workplace violence (WPV) has been associated with turnover intentions and reduced job satisfaction, yet the mechanisms behind such associations are still nebulous. Studying the way people make sense of their work in the context of WPV could lead to a better understanding of its consequences. The objective of this exploratory study is to identify key features of meaning of work (MOW) in a group of healthcare workers and explain how these features can change following an act of WPV. Researchers recruited 15 healthcare workers (11 women - 4 men) who had previously been the victim of a serious physical or sexual assault by a patient. A phenomenological approach was used. Two main themes were identified: MOW and relationships with others and MOW and relationship with the self. WPV might have the potential to trigger negative changes in the way some workers perceive their colleagues, their patients and their organisation. It can also interfere with their sense of self-accomplishment; all workers however, were still able to find positive meaning in 'contribution' and 'autonomy'. WPV has the potential to change certain aspects of MOW that could help explain why WPV is associated with lowered job satisfaction, compassion fatigue, and higher turnover. Also, finding meaning through contribution and autonomy can be a form of resilience.

The social integration of healthcare agency workers in long-term care facilities: A cross-sectional study.

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Lapalme, Marie-Ève; Doucet, Olivier

2018-06-01

Patient care quality is a key concern for long-term care facilities and is directly related to effective collaboration between healthcare professionals. The use of agency staff in long-term care facilities creates important challenges in terms of coordination and communication within work units. The purpose of this study is to assess the mediating effect of common in-group identity in the relationship between permanent employees' perceptions regarding the use of agency workers -namely distributive justice, perceptions of threat, perceived similarities with agency workers, and leader inclusiveness toward agency staff- and the permanent employees' adoption of collaborative behaviours. Cross-sectional study. Three long-term care facilities. 290 regular healthcare employees (nurses and care attendants). Data were obtained through questionnaires filled out by employees. Hypotheses were tested using structural equation analyses. The results showed the indirect effects of perceived distributive justice, perceived similarity and leader inclusiveness toward agency workers on permanent employees' cooperation behaviours through common group identification. Perceptions of threat were not related to common group identification or collaborative behaviours. The results also showed that common in-group identification is related to cooperation behaviours only for employees without previous experience as agency workers. This study suggests that permanent healthcare employees who feel they are fairly compensated relative to agency workers, who consider these workers as similar to them, and who believe their supervisor appreciates agency workers' contributions tend to develop a common in-group identity, which fosters collaborative behaviours. Managers of long-term care facilities who wish to foster collaboration among their blended workforce should thus create an environment conducive of a more inclusive identity, particularly if their employees have no previous experience as agency

Smart Healthcare Digitalization: Using ICT to Effectively Balance Exploration and Exploitation Within Hospitals

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Luca Gastaldi

2012-07-01

Full Text Available Most of the literature on healthcare digitalization is focused on the benefits, the barriers and the determinants of the adoption of ICT‐based solutions within hospitals. Little is understood about how hospital digitalization can be accomplished or how this digitalization fosters an increase in hospital performance — both in terms of quality improvement and cost rationalization — by ambidextrously combining the exploration and exploitation of hospital assets. This paper sheds a preliminary light on the topic, identifying a set of action‐oriented propositions for smart healthcare digitalization within hospitals.

Are healthcare workers' mobile phones a potential source of nosocomial infections? Review of the literature.

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Ulger, Fatma; Dilek, Ahmet; Esen, Saban; Sunbul, Mustafa; Leblebicioglu, Hakan

2015-10-29

Mobile communication devices help accelerate in-hospital flow of medical information, information sharing and querying, and contribute to communications in the event of emergencies through their application and access to wireless media technology. Healthcare-associated infections remain a leading and high-cost problem of global health systems despite improvements in modern therapies. The objective of this article was to review different studies on the relationship between mobile phones (MPs) and bacterial cross-contamination and report common findings. Thirty-nine studies published between 2005 and 2013 were reviewed. Of these, 19 (48.7%) identified coagulase-negative staphylococci (CoNS), and 26 (66.7%) identified Staphylococcus aureus; frequency of growth varied. The use of MPs by healthcare workers increases the risk of repetitive cyclic contamination between the hands and face (e.g., nose, ears, and lips), and differences in personal hygiene and behaviors can further contribute to the risks. MPs are rarely cleaned after handling. They may transmit microorganisms, including multiple resistant strains, after contact with patients, and can be a source of bacterial cross-contamination. To prevent bacterial contamination of MPs, hand-washing guidelines must be followed and technical standards for prevention strategies should be developed.

Healthcare-associated infection in Burkina Faso: an assessment in a district hospital

OpenAIRE

Hervé Hien; Koiné Maxime Darbo; Laurent Ouédraogo; Salifou Konfé; Sylvain Zeba; Lassana Sangaré; Sidzabda C. Compaoré; Jean Bosco Ouédraogo; Edgard M. Ouendo; Michel Makoutodé; Nicolas Meda

2012-01-01

In developing countries, few data are available on healthcare-associated infections. In Burkina Faso, there has been a failure to take into account risk management and patient safety in the quality assurance program. The main objective of our study was to carry out an assessment of healthcare-associated infection in a first level hospital. We conducted a crosssectional study in June 2011 in the care units of Ziniaré District Hospital (Ziniaré, Burkina Faso). The hospital has been divided in t...

Factors influencing the implementation of integrated management of childhood illness (IMCI) by healthcare workers at public health centers & dispensaries in Mwanza, Tanzania.

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Kiplagat, Augustine; Musto, Richard; Mwizamholya, Damas; Morona, Domenica

2014-03-25

Integrated Management of Childhood Illness (IMCI) was developed by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the United Nations International Children's Fund (UNICEF) and aims at reducing childhood morbidity and mortality in resource-limited settings including Tanzania. It was introduced in 1996 and has been scaled up in all districts in the country. The purpose of this study was to identify factors influencing the implementation of IMCI in the health facilities in Mwanza, Tanzania since reports indicates that the guidelines are not full adhered to by the healthcare workers. A cross-sectional study design was used and a sample size of 95 healthcare workers drawn from health centers and dispensaries within Mwanza city were interviewed using self-administered questionnaires. Structured interview was also used to get views from the city IMCI focal person and the 2 facilitators. Data were analyzed using SPSS and presented using figures and tables. Only 51% of healthcare workers interviewed had been trained. 69% of trained Healthcare workers expressed understanding of the IMCI approach. Most of the respondents (77%) had a positive attitude that IMCI approach was a better approach in managing common childhood illnesses especially with the reality of resource constraint in the health facilities. The main challenges identified in the implementation of IMCI are low initial training coverage among health care workers, lack of essential drugs and supplies, lack of onsite mentoring and lack of refresher courses and regular supportive supervision. Supporting the healthcare workers through training, onsite mentoring, supportive supervision and strengthening the healthcare system through increasing access to essential medicines, vaccines, strengthening supply chain management, increasing healthcare financing, improving leadership & management were the major interventions that could assist in IMCI implementation. The healthcare workers can implement better IMCI through the

Attitudes Towards the Mentally Ill: A Study with Health Workers at a University Hospital in Rio de Janeiro.

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Siqueira, Sylvia Rosa Gonçalves; Abelha, Lúcia; Lovisi, Giovanni Marcos; Sarução, Keli Rodrigues; Yang, Lawrence

2017-03-01

As there are few studies about evaluation of attitudes of health care workers to people with mental disorders in Brazil, a cross-sectional study was carried out to assess the health professionals' attitudes working in a university hospital in Rio de Janeiro and also examine the proportion of negative and positive attitudes endorsed by healthcare professionals in Brazil towards people with mental illness in comparison with other parts of the world. Data were collected using the Community Attitudes towards the Mentally Ill (CAMI) in a random sampling frame of health professionals (n = 246) working in a University Hospital in Rio de Janeiro between April 2013 and June 2013. The CAMI consists of four sub-scales: Authoritarianism, Benevolence, Social Restrictiveness and Community Mental Health Ideology. The results showed attitudes that range from neutral to positive, with the Benevolence and Social Restrictiveness sub-scales showing the least stigmatizing results. The following individual characteristics were associated with negative attitudes: lower levels of education and less clinical experience. In general, health workers attitudes towards service users are characterized as positive when compared with other international studies. However, educational programs for health workers should be reinforced to further promote pre-existing positive attitudes towards people with mental health and the implementation of Brazilian Mental Health Policies.

Reducing stigma among healthcare providers to improve mental health services (RESHAPE): protocol for a pilot cluster randomized controlled trial of a stigma reduction intervention for training primary healthcare workers in Nepal.

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Kohrt, Brandon A; Jordans, Mark J D; Turner, Elizabeth L; Sikkema, Kathleen J; Luitel, Nagendra P; Rai, Sauharda; Singla, Daisy R; Lamichhane, Jagannath; Lund, Crick; Patel, Vikram

2018-01-01

Non-specialist healthcare providers, including primary and community healthcare workers, in low- and middle-income countries can effectively treat mental illness. However, scaling-up mental health services within existing health systems has been limited by barriers such as stigma against people with mental illness. Therefore, interventions are needed to address attitudes and behaviors among non-specialists. Aimed at addressing this gap, RE ducing S tigma among H ealthc A re P roviders to Improv E mental health services (RESHAPE) is an intervention in which social contact with mental health service users is added to training for non-specialist healthcare workers integrating mental health services into primary healthcare. This protocol describes a mixed methods pilot and feasibility study in primary care centers in Chitwan, Nepal. The qualitative component will include key informant interviews and focus group discussions. The quantitative component consists of a pilot cluster randomized controlled trial (c-RCT), which will establish parameters for a future effectiveness study of RESHAPE compared to training as usual (TAU). Primary healthcare facilities (the cluster unit, k  = 34) will be randomized to TAU or RESHAPE. The direct beneficiaries of the intervention are the primary healthcare workers in the facilities ( n  = 150); indirect beneficiaries are their patients ( n  = 100). The TAU condition is existing mental health training and supervision for primary healthcare workers delivered through the Programme for Improving Mental healthcarE (PRIME) implementing the mental health Gap Action Programme (mhGAP). The primary objective is to evaluate acceptability and feasibility through qualitative interviews with primary healthcare workers, trainers, and mental health service users. The secondary objective is to collect quantitative information on health worker outcomes including mental health stigma (Social Distance Scale), clinical knowledge (mh

The effect of contact precautions on healthcare worker activity in acute care hospitals.

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Morgan, Daniel J; Pineles, Lisa; Shardell, Michelle; Graham, Margaret M; Mohammadi, Shahrzad; Forrest, Graeme N; Reisinger, Heather S; Schweizer, Marin L; Perencevich, Eli N

2013-01-01

Contact precautions are a cornerstone of infection prevention but have also been associated with less healthcare worker (HCW) contact and adverse events. We studied how contact precautions modified HCW behavior in 4 acute care facilities. Prospective cohort study. Four acute care facilities in the United States performing active surveillance for methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus. Trained observers performed "secret shopper" monitoring of HCW activities during routine care, using a standardized collection tool and fixed 1-hour observation periods. A total of 7,743 HCW visits were observed over 1,989 hours. Patients on contact precautions had 36.4% fewer hourly HCW visits than patients not on contact precautions (2.78 vs 4.37 visits per hour; [Formula: see text]) as well as 17.7% less direct patient contact time with HCWs (13.98 vs 16.98 minutes per hour; [Formula: see text]). Patients on contact precautions tended to have fewer visitors (23.6% fewer; [Formula: see text]). HCWs were more likely to perform hand hygiene on exiting the room of a patient on contact precautions (63.2% vs 47.4% in rooms of patients not on contact precautions; [Formula: see text]). Contact precautions were found to be associated with activities likely to reduce transmission of resistant pathogens, such as fewer visits and better hand hygiene at exit, while exposing patients on contact precautions to less HCW contact, less visitor contact, and potentially other unintended outcomes.

Minor mental disorders in Taiwanese healthcare workers and the associations with psychosocial work conditions

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Wan-Ju Cheng

2017-04-01

Conclusion: Despite the fact that healthcare workers work longer hours and shift work, there were several modifiable psychosocial work conditions that should be targeted to improve their mental health.

Marketing healthcare: lessons for smaller hospitals.

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Chowdhary, N R

2000-02-01

Recently, I have noted ubiquitous trends that lead me to conclude that we are on the brink of a fundamental change in the structure of healthcare delivery. Hospitals are changing. The hospital, that enduring and pervasive organization, which for decades has delivered the vast majority of acute care services is being re-conceptualized. Administrators and executives in today's hospitals are beginning to recognize the disaffection of constituents and the necessity to change from placing their own agenda or that of their profession over the needs of the customer. A lesson that is increasingly being heeded, particularly by the leading hospitals, is that a belief in one's own importance or a feeling of invulnerability represents an anachronistic stance. No hospital today can afford to retain a view that it is more important than the patients it serves, or that it is invulnerable. The external pressures are already clear--the actors, factors and forces in the external environment are forcing hospitals to re-evaluate efficiency, effectiveness and delivery arrangements. The rise to prominence of the outcomes movement is part of this trend. The present study was an attempt to assess the practices and trends in the modern smaller hospitals as a part of their strategy to match the competitive pressures.

Interaction effects among multiple job demands: an examination of healthcare workers across different contexts.

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Jimmieson, Nerina L; Tucker, Michelle K; Walsh, Alexandra J

2017-05-01

Simultaneous exposure to time, cognitive, and emotional demands is a feature of the work environment for healthcare workers, yet effects of these common stressors in combination are not well established. Survey data were collected from 125 hospital employees (Sample 1, Study 1), 93 ambulance service employees (Sample 2, Study 1), and 380 aged care/disability workers (Study 2). Hierarchical multiple regressions were conducted. In Sample 1, high cognitive demand exacerbated high emotional demand on psychological strain and job burnout, whereas the negative effect of high emotional demand was not present at low cognitive demand. In Sample 2, a similar pattern between emotional demand and time demand on stress-remedial intentions was observed. In Study 2, emotional demand × time demand and time demand × cognitive demand interactions again revealed that high levels of two demands were stress-exacerbating and low levels of one demand neutralized the other. A three-way interaction on job satisfaction showed the negative impact of emotional demand was exacerbated when both time and cognitive demands were high, creating a "triple disadvantage" of job demands. The results demonstrate that reducing some job demands helps attenuate the stressful effects of other job demands on different employee outcomes.

The analysis of radiation exposure of hospital radiation workers

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jeong, Tae Sik; Shin, Byung Chul; Moon, Chang Woo; Cho, Yeong Duk; Lee, Yong Hwan; Yum, Ha Yong

2000-01-01

This investigation was performed in order to improve the health care of radiation workers, to predict a risk, to minimize the radiation exposure hazard to them and for them to realize radiation exposure danger when they work in radiation area in hospital. The documentations checked regularly for personal radiation exposure in four university hospitals in Pusan city in Korea between January 1, 1993 and December 31, 1997 were analyz ed. There were 458 persons in this documented but 111 persons who worked less then one year were excluded and only 347 persons were included in this study. The average of yearly radiation exposure of 347 persons was 1.52±1.35 mSv. Though it was less than 5OmSv, the limitaion of radiation in law but 125 (36%) people received higher radiation exposure than non-radiation workers. Radiation workers under 30 year old have received radiation exposure of mean 1.87±1.01 mSv/year, mean 1.22±0.69 mSv between 31 and 40 year old and mean 0.97±0.43 mSv/year over, 41year old (p<0.001). Men received mean 1.67±1.54 mSv/year were higher than women who received mean 1.13±0.61 mSv/year (p<0.01). Radiation exposure in the department of nuclear medicine department in spite of low energy sources is higher than other departments that use radiations in hospital (p<0.05). And the workers who received mean 3.69±1.81 mSv/year in parts of management of radiation sources and injection of sources to patient receive high radiation exposure in nuclear medicine department (0<0.01). In department of diagnostic radiology high radiation exposure is in barium enema rooms where workers received mean 3.74±1.74 mSv/year and other parts where they all use fluoroscopy such as angiography room of mean 1.17±0.35 mSv/year and upper gastrointestinal room of mean 1.74±1.34 mSv/year represented higher radiation exposure than average radiation exposure in diagnostic radiology (p<0.01). Doctors and radiation technologists received higher radiation exposure of each mean 1.75±1

How secure is your information system? An investigation into actual healthcare worker password practices.

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Cazier, Joseph A; Medlin, B Dawn

2006-09-27

For most healthcare information systems, passwords are the first line of defense in keeping patient and administrative records private and secure. However, this defense is only as strong as the passwords employees chose to use. A weak or easily guessed password is like an open door to the medical records room, allowing unauthorized access to sensitive information. In this paper, we present the results of a study of actual healthcare workers' password practices. In general, the vast majority of these passwords have significant security problems on several dimensions. Implications for healthcare professionals are discussed.

Analysis of the healthcare waste management status in Tehran hospitals

OpenAIRE

Malekahmadi, Fariba; Yunesian, Masud; yaghmaeian, Kamyar; nadafi, Kazem

2014-01-01

Background Considering the importance of healthcare waste management, following the ratification of the Waste Management law in 2005 and the subsequent approval of its executive bylaw in 2006 and finally the healthcare waste management criteria passing by the parliament in 2008, a review on the status of healthcare waste management is needed to implement the mentioned law properly. Findings In this retrospective study during six months period all public hospitals in Iran’s capital city, Tehra...

Ward social workers' views of what facilitates or hinders collaboration with specialist palliative care team social workers: A grounded theory.

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Firn, Janice; Preston, Nancy; Walshe, Catherine

2017-07-14

Inpatient, generalist social workers in discharge planning roles work alongside specialist palliative care social workers to care for patients, often resulting in two social workers being concurrently involved in the same patient's care. Previous studies identifying components of effective collaboration, which impacts patient outcomes, care efficiency, professional job satisfaction, and healthcare costs, were conducted with nurses and physicians but not social workers. This study explores ward social workers' perceptions of what facilitates or hinders collaboration with palliative care social workers. Grounded theory was used to explore the research aim. In-depth qualitative interviews with masters trained ward social workers (n = 14) working in six hospitals located in the Midwest, United States were conducted between February 2014 and January 2015. A theoretical model of ward social workers' collaboration with palliative care social workers was developed. The emerging model of collaboration consists of: 1) trust, which is comprised of a) ability, b) benevolence, and c) integrity, 2) information sharing, and 3) role negotiation. Effective collaboration occurs when all elements of the model are present. Collaboration is facilitated when ward social workers' perceptions of trust are high, pertinent information is communicated in a time-sensitive manner, and a flexible approach to roles is taken. The theoretical model of collaboration can inform organisational policy and social work clinical practice guidelines, and may be of use to other healthcare professionals, as improvements in collaboration among healthcare providers may have a positive impact on patient outcomes.

Changes in working conditions for home healthcare workers and impacts on their work activity and on their emotions

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Corinne Van De Weerdt

2015-06-01

Full Text Available Home healthcare is steadily growing in many countries. Nevertheless, it is known that home healthcare workers are frequently exposed to a variety of potentially serious occupational hazards. Working conditions have changed to become more emotionally and physically demanding on workers. Emotional labor is increasingly high in this profession. Time pressure is increasingly common. This paper describes an ergonomic study analyzing the working conditions of nursing assistants and nurses, as well as the impacts of their work in terms of job satisfaction, emotions at work, relationships with the others, and occupational stress. The study shows that changing working conditions are making it increasingly difficult for home healthcare workers to do their work properly. We can confirm that such workers use strategies to try to cope. They use individual strategies to preserve the relational dimension of their work activity. These strategies are specifically centered around preserving the relationships with patients, and coping with the demands of the job. The study also shows that workers use strategies to express emotions and to conceal them from others. Finally, the paper presents the recommendations that were discussed with the manager and workers for improving working conditions and that led to practical proposals: e.g. implementing certain items of equipment better suited to difficult care, encouraging assistance between workers when operations so require through appropriate organizational measures, extending emotion-focused work discussion groups with management involvement.

Accidents with potentially hazardous biological material among workers in hospital supporting services.

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Canini, Silvia Rita Marin da Silva; Gir, Elucir; Machado, Alcyone Artiolli

2005-01-01

Descriptive study was carried out to characterize the occupational accidents involving potentially contaminated material among workers of hospital supporting services. The study reviewed records of workers involved in these accidents and attended at a specialized outpatient clinic of a large tertiary care hospital between January 1997 and October 2001. A total of 2814 workers from different professional categories were attended during this period. Of these, 147 (5.2%) belonged to the hospital supporting services and were the victims of 156 accidents, auxiliary cleaning personnel (80.2%), and over a third of the workers had not received any dose of hepatitis B vaccine (35.4%). Most accidents were due to sharp injuries (96.8%) caused by inadequately discarded hollow needles. Chemoprophylaxis for HIV was not indicated in only 23.1% of cases. We conclude that these workers are also exposed to the possibility of acquiring blood-borne pathogens and that periodical education programs are needed.

Frequent transient hepatitis C viremia without seroconversion among healthcare workers in Cairo, Egypt.

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Aline Munier

Full Text Available BACKGROUNDS: With 10% of the general population aged 15-59 years chronically infected with hepatitis C virus (HCV, Egypt is the country with the highest HCV prevalence worldwide. Healthcare workers (HCWs are therefore at particularly high risk of HCV infection. Our aim was to study HCV infection risk after occupational blood exposure among HCWs in Cairo. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: The study was conducted in 2008-2010 at Ain Shams University Hospital, Cairo. HCWs reporting an occupational blood exposure at screening, having neither anti-HCV antibodies (anti-HCV nor HCV RNA, and exposed to a HCV RNA positive patient, were enrolled in a 6-month prospective cohort with follow-up visits at weeks 2, 4, 8, 12 and 24. During follow-up, anti-HCV, HCV RNA and ALT were tested. Among 597 HCWs who reported a blood exposure, anti-HCV prevalence at screening was 7.2%, not different from that of the general population of Cairo after age-standardization (11.6% and 10.4% respectively, p = 0.62. The proportion of HCV viremia among index patients was 37%. Of 73 HCWs exposed to HCV RNA from index patients, nine (12.3%; 95%CI, 5.8-22.1% presented transient viremia, the majority of which occurred within the first two weeks after exposure. None of the workers presented seroconversion or elevation of ALT. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: HCWs of a general University hospital in Cairo were exposed to a highly viremic patient population. They experienced frequent occupational blood exposures, particularly in early stages of training. These exposures resulted in transient viremic episodes without established infection. These findings call for further investigation of potential immune protection against HCV persistence in this high risk group.

Frequent Transient Hepatitis C viremia without Seroconversion among Healthcare Workers in Cairo, Egypt

Science.gov (United States)

Munier, Aline; Marzouk, Diaa; Abravanel, Florence; El-Daly, Mai; Taylor, Sylvia; Mamdouh, Rasha; Eldin, Waleed Salah; El-Arab, Hanan Ezz; Sos, Dalia Gaber; Momen, Mohamed; Okasha, Omar; Le Fouler, Lenaig; El-Hosini, Mostafa; Izopet, Jacques; Rafik, Mona; Albert, Matthew; Abdel-Hamid, Mohamed; Mohamed, Mostafa Kamal; Delarocque-Astagneau, Elisabeth; Fontanet, Arnaud

2013-01-01

Backgrounds With 10% of the general population aged 15–59 years chronically infected with hepatitis C virus (HCV), Egypt is the country with the highest HCV prevalence worldwide. Healthcare workers (HCWs) are therefore at particularly high risk of HCV infection. Our aim was to study HCV infection risk after occupational blood exposure among HCWs in Cairo. Methodology/Principal Findings The study was conducted in 2008–2010 at Ain Shams University Hospital, Cairo. HCWs reporting an occupational blood exposure at screening, having neither anti-HCV antibodies (anti-HCV) nor HCV RNA, and exposed to a HCV RNA positive patient, were enrolled in a 6-month prospective cohort with follow-up visits at weeks 2, 4, 8, 12 and 24. During follow-up, anti-HCV, HCV RNA and ALT were tested. Among 597 HCWs who reported a blood exposure, anti-HCV prevalence at screening was 7.2%, not different from that of the general population of Cairo after age-standardization (11.6% and 10.4% respectively, p = 0.62). The proportion of HCV viremia among index patients was 37%. Of 73 HCWs exposed to HCV RNA from index patients, nine (12.3%; 95%CI, 5.8–22.1%) presented transient viremia, the majority of which occurred within the first two weeks after exposure. None of the workers presented seroconversion or elevation of ALT. Conclusions/Significance HCWs of a general University hospital in Cairo were exposed to a highly viremic patient population. They experienced frequent occupational blood exposures, particularly in early stages of training. These exposures resulted in transient viremic episodes without established infection. These findings call for further investigation of potential immune protection against HCV persistence in this high risk group. PMID:23469082

How front-line healthcare workers respond to stock-outs of essential medicines in the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa.

Science.gov (United States)

Hodes, R; Price, I; Bungane, N; Toska, E; Cluver, L

2017-08-25

Shortages of essential medicines are a daily occurrence in many of South Africa (SA)'s public health facilities. This study focuses on the responses of healthcare workers to stock-outs, investigating how actors at the 'front line' of public health delivery understand, experience and respond to shortages of essential medicines and equipment in their facilities. Findings are based on focus groups, observations and interviews with healthcare workers and patients at healthcare facilities in the Eastern Cape Province of SA, conducted as part of the Mzantsi Wakho study. The research revealed a discrepancy between 'informal' definitions of stock-outs and their reporting through formal stock-out management channels. Front-line healthcare workers had designed their own systems for classifying the severity of stock-outs, based on the product in question, and on their potential to access stocks from other facilities. Beyond formal systems of procurement and supply, healthcare workers had established vast networks of alternative communication and action, often using personal resources to procure medical supplies. Stock-outs were only reported when informal methods of stock-sharing did not secure top-up supplies. These findings have implications for understanding the frequency and severity of stock-outs, and for taking action to prevent and manage stock-outs effectively.

Thermal comfort in hospital and healthcare facilities : a literature review

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Sadrizadeh, S.; Loomans, M.G.L.C.

2016-01-01

Hospital and healthcare facilities need to provide a variety of indoor environments due to the diverse comfort and health needs of their patients and staff. Thermal comfort is an essential part of indoor environmental quality in the hospital work environment that affects both the patient’s own

Stress and Burnout in Health-Care Workers after the 2009 L’Aquila Earthquake: A Cross-Sectional Observational Study

OpenAIRE

Antonella Mattei; Fabiana Fiasca; Mariachiara Mazzei; Stefano Necozione; Valeria Bianchini

2017-01-01

Burnout is a work-related mental health impairment, which is now recognized as a real problem in the context of the helping professions due to its adverse health outcomes on efficiency. To our knowledge, the literature on the postdisaster scenario in Italy is limited by a focus on mental health professionals rather than other health-care workers. Our cross-sectional study aims to evaluate the prevalence of burnout and psychopathological distress in different categories of health-care workers,...

Radiation exposure of sewer workers associated with radioactive discharges from hospitals

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

McDonnell, C.E.; Wilkins, S.

1991-07-01

Models have been developed to estimate the dispersion of radionuclides discharged into the sewer system serving a hospital where nuclear medicine and other techniques are used, and to assess the radiation doses to sewer workers and maintenance staff who may be exposed to these discharges. The dispersion model has been tested in a practical situation for the radionuclide 131 I. For a typical combination of hospital and sewer works, the estimated critical group doses arising from discharges of four selected radionuclides, 32 P, 99m Tc, 125 I and 131 I, are 30 μSv y -1 and 20 μSv y -1 respectively for a worker at the sewer works and for a sewer maintenance worker exposed for prolonged periods in the region of the sewer system adjacent to the hospital discharge point. (author)

VOC contamination in hospital, from stationary sampling of a large panel of compounds, in view of healthcare workers and patients exposure assessment.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Vincent Bessonneau

Full Text Available BACKGROUND: We aimed to assess, for the first time, the nature of the indoor air contamination of hospitals. METHODS AND FINDINGS: More than 40 volatile organic compounds (VOCs including aliphatic, aromatic and halogenated hydrocarbons, aldehydes, alcohols, ketones, ethers and terpenes were measured in a teaching hospital in France, from sampling in six sampling sites--reception hall, patient room, nursing care, post-anesthesia care unit, parasitology-mycology laboratory and flexible endoscope disinfection unit--in the morning and in the afternoon, during three consecutive days. Our results showed that the main compounds found in indoor air were alcohols (arithmetic means ± SD: 928±958 µg/m³ and 47.9±52.2 µg/m³ for ethanol and isopropanol, respectively, ethers (75.6±157 µg/m³ for ether and ketones (22.6±20.6 µg/m³ for acetone. Concentrations levels of aromatic and halogenated hydrocarbons, ketones, aldehydes and limonene were widely variable between sampling sites, due to building age and type of products used according to health activities conducted in each site. A high temporal variability was observed in concentrations of alcohols, probably due to the intensive use of alcohol-based hand rubs in all sites. Qualitative analysis of air samples led to the identification of other compounds, including siloxanes (hexamethyldisiloxane, octamethyltrisiloxane, decamethylcyclopentasiloxane, anesthetic gases (sevoflurane, desflurane, aliphatic hydrocarbons (butane, esters (ethylacetate, terpenes (camphor, α-bisabolol, aldehydes (benzaldehyde and organic acids (benzoic acid depending on sites. CONCLUSION: For all compounds, concentrations measured were lower than concentrations known to be harmful in humans. However, results showed that indoor air of sampling locations contains a complex mixture of VOCs. Further multicenter studies are required to compare these results. A full understanding of the exposure of healthcare workers and patients

Health workers' ICT literacy in a Nigerian University Teaching Hospital

African Journals Online (AJOL)

This study investigated the ICT literacy among the health workers of Igbinedion University Teaching Hospital. The emergence of Internet for Telemedicine and health information revolution necessitates that issue of computer and other communication technology literacy among the health workers of Igbinedion University ...

Psychosocial risks assessment at hospital: development of a French questionnaire.

Science.gov (United States)

Finger, Vincent; Baumstarck, Karine; Boufercha, Rafika; Lehucher-Michel, Marie Pascale; Loundou, Anderson; Auquier, Pascal; Sari-Minodier, Irene

2016-09-26

In order to improve the well-being, health, and performance of hospital workers, it should be important to focus on the psychosocial risk (PSR) factors in the work environment and on job satisfaction. Although many epidemiological questionnaires are used to measure PSR among healthcare workers, no specific existing model can be applied to all categories of hospital workers. To develop a short French self-administered instrument for measuring the PSR for hospital workers: the PSRH questionnaire. The content of the PSRH questionnaire was partly derived from the well-known and standardized questionnaires (Karasek Job Content and Siegriest effort-reward imbalance questionnaires). The validation process was carried out in all the departments of a large public university hospital (Marseille, France). Eligible workers were adult employees present on the day of the assessment: healthcare, administrative, and technical workers. A total of 2203 subjects were included from September 2012 to October 2013. The PSRH contains 24 items describing 6 dimensions (Management, cooperation and hierarchical support; Requirements, constraints and autonomy related to work; Support and relationship with the team; Complexity of the work and unforeseen factors; Meaning of work and recognition; and Conciliation work - work out). The six-factor structure presented satisfactory internal consistency and scalability. All the scores showed significant correlations with a well-being score. Acceptability was high. The PSRH is a self-administered instrument assessing PSR at hospital that presents satisfactory psychometric properties. Future studies should identify factors that determine low- and high-risk workers in order to implement appropriate preventing strategies.

Sensitizing health-care workers and trainees to create a nondiscriminatory health-care environment for surgical care of HIV-Infected patients

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Deeptiman James

2018-01-01

Full Text Available Background: Occupational risk of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV transmission creates barriers in the surgical health care of patients with HIV infection. Poor awareness, prevalent misconceptions, and associated stigma lead to discrimination against HIV-infected patients. This study was carried out to assess effectiveness of a “HIV awareness program” (HAP to educate and motivate health-care workers to provide equitable and ethical health care to HIV-infected patients. Methodology: An interventional study was conducted at a secondary level mission hospital in Central India from April 2014 to August 2015. Change in knowledge, awareness, and attitude following a multimedia “HAP” was analyzed with a “pre- and posttest design.” Seventy-four staffs and trainees participated in the program. Z-test and t-test were used to check the statistical significance of the data. Results: The mean pretest score was 19.31 (standard deviation [SD]: 6.0, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 17.923–20.697 and the mean posttest score was 30.84 (SD: 4.8, 95% CI: 29.714–31.966. This difference was statistically significant at the 5% level with P < 0.001. Conclusions: “HAP” was effective in changing the knowledge, awareness, and attitude of the staffs and trainees of the secondary hospital toward surgical care of HIV-infected patients.

TRADITIONAL CARDIOVASCULAR RISK-FACTORS AMONG HEALTHCARE WORKERS IN KELANTAN, MALAYSIA.

Science.gov (United States)

Hazmi, Helmy; Ishak, Wan Rosli Wan; Jalil, Rohana Abd; Hua, Gan Siew; Hamid, Noor Fadzlina; Haron, Rosliza; Shafei, Mohd Nazri; Ibrahim, Mohd Ismail; Bebakar, Wan Mohamad Wan; Ismail, Shaiful Bahri; Musa, Kamarul Imran

2015-05-01

We conducted a cross sectional study of cardiovascular risk factors among healthcare workers at four government hospitals in Kelantan, Malaysia. We randomly selected 330 subjects fulfilling the following study criteria: those who had been working for at least one year at that health facility, Malaysians citizens and those with some form of direct contact with patients. We conducted an interview, obtained physical measurements, a fasting blood sugar and fasting lipid profiles among 308 subjects. The mean age of the subjects was 43.5 years, 82% were female; 30.8%, 14.3%, 10.4%, 1.3% and 1.6% of the subjects had dyslipidemia, hypertension, diabetes mellitus, a history of stroke and a history of ischemic heart disease, respectively. Forty-two percent of subjects had at least one medical condition. The mean body mass index (BMI) was 27.0 kg/M2 (SD=4.8) and 24.3% had a BMI > or =30 kg/M2. The mean systolic and diastolic blood pressures were 121.5 mmHg (SD=14.0) and 76.5 mmHg (SD=9.7), respectively and the mean waist-hip ratio was 0.84 (SD=0.1). The mean fasting blood sugar, total cholesterol, triglyceride, high density lipoprotein and low density lipoprotein were 5.8 mmol/l (SD=2.4), 5.5 mmol/l (SD=1.0), 1.4 mmol/l (SD=0.9), 1.5 mmol/l (SD=0.3) and 3.5 mmol/l (SD=0.9), respectively. Our study population had a smaller proportion of hypertension than that of the general Malaysian population. They had higher fasting total cholesterol, slightly lower fasting blood sugar, with a large proportion of them, obese and had diabetes. Immediate intervention is needed to reduce the traditional cardiovascular risk factors in this population. Keywords: cardiovascular risk factors, health care workers, Malaysia

Asthma and respiratory symptoms in hospital workers related to dampness and biological contaminants.

Science.gov (United States)

Cox-Ganser, J M; Rao, C Y; Park, J-H; Schumpert, J C; Kreiss, K

2009-08-01

The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health investigated respiratory symptoms and asthma in relation to damp indoor environments in employees of two hospitals. A cluster of six work-related asthma cases from one hospital department, whose symptoms arose during a time of significant water incursions, led us to conduct a survey of respiratory health in 1171/1834 employees working in the sentinel cases hospital and a nearby hospital without known indoor environmental concerns. We carried out observational assessment of dampness, air, chair, and floor dust sampling for biological contaminants, and investigation of exposure-response associations for about 500 participants. Many participants with post-hire onset asthma reported diagnosis dates in a period of water incursions and renovations. Post-hire asthma and work-related lower respiratory symptoms were positively associated with the dampness score. Work-related lower respiratory symptoms showed monotonically increasing odds ratios with ergosterol, a marker of fungal biomass. Other fungal and bacterial indices, particle counts, cat allergen and latex allergen were associated with respiratory symptoms. Our data imply new-onset of asthma in relation to water damage, and indicate that work-related respiratory symptoms in hospital workers may be associated with diverse biological contaminants. In healthcare facilities with indoor dampness and microbial contamination, possible associations between such conditions and respiratory health effects should be considered. Good building maintenance and housekeeping procedures should lead to improvements in employee respiratory health.

New technology markedly improves hand-hygiene performance among healthcare workers after restroom visits

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Møller-Sørensen, H; Korshin, A; Mogensen, T

2016-01-01

The risks to patients from pathogens present on healthcare workers' (HCWs') hands are high; however, compliance with hand hygiene among HCWs is low. We devised a prospective intervention trial of a new hand-hygiene dispensing technology to improve HCWs' compliance with hand hygiene. Baseline hand...

When healthcare workers get sick: exploring sickness absenteeism in British Columbia, Canada.

Science.gov (United States)

Gorman, Erin; Yu, Shicheng; Alamgir, Hasanat

2010-01-01

To determine the demographic and work characteristics of healthcare workers who were more likely to take sickness absences from work in British Columbia, Canada. Payroll data were analyzed for three health regions. Sickness absence rates were determined per person-year and then compared across demographic and work characteristics using multivariate Poisson regression models. The direct costs to the employer due to sickness absences were also estimated. Female, older, full-time workers, long-term care workers and those with a lower hourly wage were more likely to take sickness absences and had similar trends with respect to the costs due to sickness absence. For occupations, licensed practical nurses, care aides and facility support workers had higher rates of sickness absence. Registered nurses, and those workers paid high hourly wages were associated with highest sickness related costs. It is important to understand the demographic and work characteristics of those workers who are more likely to take sickness absences in order to make sure that they are not experiencing additional hazards at work or facing detrimental workplace conditions. Policy makers need to establish healthy, safe and in turn more productive workplaces. Further research is needed on how interventions can reduce sickness absence.

Skin care education and individual counselling versus treatment as usual in healthcare workers with hand eczema: randomised clinical trial.

Science.gov (United States)

Ibler, Kristina Sophie; Jemec, Gregor B E; Diepgen, Thomas L; Gluud, Christian; Lindschou Hansen, Jane; Winkel, Per; Thomsen, Simon Francis; Agner, Tove

2012-12-12

To evaluate the effect of a secondary prevention programme with education on skin care and individual counselling versus treatment as usual in healthcare workers with hand eczema. Randomised, observer blinded parallel group superiority clinical trial. Three hospitals in Denmark. 255 healthcare workers with self reported hand eczema within the past year randomised centrally and stratified by profession, severity of eczema, and hospital. 123 were allocated to the intervention group and 132 to the control group. Education in skin care and individual counselling based on patch and prick testing and assessment of work and domestic related exposures. The control was treatment as usual. The primary outcome was clinical severity of disease at five month follow-up measured by scores on the hand eczema severity index. The secondary outcomes were scores on the dermatology life quality index, self evaluated severity of hand eczema, skin protective behaviours, and knowledge of hand eczema from onset to follow-up. Follow-up data were available for 247 of 255 participants (97%). At follow-up, the mean score on the hand eczema severity index was significantly lower (improved) in the intervention group than control group: difference of means, unadjusted -3.56 (95% confidence interval -4.92 to -2.14); adjusted -3.47 (-4.80 to -2.14), both Pgroup at follow-up: difference of means: unadjusted -0.78, non-parametric test P=0.003; adjusted -0.92, -1.48 to -0.37). Self evaluated severity and skin protective behaviour by hand washings and wearing of protective gloves were also statistically significantly better in the intervention group, whereas this was not the case for knowledge of hand eczema. A secondary prevention programme for hand eczema improved severity and quality of life and had a positive effect on self evaluated severity and skin protective behaviour by hand washings and wearing of protective gloves. ClinicalTrials.gov NCT01012453.

Process management in healthcare. Sant Camil Hospital case study

OpenAIRE

Sánchez Ruiz, Lidia; Blanco Rojo, Beatriz; Simón, Rosa María

2013-01-01

Nowadays due to the crisis, some government measures are aimed at reducing healthcare spending, affecting in some level or another the quality offered. Process management is said to be a useful tool for reducing healthcare costs by improving management without any additional economic investment. That is doing more with the same resources and without reducing the quality offered. In this study an empirical case of a Catalan hospital is presented. Overall, the usefulness of process management i...

Integrating hospital information systems in healthcare institutions: a mediation architecture.

Science.gov (United States)

El Azami, Ikram; Cherkaoui Malki, Mohammed Ouçamah; Tahon, Christian

2012-10-01

Many studies have examined the integration of information systems into healthcare institutions, leading to several standards in the healthcare domain (CORBAmed: Common Object Request Broker Architecture in Medicine; HL7: Health Level Seven International; DICOM: Digital Imaging and Communications in Medicine; and IHE: Integrating the Healthcare Enterprise). Due to the existence of a wide diversity of heterogeneous systems, three essential factors are necessary to fully integrate a system: data, functions and workflow. However, most of the previous studies have dealt with only one or two of these factors and this makes the system integration unsatisfactory. In this paper, we propose a flexible, scalable architecture for Hospital Information Systems (HIS). Our main purpose is to provide a practical solution to insure HIS interoperability so that healthcare institutions can communicate without being obliged to change their local information systems and without altering the tasks of the healthcare professionals. Our architecture is a mediation architecture with 3 levels: 1) a database level, 2) a middleware level and 3) a user interface level. The mediation is based on two central components: the Mediator and the Adapter. Using the XML format allows us to establish a structured, secured exchange of healthcare data. The notion of medical ontology is introduced to solve semantic conflicts and to unify the language used for the exchange. Our mediation architecture provides an effective, promising model that promotes the integration of hospital information systems that are autonomous, heterogeneous, semantically interoperable and platform-independent.

Category Captain Management: a new approach for healthcare suppliers to partner with their hospital customers.

Science.gov (United States)

Trombetta, Bill

2007-01-01

Hospitals represent a substantial market for pharmaceutical and medical device companies. The typical approach by healthcare manufacturers and suppliers to hospitals is to send representatives or detailers to hospitals and meet with representatives of hospital formularies and purchasing officials. Classic channels systems, and specifically, Category Captain Management ("CCM") may provide more of a sustainable competitive advantage than traditional hospital detailing. The purpose of this article is to discuss how CCM might apply as an approach for healthcare suppliers to truly partner with their hospital customers.

Flexible working arrangements in healthcare: a comparison between managers of shift workers and 9-to-5 employees.

Science.gov (United States)

Mercer, Danielle; Russell, Elizabeth; Arnold, Kara A

2014-01-01

This study examined healthcare managers' perceptions of flexible working arrangements and implementation barriers. Work-life conflict can lead to negative health implications, but flexible working arrangements can help manage this conflict. Little research has examined its implementation in 24/7/365 healthcare organizations or within groups of employees working 9 AM to 5 PM (9-5) versus shift-work hours. Questionnaires regarding perceptions to, benefits of, and barriers against flexible working arrangements were administered to managers of 9-5 workers and shift workers in an Atlantic Canadian healthcare organization. Few differences in perceptions and benefits of flexible working arrangements were found between management groups. However, results indicate that the interaction with patients and/or the immediacy of tasks being performed are barriers for shift-work managers. The nature of healthcare presents barriers for managers implementing flexible working arrangements, which differ only based on whether the job is physical (shift work) versus desk related (9-5 work).

Developing cross-cultural healthcare workers: content, process and mentoring

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mark A Strand

2016-01-01

Full Text Available Career service in cross-cultural healthcare mission work is the ambition of many people around the world. However, premature termination of this expected long-term service mitigates against achieving the goals of the individual and the organization. The lingering challenge of high rates of missionary attrition impacts the long-term effectiveness of the work and the health and well-being of the workers. One of the keys to reducing premature attrition is cross-cultural training for these individuals, provided it offers the right content, through the best medium, at the time of greatest perceived need by the missionary. This paper applies the Dreyfus Model of skills acquisition to the process of mentoring career healthcare missionaries in a progressive manner, utilizing a mentoring method. These missionaries can flourish in their work and more effectively achieve their individual and organizational goals through strategic mentorship that clearly defines a pathway for growing their cross-cultural skills.

Variations in hospital worker perceptions of safety culture.

Science.gov (United States)

Listyowardojo, Tita Alissa; Nap, Raoul E; Johnson, Addie

2012-02-01

To compare the attitudes toward and perceptions of institutional practices that can influence patient safety between all professional groups at a university medical center. A questionnaire measuring nine dimensions of organizational and safety culture was distributed to all hospital workers. Each item was rated on a 1 ('strongly disagree') to 5 ('strongly agree') scale. Professionals (2995), grouped as 'physicians' (16.6%), 'nurses' (40.3%), 'clinical workers' (e.g. psychologists; 21.7%), 'laboratory workers' (e.g. technicians; 11%) and 'non-medical workers' (e.g. managers; 10.4%). One-way analysis of variances (ANOVAs) carried out separately on each dimension with professional group as the independent variable of interest. Differences in ratings of organizational and safety culture were found across professional groups. Physicians and non-medical workers tended to rate the dimensions of organizational and safety culture more positively than did nurses, clinical workers and laboratory workers. For example, physicians gave more positive ratings of 'institutional commitment to safety' than did nurses, clinical workers and laboratory workers (mean = 3.71 vs. 3.62, 3.61 and 3.58, respectively, P vs. 3.39, 3.36, 3.49 and 3.47, respectively, P culture should be tailored to the target group as attitudes and perceptions may differ among groups.

Features of burnout syndrome development in healthcare workers with different types of work motivation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Vezhnovets T.A.

2016-05-01

Full Text Available The article presents the results of researches of peculiarities of burnout syndrome formation in healthcare workers with different types of work motivation. It is discovered that the syndrome is formed for each motivational type as mechanism of psychological protection against the action of certain stressful factors, namely: for instrumental type – an excessive concentration on obtaining material rewards; for professional type – an excessive control of emotions in substantial professional communications and high psycho-emotional overload; for patriotic type – high level of dependence on social approval, a high level of communicative activity, a high level of psycho-emotional overload, for economical type – distrust, for lumpenized – any labor. Prevention of burnout syndrome in healthcare workers has to be realized taking into account peculiarities of psycho-traumatic factors depending on the type of work motivation.

Nasal Carriage Rate of Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus aureus among Health Care Workers at a Tertiary Care Hospital in Kathmandu, Nepal.

Science.gov (United States)

Khatri, S; Pant, N D; Bhandari, R; Shrestha, K L; Shrestha, C D; Adhikari, N; Poudel, A

2017-01-01

Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus is one of the most common causes of nosocomial infections. Due to its multidrug resistant nature; infections due to Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus are often very difficult to treat. Colonized health care workers are the important sources of Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus. The objectives of this study were to determine the nasal carriage rate of Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus among health care workers at Kathmandu Medical College and Teaching Hospital, Nepal and to assess their antimicrobial susceptibility patterns. A cross sectional study was conducted among 252 health care workers from July to November 2013. Mannitol salt agar was used to culture the nasal swabs. Antimicrobial susceptibility testing was performed by Kirby-Bauer disc diffusion technique following Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute guidelines. Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus strains were confirmed by using cefoxitin disc and by determining the minimum inhibitory concentration of oxacillin by agar dilution method. Of 252 healthcare workers, 46(18.3%) were positive for Staphylococcus aureus among which 19(41.3%) were Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus carriers. Overall rate of nasal carriage of Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus was 7.5% (19/252).The higher percentages of lab personnel were nasal carriers of S. aureus (31.6%) and Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (10.5%).The percentages of nasal carriage of S. aureus (35.7%) and Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (14.3%) were highest in the health care workers from post operative department. Higher percentage of Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus were susceptible toward amikacin (100%) and vancomycin (100%) followed by cotrimoxazole (84.2%). High rates of nasal carriage of S. aureus and Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus were observed among the healthcare workers, which indicate the need of

Hospital reform and staff morale in South Africa: a case study of Dr ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

2012-02-16

Feb 16, 2012 ... Settings and subjects: This study included all medical and nursing staff working at ... Keywords: hospital reform, staff morale, quality of care, healthcare resources ..... of healthcare workers' goals to cure patients.3 This differs.

When passion becomes a nightmare: the burnout syndrome in healthcare workers. A case study.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Lara Gitto

2016-05-01

Full Text Available The phenomenon of burnout is constantly increasing and the healthcare professionals are more exposed to burnout than other workers, given their close and continuous relationship with disadvantaged customers. An analysis of this phenomenon aimed at identifying the variables that are correlated with a higher probability to develop burnout may allow to recognize those workers who are likely to suffer from this syndrome, suggesting appropriate intervention strategies. This study has been carried out on a sample of 50 professional and pediatric nurses through the submission of a brief test aimed at measuring the risk of burnout. 26 per cent of the people in the sample of 50 nurses, working at different hospitals and public clinics in Messina, Italy, present a high risk of burnout; they would, therefore, benefit from the introduction of preventive measures aimed at contrasting this syndrome. Several variables are correlated positively and significantly with a high level of risk: age, marital status, the circumstance of having children, the years of activity and the type of employment are among these ones. Preventive measures should be implemented in the most critical cases: such measures have some costs, that are, however, lower than the pharmacological and psychological treatment of exhaustion. Hence, it should be advisable favoring direct strategies to identify and eliminate, as far as possible, the causes of burnout, rather than treating its consequences.

Bacterial contamination of white coats and hands of healthcare ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Background: Transmission of hospital acquired infections (HAIs) may be associated with contamination of healthcare workers' (HCWs) hands and white coats. Objective: The purpose of this study was to clarify the role of HCWs' white coats in transmitting HAIs and to determine the association between bacterial ...

Quantification of Staphylococcus aureus and Staphylococcus epidermidis on the hands of health-care workers using a real-time polymerase chain reaction method

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Horn, P; Schouenborg, P Øland; Brandslund, I

2007-01-01

OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to test a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assay intended as a tool for monitoring hand hygiene in hospital wards. METHODS: The hands of 20 health-care workers were sampled for 10 days using real-time PCR for quantification of Staphylococcus aureus and S....... epidermidis. Reference intervals (CI) and biological variation were evaluated using index of individuality (II) and critical difference (CD). RESULTS: 45% of the participants were positive for S. aureus on all 10 days. Intra-individual biological variation (CVI) was 129% for S. aureus and 62% for S...

Decentralization and centralization of healthcare resources: investigating the associations of hospital competition and number of cardiologists per hospital with mortality and resource utilization in Japan.

Science.gov (United States)

Park, Sungchul; Lee, Jason; Ikai, Hiroshi; Otsubo, Tetsuya; Imanaka, Yuichi

2013-11-01

To investigate the associations of hospital competition and number of cardiologists per hospital (indicating the decentralization and centralization of healthcare resources, respectively) with 30-day in-hospital mortality, healthcare spending, and length of stay (LOS) among patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI) in Japan. We collected data from 23,197 AMI patients admitted to 172 hospitals between 2008 and 2011. Hospital competition and number of cardiologists per hospital were analyzed as exposure variables in multilevel regression models for in-hospital mortality, healthcare spending, and LOS. Other covariates included patient, hospital, and regional variables; as well as the use of percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). Hospitals in competitive regions and hospitals with a higher number of cardiologists were both associated lower in-hospital mortality. Additionally, hospitals in competition regions were also associated with longer LOS durations, whereas hospitals with more cardiologists had higher spending. The use of PCI was also associated with reduced mortality, increased spending and increased LOS. Centralization of cardiologists at the hospital level and decentralization of acute hospitals at the regional level may be contributing factors for improving the quality of care in Japan. Policymakers need to strike a balance between these two approaches to improve healthcare provision and quality. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

[MANAGEMENT OF HEALTHCARE WASTE IN THE HOSPITAL SETTING. UNDERSTANDING RISK MANAGEMENT].

Science.gov (United States)

Galimany-Masclans, Jordi; Torres-Egea, Pilar; Sancho-Agredano, Raúl; Girbau-García, Ma Rosa; Fabrellas, Núria; Torrens-Garcia, Ma Llum; Martínez-Estalella, Gemma

2015-05-01

The sanitary waste represents a potential hazard for health workers. Given the high risk of infection in labor accidents, the correct management of sanitary waste minimizes this risk and improves labor and environment conditions. To identify risk perception with health professionals in relation to the advanced sorting and management of healthcare waste (HW). The current study is a descriptive, cross-sectional. The sample size was 177 health workers (nurse assistants, nurses, physicians, lab technicians) from three hospitals in Barcelona (Catalonia). Homemade questionnaire and questions with a free and spontaneous association and incomplete sentences were used to analyze labor variables, perception of risk and personal security through a Likert scale. Using a score from 1 (the lowest perception of risk) to 5 (the high perception of risk) to assess the risk perception, the average value for nurse assistants, nurses, physicians, and lab technicians was 3.71, 3.75, 3.83 and 4.03, respectively. Referring to items with free and spontaneous response association, 44.8% of workers consider HW as a biohazard, 29.6% consider it as waste material, 22.1% state that it must be managed properly and 3.5% described it as unknown residues. The results suggest that all health professionals generally have a perception of high risk. The lab technicians have a higher perception of the real risk of inadequate management of HW A 63.2% report that everyone has to make a proper management to preserve their occupational health; the 59% consider that the HW are a biological risk to the general population and only the 47.8% that are harmful to public health. Although it should be noted that only 44.8% think that HW are toxic and dangerous.

Hospital social workers in Saudi Arabia: characteristics and functions.

Science.gov (United States)

Albrithen, Abdulaziz; Yalli, Nadir

2015-01-01

Social work practitioners are important members of the health care team and the hospital sector has been a traditional employer of social workers. Social work practitioners have become increasingly involved in hospital work as a result of the growing recognition of the important link between the biophysical aspects of health and the surrounding psychosocial circumstances, which require multidisciplinary interventions and demand the involvement of specialized social work personnel to deal with such issues. The article has been carried out in order to contribute to the literature by exploring to see if the characteristics and functions of contemporary professional social workers (who practice in the health sector in western Saudi Arabia) are achieving best practice.

[Perception of nosocomial risk among healthcare workers at "Hopital Principal" in Dakar, Senegal (survey 2004)].

Science.gov (United States)

Chevalier, B; Margery, J; Wade, B; Ka, S; Diatta, B; Gueye, M; Mbaye, P S; Debonne, J M

2008-12-01

Nosocomial Infection (NI) is also observed in healthcare facilities in non-Western countries. The purpose of this report is to describe the findings of a survey undertaken to evaluate hygiene procedures implemented at the "Hopital Principal" in Dakar, Senegal and to assess perception and awareness of nosocomial risk among the hospital staff. A total of 264 healthcare workers were interviewed. Mean age was 39 years (range, 18-60) and the sex ratio was 1.3 (150 men/114 women). Sixty (22.7%) had university degrees, 106 (40.2%) had secondary school diplomas, 50 (18.9%) had attended middle school, and 13 (4.9%) had no schooling. Analysis of interview data showed that 56.1% (157/264) defined NI as infection acquired at the hospital but that only 9.8% (n=26) knew that a minimum 48-hour delay was necessary to distinguish nosocomial from community acquired infection. While understanding about NI was correlated with education level, data showed that 1 out of 3 physicians (13/39) failed to give the exact definition. Hand contact was cited as the second route of transmission. Isolation precautions were understood by 22.7% of personnel (60/264). Systematic handwashing was reported by 363% (96/264) but observation demonstrated that it was not performed properly regardless of the category of personnel. Care protocols were understood by 54.6% of persons interviewed (144/264). A hygiene-training course had been attended by 52.2% (n=138). Two thirds of the staff (69.7%: 54/264) was able to identify the hygiene nurse. Ninety-eight health care providers (37.1%) were familiar with the CLIN (Comités de Lutte contre les Infections Nosocomiales).

[Changes in hospitality workers' expectations and attitudes after the implementation of the Spanish smoking law].

Science.gov (United States)

Martínez-Sánchez, Jose M; Fenández, Esteve; Fu, Marcela; Pérez-Ríos, Mónica; Schiaffino, Anna; López, María J; Alonso, Begoña; Saltó, Esteve; Nebot, Manel; Borràs, Josep M

2010-01-01

To assess changes in hospitality workers' expectations and attitudes towards the Spanish smoking law before and 2 years after the smoking ban. We performed a longitudinal study of a cohort (n=431) of hospitality workers in five regions in Spain before the law came into effect and 24 months later. Expectations and attitudes towards the ban and knowledge about the effect of second-hand smoke on health were compared before and after the ban. We recruited 431 hospitality workers in the baseline survey and 219 were followed-up 24 months later (overall follow-up rate of 50.8%). The percentage of hospitality workers who knew the law was 79.0% before it was passed and was 94.1% 24 months later (phospitality workers increased 2 years after the implementation of the ban. Copyright 2009 SESPAS. Published by Elsevier Espana. All rights reserved.

THE KNOWLEDGE OF HEALTH CARE WORKERS AND DOCTORS REGARDING HAND SCRUB

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Rahul Sanjeev Chaudhary

2016-08-01

Full Text Available BACKGROUND Hand hygiene practices of health care workers has been shown to be an effective measure in preventing hospital acquired infections. This concept has been aptly used to improve understanding, training, monitoring, and reporting hand hygiene among healthcare workers. We conducted this study to assess the knowledge of doctors and health care workers regarding hand scrub. METHODS A study was conducted among doctors and health care workers in a tertiary care hospital. Knowledge was evaluated by using self-structured questionnaire based on the guidelines of hand hygiene prescribed by WHO. RESULTS The awareness and knowledge of preoperative surgical hand scrubbing was moderate in doctors, but unfortunately poor in HCWs. CONCLUSION Our study highlights the need for introducing measures in order to increase the knowledge of preoperative hand scrub in teaching hospital which may translate into good practices.

Occupational exposure to xenon-133 among hospital workers

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Deschamps, M.

1984-11-01

During procedures for pulmonary ventilation studies on patients in hospitals, xenon-133 may escape into ambient air. Measurements of air concentrations were required to permit an evaluation of the exposure to which hospital workers are subjected. Two complementary methods of in situ measurements of air concentrations were employed: a commercial air monitor and evacuated blood sampling tubes. Personal dosimeters (TLDs) were exposed simultaneously with the commercial air monitor, and the results were compared. This report presents the results of the measurements of air concentrations during studies on patients. Substantial leakage of xenon-133 was noted, but workers received less than the maximum permissible dose. Personal dosimeters do not permit accurate evaluation of the skin doses resulting from exposure to xenon-133; measurements of air concentrations are required for such evaluation. A number of procedures are recommended to minimize leakage and personnel exposure

How many work-related injuries requiring hospitalization in British Columbia are claimed for workers' compensation?

Science.gov (United States)

Alamgir, Hasanat; Koehoorn, Mieke; Ostry, Aleck; Tompa, Emile; Demers, Paul A

2006-06-01

Workplace compensation claims datasets represent an important source of information on work-related injuries. This study investigated the concordance between hospital discharge records and workers' compensation records for work-related serious injuries among a cohort of sawmill workers in British Columbia (BC), Canada. It also examined the extent to which workers' compensation capturing patterns varied by cause, severity of injuries, and demographic characteristics of workers. Work-related injuries were identified in hospitalization records between April 1989 and December 1998, and were matched by dates and description of injury to compensation records. The agreement between the hospital records and compensation records was good (kappa = 0.84, P < 0.01). A lower claim reporting rate for work-related hospitalization was observed for older and non-white workers. More serious injuries defined by longer length of stay and emergency admissions were more likely to be reported. Falls, struck against, and overexertion injuries had lower reporting rates; whereas, machinery-related, cutting/piercing, and caught in/between injuries had higher reporting rates. When compared with hospital discharge records, the compensation agency underreported incidents of serious work-related injuries by 10-15% among the sawmill workers.

[Health-care utilization in elderly (Spain 2006-2012): Influence of health status and social class].

Science.gov (United States)

Aguilar-Palacio, Isabel; Carrera-Lasfuentes, Patricia; Solsona, Sofía; Sartolo, M Teresa; Rabanaque, M José

2016-04-01

to explore health-care utilization (primary and specialized health-care, hospitalizations, day hospital and emergency services) and overuse in elderly in Spain, considering the influence of health status, sex, social class and its temporal trend. cross sectional study in two phases. Spain. people surveyed in the National Health Surveys 2006 and 2011-12. Health status was measured using self-rated and diagnosed health (number and diagnoses). Social class was obtained from the last occupation of the main supporter (manual and non-manual workers). Logistic regression analyses were conducted adjusting by sex, age, health status, social class and year, obtaining its predictive capacity. the percentage of elderly population with health-care utilization decreased during the period analyzed. Women who belonged to the manual workers category presented the highest prevalence of low health (low self-rated health in 2006: 70.6%). Low health status was associated with a higher utilization of health-care services. Self-rated health was a better predictor of health-care utilization and overuse than diagnosed health, getting the highest predictive capacity for specialized health-care (C = 0.676). Old people from low social class used with higher frequency primary health-care and emergency services. On the other hand, specialized health-care and day hospital were more used by high social classes. inequalities in health and health-care utilization have been observed in elderly according social class. It is necessary to consider self-rated health as a health-care utilization predictor and to review our health-care services accessibility and equity. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.

Household catastrophic healthcare expenditure and impoverishment due to rotavirus gastroenteritis requiring hospitalization in Malaysia.

Science.gov (United States)

Loganathan, Tharani; Lee, Way-Seah; Lee, Kok-Foo; Jit, Mark; Ng, Chiu-Wan

2015-01-01

While healthcare costs for rotavirus gastroenteritis requiring hospitalization may be burdensome on households in Malaysia, exploration on the distribution and catastrophic impact of these expenses on households are lacking. We assessed the economic burden, levels and distribution of catastrophic healthcare expenditure, the poverty impact on households and inequities related to healthcare payments for acute gastroenteritis requiring hospitalization in Malaysia. A two-year prospective, hospital-based study was conducted from 2008 to 2010 in an urban (Kuala Lumpur) and rural (Kuala Terengganu) setting in Malaysia. All children under the age of 5 years admitted for acute gastroenteritis were included. Patients were screened for rotavirus and information on healthcare expenditure was obtained. Of the 658 stool samples collected at both centers, 248 (38%) were positive for rotavirus. Direct and indirect costs incurred were significantly higher in Kuala Lumpur compared with Kuala Terengganu (US$222 Vs. US$45; pMalaysia.

A compendium of strategies to prevent healthcare-associated infections in acute care hospitals: 2014 updates.

Science.gov (United States)

Yokoe, Deborah S; Anderson, Deverick J; Berenholtz, Sean M; Calfee, David P; Dubberke, Erik R; Ellingson, Katherine D; Gerding, Dale N; Haas, Janet P; Kaye, Keith S; Klompas, Michael; Lo, Evelyn; Marschall, Jonas; Mermel, Leonard A; Nicolle, Lindsay E; Salgado, Cassandra D; Bryant, Kristina; Classen, David; Crist, Katrina; Deloney, Valerie M; Fishman, Neil O; Foster, Nancy; Goldmann, Donald A; Humphreys, Eve; Jernigan, John A; Padberg, Jennifer; Perl, Trish M; Podgorny, Kelly; Septimus, Edward J; VanAmringe, Margaret; Weaver, Tom; Weinstein, Robert A; Wise, Robert; Maragakis, Lisa L

2014-08-01

Since the publication of "A Compendium of Strategies to Prevent Healthcare-Associated Infections in Acute Care Hospitals" in 2008, prevention of healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) has become a national priority. Despite improvements, preventable HAIs continue to occur. The 2014 updates to the Compendium were created to provide acute care hospitals with up-to-date, practical, expert guidance to assist in prioritizing and implementing their HAI prevention efforts. They are the product of a highly collaborative effort led by the Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America (SHEA), the Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA), the American Hospital Association (AHA), the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology (APIC), and The Joint Commission, with major contributions from representatives of a number of organizations and societies with content expertise, including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI), the Pediatric Infectious Diseases Society (PIDS), the Society for Critical Care Medicine (SCCM), the Society for Hospital Medicine (SHM), and the Surgical Infection Society (SIS).

Association between health worker motivation and healthcare quality efforts in Ghana

OpenAIRE

Alhassan, Robert Kaba; Spieker, Nicole; van Ostenberg, Paul; Ogink, Alice; Nketiah-Amponsah, Edward; de Wit, Tobias F Rinke

2013-01-01

Background Ghana is one of the sub-Saharan African countries making significant progress towards universal access to quality healthcare. However, it remains a challenge to attain the 2015 targets for the health related Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) partly due to health sector human resource challenges including low staff motivation. Purpose This paper addresses indicators of health worker motivation and assesses associations with quality care and patient safety in Ghana. The aim is to i...

A training intervention on child feeding among primary healthcare workers in Ibadan Municipality

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Folake O. Samuel

2016-09-01

Full Text Available Introduction: Health workers at the primary level are well positioned to provide health information and counselling on child feeding to mothers on antenatal visits. The study was designed to evaluate the effect of training on the knowledge, attitudes and provision of infant and young child feeding (IYCF information and counselling among primary healthcare (PHC workers. Methods: A two-stage cluster sample was used to select health workers for training on IYCF in Ibadan, Nigeria. Baseline, immediate and 4-week post-training surveys were conducted to assess knowledge, attitudes and practices of health workers regarding IYCF. Paired t-tests were used to measure differences (p < 0.05 before and after the training. Results: A total of 124 health workers were trained on current global IYCF recommendations. Participants included community health extension workers (59.7%, nurses (27.4%, community health officers (11.3%, and pharmacy technicians (1.6%. Mean age was 41.8 ± 8.2 years and 95.2% were women. Knowledge of health workers regarding IYCF, particularly complementary feeding, was low at baseline but improved significantly following the training intervention. Attitudes and practices regarding provision of IYCF were suboptimal among health workers at the PHC facilities, but this improved with training. Conclusion: Health workers at the PHC level need regular retraining exercises to ensure effective counselling on IYCF.

Comparing salivary cotinine concentration in non-smokers from the general population and hospitality workers in Spain.

Science.gov (United States)

Martínez-Sánchez, Jose M; Fu, Marcela; Pérez-Ríos, Mónica; López, María J; Moncada, Albert; Fernández, Esteve

2009-12-01

The objective was to compare the pattern of exposure to second-hand smoke (SHS) among non-smokers in the general population and in hospitality workers. We used the adult (16-64 years) non-smokers of two independent studies (general population and hospitality workers) in Spain. We assessed the exposure to SHS by means of questionnaire and salivary cotinine concentration. The salivary cotinine concentration by sex, age, educational level, day of week of saliva collection, and exposure to SHS were always higher in hospitality workers than in the general population. Our results indicated that non-smoker hospitality workers have higher levels of exposure to SHS than general population.

A comparative analysis of exposure doses between the radiation workers in dental and general hospital

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yang, Nam Hee; Chung, Woon Kwan; Dong, Kyung Rae; Ju, Yong Jin; Song, Ha Jin; Choi, Eun Jin

2015-01-01

Research and investigation is required for the exposure dose of radiation workers to work in the dental hospital as increasing interest in exposure dose of the dental hospital recently accordingly, study aim to minimize radiation exposure by making a follow-up study of individual exposure doses of radiation workers, analyzing the status on individual radiation exposure management, prediction the radiation disability risk levels by radiation, and alerting the workers to the danger of radiation exposure. Especially given the changes in the dental hospital radiation safety awareness conducted the study in order to minimize radiation exposure. This study performed analyses by a comparison between general and dental hospital, comparing each occupation, with the 116,220 exposure dose data by quarter and year of 5,811 subjects at general and dental hospital across South Korea from January 1, 2008 through December 31, 2012. The following are the results obtained by analyzing average values year and quarter. In term of hospital, average doses were significantly higher in general hospitals than detal ones. In terms of job, average doses were higher in radiological technologists the other workers. Especially, they showed statistically significant differences between radiological technologists than dentists. The above-mentioned results indicate that radiation workers were exposed to radiation for the past 5 years to the extent not exceeding the dose limit (maximum 50 mSv y -1 ). The limitation of this study is that radiation workers before 2008 were excluded from the study. Objective evaluation standards did not apply to the work circumstance or condition of each hospital. Therefore, it is deemed necessary to work out analysis criteria that will be used as objective evaluation standard. It will be necessary to study radiation exposure in more precise ways on the basis of objective analysis standard in the future. Should try to minimize the radiation individual dose of

A comparative analysis of exposure doses between the radiation workers in dental and general hospital

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Yang, Nam Hee; Chung, Woon Kwan; Dong, Kyung Rae; Ju, Yong Jin; Song, Ha Jin [Dept. of Nuclear Engineering, Chosun University, Gwangju (Korea, Republic of); Choi, Eun Jin [Dept. of Public Health and Medicine, Dongshin University, Naju (Korea, Republic of)

2015-02-15

Research and investigation is required for the exposure dose of radiation workers to work in the dental hospital as increasing interest in exposure dose of the dental hospital recently accordingly, study aim to minimize radiation exposure by making a follow-up study of individual exposure doses of radiation workers, analyzing the status on individual radiation exposure management, prediction the radiation disability risk levels by radiation, and alerting the workers to the danger of radiation exposure. Especially given the changes in the dental hospital radiation safety awareness conducted the study in order to minimize radiation exposure. This study performed analyses by a comparison between general and dental hospital, comparing each occupation, with the 116,220 exposure dose data by quarter and year of 5,811 subjects at general and dental hospital across South Korea from January 1, 2008 through December 31, 2012. The following are the results obtained by analyzing average values year and quarter. In term of hospital, average doses were significantly higher in general hospitals than detal ones. In terms of job, average doses were higher in radiological technologists the other workers. Especially, they showed statistically significant differences between radiological technologists than dentists. The above-mentioned results indicate that radiation workers were exposed to radiation for the past 5 years to the extent not exceeding the dose limit (maximum 50 mSv y{sup -1}). The limitation of this study is that radiation workers before 2008 were excluded from the study. Objective evaluation standards did not apply to the work circumstance or condition of each hospital. Therefore, it is deemed necessary to work out analysis criteria that will be used as objective evaluation standard. It will be necessary to study radiation exposure in more precise ways on the basis of objective analysis standard in the future. Should try to minimize the radiation individual dose of

Multi-state survey of healthcare-associated infections in acute care hospitals in Brazil.

Science.gov (United States)

Fortaleza, C Magno Castelo Branco; Padoveze, M C; Kiffer, C R Veiga; Barth, A L; Carneiro, Irna C do Rosário Souza; Giamberardino, H I Garcia; Rodrigues, J L Nobre; Santos Filho, L; de Mello, M J Gonçalves; Pereira, M Severino; Gontijo Filho, P Pinto; Rocha, M; Servolo de Medeiros, E A; Pignatari, A C Campos

2017-06-01

Healthcare-associated infections (HCAIs) challenge public health in developing countries such as Brazil, which harbour social inequalities and variations in the complexity of healthcare and regional development. To describe the prevalence of HCAIs in hospitals in a sample of hospitals in Brazil. A prevalence survey conducted in 2011-13 enrolled 152 hospitals from the five macro-regions in Brazil. Hospitals were classified as large (≥200 beds), medium (50-199 beds) or small sized (48 h of admission to the study hospitals at the time of the survey were included. Trained epidemiologist nurses visited each hospital and collected data on HCAIs, subjects' demographics, and invasive procedures. Univariate and multivariate techniques were used for data analysis. The overall HCAI prevalence was 10.8%. Most frequent infection sites were pneumonia (3.6%) and bloodstream infections (2.8%). Surgical site infections were found in 1.5% of the whole sample, but in 9.8% of subjects who underwent surgical procedures. The overall prevalence was greater for reference (12.6%) and large hospitals (13.5%), whereas medium- and small-sized hospitals presented rates of 7.7% and 5.5%, respectively. Only minor differences were noticed among hospitals from different macro-regions. Patients in intensive care units, using invasive devices or at extremes of age were at greater risk for HCAIs. Prevalence rates were high in all geographic regions and hospital sizes. HCAIs must be a priority in the public health agenda of developing countries. Copyright © 2017 The Healthcare Infection Society. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

ELearning acceptance in hospitals: continuing medical education of healthcare professionals

OpenAIRE

Bachmann, Larissa; Cantoni, Lorenzo

2009-01-01

ELearning provides healthcare professionals an interesting alternative of participating to Continuing Medical Education (CME) activities. It offers the possibility to attend courses at a distance, and it allows creating personal learning schedules without needing to leave the job or the family. Hospitals can choose to organize CME activities for their employees and therefore may also opt to offer eLearning activities. The research studies eLearning acceptance in the CME of healthcare p...

Workplace violence in hospitals: safe havens no more.

Science.gov (United States)

Warren, Bryan

2011-01-01

Healthcare presents many security challenges, particularly when it comes to workplace violence prevention. With a staff population that is approximately 80% female, 24-hour operations, numerous points of ingress and egress, and the high tension environment that exists in today's hospitals and urgent care centers, the stage is set for the "perfect storm" of workplace violence, the author points out. He cites statistics that healthcare workers are at a much higher risk of victimization than workers in other industries. The best strategy to prevent workplace violence in the healthcare environment, he says, is to develop a corporate culture that supports respect, open communication, employee involvement and participation and an effective training program.

[Associating children with contemporary visual arts in the hospital].

Science.gov (United States)

Dessuter, Brigitte

2010-01-01

In 2008, for 3 months, a visual artist in residence at the Margency children's hospital (Val d'Oise) made sculptures for the bandstand situated in the hospital's park. By bringing people together this experience helped to create a bond between the artists, the hospitalised children and the healthcare workers.

Demonstration of Advanced Technologies for Multi-Load Washers in Hospitality and Healthcare -- Wastewater Recycling Technology

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Boyd, Brian K. [Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States); Parker, Graham B. [Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States); Petersen, Joseph M. [Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States); Sullivan, Greg [Efficiency Solutions, LLC (United States); Goetzler, W. [Navigant Consulting, Inc. (United States); Foley, K. J. [Navigant Consulting, Inc. (United States); Sutherland, T. A. [Navigant Consulting, Inc. (United States)

2014-08-14

The objective of this demonstration project was to evaluate market-ready retrofit technologies for reducing the energy and water use of multi-load washers in healthcare and hospitality facilities. Specifically, this project evaluated laundry wastewater recycling technology in the hospitality sector and ozone laundry technology in both the healthcare and hospitality sectors. This report documents the demonstration of a wastewater recycling system installed in the Grand Hyatt Seattle.

The effect of an interactive delirium e-learning tool on healthcare workers' delirium recognition, knowledge and strain in caring for delirious patients: a pilot pre-test/post-test study.

Science.gov (United States)

Detroyer, Elke; Dobbels, Fabienne; Debonnaire, Deborah; Irving, Kate; Teodorczuk, Andrew; Fick, Donna M; Joosten, Etienne; Milisen, Koen

2016-01-15

Studies investigating the effectiveness of delirium e-learning tools in clinical practice are scarce. The aim of this study is to determine the effect of a delirium e-learning tool on healthcare workers' delirium recognition, delirium knowledge and care strain in delirium. A pilot pre-posttest study in a convenience sample of 59 healthcare workers recruited from medical, surgical, geronto-psychiatric and rehabilitation units of a university hospital. The intervention consisted of a live information session on how to use the e-learning tool and, a 2-month self-active learning program. The tool included 11 e-modules integrating knowledge and skill development in prevention, detection and management of delirium. Case vignettes, the Delirium Knowledge Questionnaire, and the Strain of Care for Delirium Index were used to measure delirium recognition, delirium knowledge and experienced care strain in delirium respectively. Subgroup analyses were performed for healthcare workers completing 0 to 6 versus 7 to 11 modules. The delirium recognition score improved significantly (mean 3.1 ± SD 0.9 versus 2.7 ± 1.1; P = 0.04), and more healthcare workers identified hypoactive (P = 0.04) and hyperactive (P = 0.007) delirium in the posttest compared to the pretest phase. A significant difference in the change of recognition levels over time between the 0 to 6 and 7 to 11 module groups was demonstrated (P = 0.03), with an improved recognition level in the posttest phase within the 7 to 11 module group (P = 0.007). After adjustment for potential confounders, this difference in the change over time was not significant (P = 0.07) and no change in recognition levels within the 7 to 11 module group was noted (P = 0.19). The knowledge score significantly improved in the posttest compared to the pretest phase (mean 31.7 ± SD2.6 versus 28.3 ± 4.5; P e-learning tool improved healthcare workers' delirium recognition and knowledge. The effect

Association between work engagement and perceived exertion among healthcare workers

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Rodrigo Luiz Carregaro

Full Text Available INTRODUCTION: Complaints and musculoskeletal discomforts are common manifestations of individuals affected by work-related disorders (WRMD, and the influence of individual and/or psychosocial risk factors may play a significant role in WRMD development. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate and to compare work engagement (WE and ratings of perceived exertion (RPE and to assess the association between indexes of WE and RPE among healthcare workers. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Seventeen female subjects (36 ± 11 years, 1.58 ± 0.06 m and 59 ± 9 kg participated, all officially employed on a nonprofit agency. The Nordic Questionnaire was used to evaluate musculoskeletal complaints and the Borg Scale used to evaluate the RPE. The Utrecht Work Engagement Scale quantified WE (vigor, dedication and absorption domains. Participants were divided into two groups, according to their sectors: healthcare clinics and institution for the elderly. The independent student t test was used to verify differences between groups and the chi-square test to verify associations between variables. RESULTS: All subjects reported musculoskeletal complaints, mainly in the low back (58%. RPE did not differ between groups, while in the vigor, it was found a significant statistically difference (p = 0.035. An association between RPE and vigor and RPE and dedication was establish (p = 0.02 and p = 0.036, respectively. CONCLUSION: The association between WE and RPE suggests that workers with lower indexes of vigor and dedication may perceive greater physical demand, which can be imposed by work demands.

A comparative study on the level of satisfaction among regular and contractual health-care workers in a Northern city of India.

Science.gov (United States)

Dixit, Jyoti; Goel, Sonu; Sharma, Vijaylakshmi

2017-01-01

Job satisfaction greatly determines the productivity and efficiency of human resources for health. The current study aims to assess the level of satisfaction and factors influencing the job satisfaction among regular and contractual health-care workers. A cross-sectional quantitative study was conducted from January to June 2015 among health care workers ( n = 354) at all levels of public health-care facilities of Chandigarh. The correlation between variables with overall level of satisfaction was computed for regular and contractual health-care workers. Stepwise multiple linear regression was done to elucidate the major factors influencing job satisfaction. Majority of the regular health-care staff was highly satisfied (86.9%) as compared to contractual staff (10.5%), which however was moderately satisfied (55.9%). Stepwise regression model showed that work-related matters (β = 1.370, P job (β = 0.530, P satisfaction level. Under the National Rural Health Mission, contract appointments have improved the overall availability of health-care staff at all levels of public health facilities. However, there are concerns regarding their level of motivation with various aspects related to the job, which need to be urgently addressed so as to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of health services.

Vaccination coverage among social and healthcare workers in ten countries of Samu-social international sites.

Science.gov (United States)

Marshall, Esaie; Salmon, Dominique; Bousfiha, Nadia; Togola, Yacouba; Ouedraogo, François; Santantonio, Maud; Dieng, Coumba Khadidja; Tartière, Suzanne; Emmanuelli, Xavier

2017-09-18

We aim to determine the vaccination coverage of social and healthcare workers in International sites of Samusocial, providing emergency care to homeless people, and to assess factors associated with having received necessary doses at adulthood. Data on immunization coverage of social and healthcare workers were provided by a cross-sectional survey, conducted from February to April 2015 among 252 Samusocial workers in 10 countries. Vaccination status and characteristics of participants were collected through a self-administered questionnaire. Prevalence rate ratio (PRR) of vaccination status was calculated using Poisson regression models. Among 252 Samusocial social and health workers who felt a questionnaire, median age was 39years, 42.1% were female, 88.9% were in contact with homeless beneficiaries (19.1% health workers). Overall, 90.1% of Samusocial staff felt adult vaccinations was useful and 70.2% wished to receive booster doses in future. Vaccination coverage at adulthood was satisfactory for diphtheria and poliomyelitis (96%), but low for influenza (20.8%), meningococcus (50.5%), hepatitis B (56.3%), yellow fever (58.1%), measles (81.3%) and pertussis (90.7%). The main reasons for not having received vaccination booster doses were forgetting the dates of booster doses (38.4%) and not having received the information (13.5%). In adjusted analysis, prevalence of up-to-date for vaccination schedule was 35% higher among health workers than among social workers (aPRR=1.35, 95%CI: 1.01-1.82, P=0.05) and was 56% higher among workers who had a documentary evidence of vaccination than in those who did not (aPRR=1.56, 95%CI: 1.19-2.02, P=0.001). The Samusocial International workers vaccine coverage at adulthood was insufficient and disparate by region. It is necessary to strengthen the outreach of this staff and increase immunization policy for hepatitis B, diphtheria, tetanus, and measles, as well as for yellow fever, rabies and meningococcal ACYW135 vaccines in at

Objectively measured physical activity of hospital shift workers.

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Loef, Bette; van der Beek, Allard J; Holtermann, Andreas; Hulsegge, Gerben; van Baarle, Debbie; Proper, Karin I

2018-01-01

Objectives Shift work may alter workers' leisure-time and occupational physical activity (PA) levels, which might be one of the potential underlying mechanisms of the negative health effects of shift work. Therefore, we compared objectively measured PA levels between hospital shift and non-shift

A national survey of the impact of rapid scale-up of antiretroviral therapy on health-care workers in Malawi: effects on human resources and survival.

Science.gov (United States)

Makombe, Simon D; Jahn, Andreas; Tweya, Hannock; Chuka, Stuart; Yu, Joseph Kwong-Leung; Hochgesang, Mindy; Aberle-Grasse, John; Pasulani, Olesi; Schouten, Erik J; Kamoto, Kelita; Harries, Anthony D

2007-11-01

To assess the human resources impact of Malawis rapidly growing antiretroviral therapy (ART) programme and balance this against the survival benefit of health-care workers who have accessed ART themselves. We conducted a national cross-sectional survey of the human resource allocation in all public-sector health facilities providing ART in mid-2006. We also undertook a survival analysis of health-care workers who had accessed ART in public and private facilities by 30 June 2006, using data from the national ART monitoring and evaluation system. By 30 June 2006, 59 581 patients had accessed ART from 95 public and 28 private facilities. The public sites provided ART services on 2.4 days per week on average, requiring 7% of the clinician workforce, 3% of the nursing workforce and 24% of the ward clerk workforce available at the facilities. We identified 1024 health-care workers in the national ART-patient cohort (2% of all ART patients). The probabilities for survival on ART at 6 months, 12 months and 18 months were 85%, 81% and 78%, respectively. An estimated 250 health-care workers lives were saved 12 months after ART initiation. Their combined work-time of more than 1000 staff-days per week was equivalent to the human resources required to provide ART at the national level. A large number of ART patients in Malawi are managed by a small proportion of the health-care workforce. Many health-care workers have accessed ART with good treatment outcomes. Currently, staffing required for ART balances against health-care workers lives saved through treatment, although this may change in the future.

Substance Use in Healthcare Workers: Importance of Stress Perception, Smoking Temptation, Social Support, and Humor.

Science.gov (United States)

Ramos, Stephen Daniel; Kelly, Morgan; Schepis, Ty

2018-04-16

Research indicates healthcare workers' personal substance use may affect quality of care. Investigating factors that correlate with coping through substance use may provide insight into improving quality care. This study aims to examine potential correlates of coping through substance use among healthcare workers, with a particular focus on humor, social support, stress perception, and smoking temptation. Participants, recruited from healthcare facilities, anonymously completed a 30-minute questionnaire of psychometrically valid measurements. In a sample of primarily female (75.7%), age 20-39 (74.8%), floor staff (i.e., doctors, nurses, technicians/assistants; 61.2%), perceived stress [β = .036, t(98) = 2.55, p = .012], smoking temptation [β = .036, t(98) = 2.21, p = .030], and coping through humor [β = .163, t(98) = 2.033, p = .045] were significant correlates of the coping through substance use, with all relationships positively co-varying. Social support at work did not predict coping through substance use [β = -.032, t(98) = -.814, p > .05]. Furthermore, negative affect/situation smoking temptation was associated with increased coping through substance use [β = .246, t(99) = 2.859, p = .005] and habit/craving temptation was associated with decreased coping through substance use [β = -.260, t(99) = -2.201, p = .030; however, positive affect/social temptation was not [β = .054, t(99) = -.553, p > .05]. Conclusions/Importance: These findings suggest that coping with humor may relate to coping through substance use, while social support at work is either unrelated to coping through substance use in this sample or may not be adequately assessed with the measure used. Consistent with the literature, negative affect/situation was associated with increased coping through substance use. However, habit/craving was negatively predictive. Further research should explore the variables related to coping through substance use among healthcare workers.

Migrant workers’ occupation and healthcare-seeking preferences for TB-suspicious symptoms and other health problems: a survey among immigrant workers in Songkhla province, southern Thailand

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Naing Tinzar

2012-10-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Much of the unskilled and semi-skilled workforce in Thailand comprises migrant workers from neighbouring countries. While, in principle, healthcare facilities in the host country are open to those migrants registered with the Ministry of Labour, their actual healthcare-seeking preferences and practices, as well as those of unregistered migrants, are not well documented. This study aimed to describe the patterns of healthcare-seeking behaviours of immigrant workers in Thailand, emphasizing healthcare practices for TB-suspicious symptoms, and to identify the role of occupation and other factors influencing these behaviours. Methods A survey was conducted among 614 immigrant factory workers (FW, rubber tappers (RT and construction workers (CW, in which information was sought on socio-demography, history of illness and related healthcare-seeking behaviour. Mixed effects logistic regression modeling was employed in data analysis. Results Among all three occupations, self-medication was the most common way of dealing with illnesses, including the development of TB-suspicious symptoms, for which inappropriate drugs were used. Only for GI symptoms and obstetric problems did migrant workers commonly seek healthcare at modern healthcare facilities. For GI illness, FW preferred to attend the in-factory clinic and RT a private facility over government facilities owing to the quicker service and greater convenience. For RT, who were generally wealthier, the higher cost of private treatment was not a deterrent. CW preferentially chose a government healthcare facility for their GI problems. For obstetric problems, including delivery, government facilities were utilized by RT and CW, but most FW returned to their home country. After adjusting for confounding, having legal status in the country was associated with overall greater use of government facilities and being female and being married with use of both types of modern healthcare

Barriers to knowledge sharing in Chinese healthcare referral services: an emergent theoretical model

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Nunes, Miguel Baptista

2016-01-01

Background This paper reports on a research study that aims to identify and explain barriers to knowledge sharing (KS) in the provision of healthcare referral services in Chinese healthcare organisations. Design An inductive case study approach was employed, in which 24 healthcare professionals and workers from four healthcare organisations in the province of Hubei, Central China, were interviewed using semi-structured scripts. Results Through data analysis, 14 KS barriers emerged in four main themes: interpersonal trust barriers, communication barriers, management and leadership barriers, and inter-institutional barriers. A cause–consequence analysis of the identified barriers revealed that three of them are at the core of the majority of problems, namely, the absence of national and local policies for inter-hospital KS, lack of a specific hospital KS requirement, and lack of mutual acquaintance. Conclusions To resolve KS problems, it is of great importance that healthcare governance agencies, both at the national and regional levels, take leadership in the process of KS implementation by establishing specific and strong policies for inter-institutional KS in the referral process. This paper raises important issues that exceed academic interests and are important to healthcare professionals, hospital managers, and Information communication technology (ICT) managers in hospitals, as well as healthcare politicians and policy makers. PMID:26895146

Physical activity, fitness level and health problems of healthcare ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

The aim of this study was to determine the level of physical activity of healthcare workers using the transtheoretical model (TTM) as a framework and to identify barriers to exercise. A self-administered questionnaire was distributed to 200 randomly selected hospital staff members in South Africa. The weight and height of the ...

Attitudes towards preventive tuberculosis treatment among hospital staff

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Vidya Pathak

2016-02-01

Full Text Available Background. Healthcare workers have an increased risk of latent tuberculosis infection (LTBI, but previous studies suggested that they might be reluctant to accept preventive tuberculosis (TB treatment. We aimed to examine doctors’ and nurses’ experience of TB screening and to explore their attitudes towards preventive TB treatment. Methods. We conducted a survey among randomly selected healthcare workers at a tertiary hospital in Sydney, Australia, using a paper-based questionnaire. Results. A total of 1,304 questionnaires were distributed and 311 (24% responses were received. The majority of hospital staff supported preventive TB treatment in health care workers with evidence of latent TB infection (LTBI in general (74%, 164/223 and for them personally (81%, 198/244 while 80 and 53 healthcare workers respectively had no opinion on the topic. Staff working in respiratory medicine were significantly less likely to support preventive TB treatment in health care workers in general or for them personally if they would have evidence of LTBI compared to other specialties (p = 0.001. Only 13% (14/106 of respondents with evidence of LTBI indicated that they had been offered preventive TB treatment. Twenty-one percent (64/306 of respondents indicated that they did not know the difference between active and latent TB. Among staff who had undergone testing for LTBI, only 33% (75/230 felt adequately informed about the meaning of their test results. Discussion. Hospital staff in general had positive attitudes towards preventive TB treatment, but actual treatment rates were low and perceived knowledge about LTBI was insufficient among a significant proportion of staff. The gap between high support for preventive TB treatment among staff and low treatment rates needs to be addressed. Better education on the concept of LTBI and the meaning of screening test results is required.

Awareness and knowledge of disease surveillance and notification by health-care workers and availability of facility records in Anambra state, Nigeria

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Nnebue, Chinomnso C.; Onwasigwe, Chika N.; Adogu, Prosper O. U; Onyeonoro, Ugochukwu U.

2012-01-01

Background: Disease surveillance and notification (DSN) is part of the Health Management Information System (HMIS) which comprises databases, personnel, and materials that are organized to collect data which are utilized for informed decision making. The knowledge about DSN is very important for the reporting of notifiable diseases. Objective: The aim of this study is to examine the awareness and knowledge of health-care workers about DSN, and availability of facility records in Anambra State, Nigeria. Materials and Methods: The study was a descriptive cross-sectional one in which relevant data were collected from health-care workers selected by a multistage sampling technique. Qualitative information was also elicited by key informant interviews, whereas an observational checklist, preceded by a desk review was used to examine the availability of facility records. Results: Although 89.8% of the health-care workers were aware of the DSN system, only 33.3, 31.1, and 33.7% of them knew the specific uses of forms IDSR 001, IDSR 002, and IDSR 003 (IDSR: Integrated Diseases Surveillance and Response), respectively. Knowledge of use of the various forms at the facility and local government area (LGA) levels were generally low, although the observational checklist revealed that IDSR 001 and IDSR 002 forms were predominantly found in primary health-care facilities. HMIS forms were less likely to be available in secondary health-care facilities (χ2=7.67, P=0.005). Conclusions: Regular training and retraining of concerned health-care workers on DSN at the LGA level is recommended. This should run concurrently with adequate and regular provision of IDSR forms, copies of the standard case definitions, and other necessary logistics to the health-care facilities by the local and state governments. PMID:23661882

Exposure to secondhand smoke at work: a survey of members of the Australian Liquor, Hospitality and Miscellaneous Workers Union.

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Cameron, Melissa; Wakefield, Melanie; Trotter, Lisa; Inglis, Graeme

2003-10-01

To measure workers' attitudes towards and experiences of exposure to secondhand smoke (SHS) in the workplace. A stratified random sample of members from the Victorian Branch of the Australian Liquor, Hospitality and Miscellaneous Workers Union (LHMU) was interviewed by telephone in September 2001. Of the 1,078 respondents surveyed (77% response rate), hospitality workers comprised 49% of the sample, while the remainder comprised community services, property services and manufacturing workers. Overall, 54% of union members were employed in workplaces that did not completely ban smoking and 34% reported being exposed to SHS during their typical working day. Workplaces with total smoking bans had a high level of compliance with these restrictions, with no workers in these settings indicating exposure to SHS at work. Compared with other workers, hospitality workers reported working in environments that had more permissive smoking policies. Consistent with this, 56% of hospitality workers said they were exposed to SHS during a typical day at work compared with 11% of other workers. Overall, 79% of workers expressed concern about exposure to SHS, including 66% of smokers. Compared with other workers, hospitality workers reported a higher level of concern about exposure to SHS at work. These findings provide evidence that many workers, and especially those employed in the hospitality sector, are exposed to SHS during their working day and are concerned about the effects of such exposure on their health. These findings indicate that workplace smoke-free policies are effective in reducing worker exposure to SHS and demonstrate support for the extension of smoke-free policies to hospitality workplaces.

Hospital safety culture in Taiwan: a nationwide survey using Chinese version Safety Attitude Questionnaire.

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Lee, Wui-Chiang; Wung, Hwei-Ying; Liao, Hsun-Hsiang; Lo, Chien-Ming; Chang, Fei-Ling; Wang, Pa-Chun; Fan, Angela; Chen, Hsin-Hsin; Yang, Han-Chuan; Hou, Sheng-Mou

2010-08-10

Safety activities have been initiated at many hospitals in Taiwan, but little is known about the safety culture at these hospitals. The aims of this study were to verify a safety culture survey instrument in Chinese and to assess hospital safety culture in Taiwan. The Taiwan Patient Safety Culture Survey was conducted in 2008, using the adapted Safety Attitude Questionnaire in Chinese (SAQ-C). Hospitals and their healthcare workers participated in the survey on a voluntary basis. The psychometric properties of the five SAQ-C dimensions were examined, including teamwork climate, safety climate, job satisfaction, perception of management, and working conditions. Additional safety measures were asked to assess healthcare workers' attitudes toward their collaboration with nurses, physicians, and pharmacists, respectively, and perceptions of hospitals' encouragement of safety reporting, safety training, and delivery delays due to communication breakdowns in clinical areas. The associations between the respondents' attitudes to each SAQ-C dimension and safety measures were analyzed by generalized estimating equations, adjusting for the clustering effects at hospital levels. A total of 45,242 valid questionnaires were returned from 200 hospitals with a mean response rate of 69.4%. The Cronbach's alpha was 0.792 for teamwork climate, 0.816 for safety climate, 0.912 for job satisfaction, 0.874 for perception of management, and 0.785 for working conditions. Confirmatory factor analyses demonstrated a good model fit for each dimension and the entire construct. The percentage of hospital healthcare workers holding positive attitude was 48.9% for teamwork climate, 45.2% for perception of management, 42.1% for job satisfaction, 37.2% for safety climate, and 31.8% for working conditions. There were wide variations in the range of SAQ-C scores in each dimension among hospitals. Compared to those without positive attitudes, healthcare workers with positive attitudes to each SAQ

Workplace Violence and Job Performance among Community Healthcare Workers in China: The Mediator Role of Quality of Life.

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Lin, Wei-Quan; Wu, Jiang; Yuan, Le-Xin; Zhang, Sheng-Chao; Jing, Meng-Juan; Zhang, Hui-Shan; Luo, Jia-Li; Lei, Yi-Xiong; Wang, Pei-Xi

2015-11-20

To explore the impact of workplace violence on job performance and quality of life of community healthcare workers in China, especially the relationship of these three variables. From December 2013 to April 2014, a total of 1404 healthcare workers were recruited by using the random cluster sampling method from Community Health Centers in Guangzhou and Shenzhen. The workplace violence scale, the job performance scale and the quality of life scale (SF-36) were self-administered. The structural equation model constructed by Amos 17.0 was employed to assess the relationship among these variables. Our study found that 51.64% of the respondents had an experience of workplace violence. It was found that both job performance and quality of life had a negative correlation with workplace violence. A positive association was identified between job performance and quality of life. The path analysis showed the total effect (β = -0.243) of workplace violence on job performance consisted of a direct effect (β = -0.113) and an indirect effect (β = -0.130), which was mediated by quality of life. Workplace violence among community healthcare workers is prevalent in China. The workplace violence had negative effects on the job performance and quality of life of CHCs' workers. The study suggests that improvement in the quality of life may lead to an effective reduction of the damages in job performance caused by workplace violence.

Healthcare workers and prevention of hepatitis C virus transmission: exploring knowledge, attitudes and evidence-based practices in hemodialysis units in Italy

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Bianco Aida

2013-02-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Evidence exists regarding the full prevention of HCV transmission to hemodialysis patients by implementing universal precaution. However, little information is available regarding the frequency with which hospitals have adopted evidence-based practices for preventing HCV infection among hemodialysis patients. A cross-sectional survey has been conducted among nurses in Calabria region (Italy in order to acquire information about the level of knowledge, the attitudes and the frequencies of evidence-based practices that prevent hospital transmission of HCV. Methods All 37 hemodialysis units (HDU of Calabria were included in the study and all nurses were invited to participate in the study and to fill in a self-administered questionnaire. Results 90% of the nurses working in HDU participated in the study. Correct answers about HCV pattern of transmission ranged from 73.7% to 99.3% and were significantly higher in respondents who knew that isolation of HCV-infected patients is not recommended and among those who knew that previous bloodstream infections should be included in medical record and among nurses with fewer years of practice. Most correctly thought that evidence-based infection control measures provide adequate protection against transmission of bloodborne pathogens among healthcare workers. Positive attitude was significantly higher among more knowledgeable nurses. Self-reporting of appropriate handwashing procedures were significantly more likely in nurses who were aware that transmission of bloodborne pathogens among healthcare workers may be prevented through adoption of evidence-based practices and with a correct knowledge about HCV transmission patterns. Conclusions Behavior changes should be aimed at abandoning outdated practices and adopting and maintaining evidence-based practices. Initiatives focused at enabling and reinforcing adherence to effective prevention practices among nurses in HDU are strongly needed.

First-aid management of tonic-clonic seizures among healthcare personnel: A survey by the Apulian section of the Italian League Against Epilepsy.

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Martino, Tommaso; Lalla, Alessandra; Carapelle, Elena; Di Claudio, Maria Teresa; Avolio, Carlo; d'Orsi, Giuseppe

2018-03-01

To evaluate the knowledge of healthcare workers about first-aid measures to be performed during and after a tonic-clonic seizure. One hundred and fifty-four healthcare workers (86 physicians) working at 8 tertiary hospitals in the Apulia region, Italy, responded to a questionnaire comprising of 28 questions based on available Italian and international recommendations about what to do during a tonic-clonic seizure. One hundred and fifty-four healthcare workers completed and returned surveys with a response rate of 96.25%. There were 55 nurses (35.7%), 86 physicians (55.8%), and 13 healthcare workers with different roles (Electroencephalograph technicians, psychologists, social workers). Among physicians, there were 7 cardiologists, 3 surgeons, 12 infectious-disease specialists, 11 internal medicine specialists, 2 psychiatrists, 2 gynecologists, 27 specialists working in the emergency department, and 22 physicians with different specializations. Nearly 90% of the respondents identified head protection as important first aid, while 100% responded to not keep the legs elevated. To avoid tongue bite, both physicians and other healthcare workers would put something in the mouth (54.0%), like a Guedel cannula (71.0%) fingers (29.5%). Grabbing arms and legs, trying to stop the seizure, would be potentially performed by 11.6% of our sample. Physicians would administer a benzodiazepine during the seizure (65.7%) and during the postictal phase (29.2%), even if the patient is known to have epilepsy (23.7%), and in this case, 11.3% of respondents would administer the usual antiepileptic medications. More than half of respondents would call the emergency telephone number, because of necessary hospitalization in case of tonic-clonic seizure, even if it is experienced by a patient known to have epilepsy. Our survey suggests the need for epilepsy educational programs on first-aid management of seizures among healthcare workers. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Cytogenetic monitoring of hospital workers exposed to low-level ionizing radiation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bigatti, P.; Lamberti, L.; Ardito, G.; Armellino, F.

1988-01-01

In the present study the cytogenetic effects in hospital workers exposed to low-level radiation were evaluated. Samples of peripheral blood were collected from 63 subjects working in radiodiagnostics and from 30 subjects, working in the same hospitals, who were used as controls. A higher number of cells with chromosome-type aberrations (CA) was observed in the exposed workers vs. the controls and the difference was statistically significant (p<0.05). No correlation was, on the contrary, found between CA and years of exposure. A significant difference was observed in the incidence of cells with CA between smokers and non-smokers, but in the control group only. In contrast, in the workers exposed to ionizing radiation, the frequency of cells with CA was very similar in smokers and non-smokers. 13 refs.; 4 tabs

A consensus for occupational health management of healthcare workers infected with human immunodeficiency virus, hepatitis B virus, and / or hepatitis C virus.

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Ishimaru, Tomohiro; Wada, Koji; Smith, Derek R

2017-05-25

Occupational health management plays an important role in the prevention of provider-to-patient transmission in healthcare workers infected with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), hepatitis B virus (HBV), and/or hepatitis C virus (HCV). Therefore, the Japan Society for Occupational Health's Research Group on Occupational Health for Health Care Workers has proposed a consensus for the management of healthcare workers infected with HIV, HBV, and/or HCV based on recent evidence for each concerned group. The consensus recommends that: (1) employers in medical institutions should establish a policy of respecting the human rights of healthcare workers, management strategies for occupational blood exposure, and occupational health consultation; (2) occupational health staff should appropriately assess the risk of provider-to-patient transmission of HIV, HBV, and/or HCV infection and rearrange their tasks if necessary. When conducting risk assessment, occupational health staff should obtain informed consent and then cooperate with the physician in charge as well as infection control experts in the workplace; (3) healthcare workers infected with HIV, HBV, and/or HCV should disclose their employment to their treating physician and consult with their doctor regarding the need for special considerations at work; and (4) supervisors and colleagues in medical institutions should correctly understand the risks of HIV, HBV, and HCV infection and should not engage in any behavior that leads to discrimination against colleagues infected with HIV, HBV, and/or HCV.

Cultivating secondary traumatic growth among healthcare workers: the role of social support and self-efficacy.

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Shoji, Kotaro; Bock, Judith; Cieslak, Roman; Zukowska, Katarzyna; Luszczynska, Aleksandra; Benight, Charles C

2014-09-01

This 2-study longitudinal investigation examined the indirect effects of secondary traumatic stress (STS) on secondary traumatic growth via two mediators: perceived social support and secondary trauma self-efficacy. In particular, we tested if the 2 hypothetical mediators operate sequentially, that is, with secondary trauma self-efficacy facilitating social support (i.e., cultivation hypothesis) and/or social support enhancing self-efficacy (i.e., enabling hypothesis). Participants in Study 1 (N = 293 at Time 1, N = 115 at Time 2) were behavioral healthcare providers working with U.S. military personnel suffering from trauma. Study 2 was conducted among Polish healthcare workers (N = 298 at Time 1, N = 189 at Time 2) providing services for civilian survivors of traumatic events. In both studies, multiple mediational analyses showed evidence for the cultivation hypothesis. The relationship between STS at Time 1 and secondary traumatic growth at Time 2 was mediated sequentially by secondary trauma self-efficacy at Time 1 and social support at Time 2. The enabling hypothesis was not supported. Education and development programs for healthcare workers may benefit from boosting self-efficacy with the intent to facilitate perceived social support. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

New technology markedly improves hand-hygiene performance among healthcare workers after restroom visits.

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Møller-Sørensen, H; Korshin, A; Mogensen, T; Høiby, N

2016-04-01

The risks to patients from pathogens present on healthcare workers' (HCWs') hands are high; however, compliance with hand hygiene among HCWs is low. We devised a prospective intervention trial of a new hand-hygiene dispensing technology to improve HCWs' compliance with hand hygiene. Baseline hand-hygiene compliance was observed for three months before and after an intervention consisting of implementation of an electronic device that reminds people to comply with hand hygiene after restroom visits. Compliance in hand-hygiene performance after restroom visits increased among HCWs from 66% to 91% after the intervention. Copyright © 2016 The Healthcare Infection Society. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

What do hypnotics cost hospitals and healthcare? [version 2; referees: 2 approved

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Daniel F. Kripke

2017-06-01

Full Text Available Hypnotics (sleeping pills are prescribed widely, but the economic costs of the harm they have caused have been largely unrecognized. Randomized clinical trials have observed that hypnotics increase the incidence of infections. Likewise, hypnotics increase the incidence of major depression and cause emergency admissions for overdoses and deaths.  Epidemiologically, hypnotic use is associated with cancer, falls, automobile accidents, and markedly increased overall mortality.  This article considers the costs to hospitals and healthcare payers of hypnotic-induced infections and other severe consequences of hypnotic use. These are a probable cause of excessive hospital admissions, prolonged lengths of stay at increased costs, and increased readmissions. Accurate information is scanty, for in-hospital hypnotic benefits and risks have scarcely been studied -- certainly not the economic costs of inpatient adverse effects.  Healthcare costs of outpatient adverse effects likewise need evaluation. In one example, use of hypnotics among depressed patients was strongly associated with higher healthcare costs and more short-term disability. A best estimate is that U.S. costs of hypnotic harms to healthcare systems are on the order of $55 billion, but conceivably might be as low as $10 billion or as high as $100 billion. More research is needed to more accurately assess unnecessary and excessive hypnotics costs to providers and insurers, as well as financial and health damages to the patients themselves.

Work-related stress and work ability among Croatian university hospital midwives.

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Knezevic, Bojana; Milosevic, Milan; Golubic, Rajna; Belosevic, Ljiljana; Russo, Andrea; Mustajbegovic, Jadranka

2011-04-01

to explore the sources and levels of stress at work and work ability among Croatian midwives. midwives are subjected to multiple stressors. Among health-care professionals, psychological distress for a prolonged period of time has negative effects on the worker's health, work ability and quality of patient care. 'Work ability' is a term describing a worker's resources related to physical, mental and social demands at work. As a measure of work ability in midwifery, the Work Ability Index (WAI) is considered to be a very predictive instrument; midwives with a poor WAI score usually leave their current job within five years. university hospitals in Zagreb, Croatia. cross-sectional design survey. 300 health-care workers (105 qualified midwives and 195 paediatric nurses) were invited to complete the questionnaire. The total response rate was 53% (158/300). The sample included 14.7% of all hospital-based midwives in Zagreb hospitals. the Occupational Stress Assessment Questionnaire (OSAQ) for health-care workers and the WAI questionnaire. over three-quarters of the midwives (46/60, 76.7%) believed that their job was stressful, and considered that insufficient work resources caused the most stress. More than half of the midwives associated an insufficient number of coworkers, unexpected situations, inadequate income, night work, incurable patients and poor organisation at work with a high level of stress. The perceived specific stressors differed between midwives and paediatric nurses in the same hospital. Insufficient work resources and poor organisation at work were more common stressors among midwives than paediatric nurses (pworkplace compared with paediatric nurses (pability. After adjusting for age, the difference in WAI score between the groups of workers was not significant. Croatian midwives experienced work-related stress due to: insufficient work resources, insufficient number of coworkers, poor organisation at work, communication with superiors and emotional

Improved health of hospitality workers after a Swiss cantonal smoking ban.

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Durham, André-Dante; Bergier, Samuel; Morisod, Xavier; Locatelli, Isabella; Zellweger, Jean-Pierre; Huynh, Cong Khanh; Cornuz, Jacques

2011-12-22

Hospitality workers are a population particularly at risk from the noxious effects of environmental tobacco smoke (ETS). The Canton of Vaud, Switzerland banned smoking in public places in September 2009. This prospective study addresses the impact of the ban on the health of hospitality workers. ETS exposure was evaluated using a passive sampling device that measures airborne nicotine; lung function was assessed by spirometry; health-related quality of life, ETS exposure symptoms and satisfaction were measured by questionnaire. 105 participants (smokers and non-smokers) were recruited initially and 66 were followed up after one year. ETS exposure was significantly lower after the ban. Hospitality workers had lower pre-ban forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1) and forced vital capacity (FVC) values than expected. FEV1 remained stable after the ban, with a near-significant increase in the subgroup of asthmatics only. FVC increased at one year follow-up from 90.42% to 93.05% (p = 0.02) in the entire cohort; women, non-smokers and older participants gained the greatest benefit. The health survey showed an increase in physical wellbeing after the ban, the greatest benefit being observed in non-smokers. ETS exposure symptoms were less frequent after the ban, especially red and irritated eyes and sneezing. The new law was judged useful and satisfactory by the vast majority of employees, including smokers. The recent cantonal ban on smoking in public places brought about an improvement in lung function, physical well-being and ETS symptoms of hospitality workers, including smokers.

Impact of the Spanish smoking law in smoker hospitality workers.

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Martínez-Sánchez, Jose M; Fernández, Esteve; Fu, Marcela; Pérez-Ríos, Mónica; López, María J; Ariza, Carles; Pascual, José A; Schiaffino, Anna; Pérez-Ortuño, Raúl; Saltó, Esteve; Nebot, Manel

2009-09-01

A smoke-free law went into effect in Spain on 1 January 2006, affecting all enclosed workplaces except hospitality venues, where only partial bans were implemented. The objective was to evaluate the impact of the law among hospitality workers who smoke. The study design is a before-and-after evaluation. We formed a cohort at baseline, during the 3 months before the law went into effect, with 431 hospitality workers (222 smokers). From them, 288 were successfully followed-up 12 months after the ban (118 were smokers at baseline). We analyzed the quit rate, the reduction in the number of cigarettes smoked per day, changes in the Fagerström Test for Nicotine Dependence (FTND) scores, and changes in salivary cotinine concentrations in smokers from baseline to 1 year after the ban. Among 118 smokers, six (5.1%) quit smoking. Among the 112 remaining smokers, the mean number of cigarettes smoked decreased by 8.9% after the ban (from 17.9 to 16.3 cigarettes/day, p 6) was reduced by half after the ban (19.5% vs. 9.7%, p = .03). Salivary cotinine decreased by 4.4% after the ban (geometric mean 104.3 vs. 99.7 ng/ml, p = .02). No meaningful differences were found in quit rates and the FTND scores according to type of regulation. The Spanish smoking law has had beneficial effects (reduction in number of cigarettes smoked, cotinine levels, and FTND score) among hospitality workers who smoke.

Hospital Social Work and Spirituality: Views of Medical Social Workers.

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Pandya, Samta P

2016-01-01

This article is based on a study of 1,389 medical social workers in 108 hospitals across 12 countries, on their views on spirituality and spiritually sensitive interventions in hospital settings. Results of the logistic regression analyses and structural equation models showed that medical social workers from European countries, United States of America, Canada, and Australia, those had undergone spiritual training, and those who had higher self-reported spiritual experiences scale scores were more likely to have the view that spirituality in hospital settings is for facilitating integral healing and wellness of patients and were more likely to prefer spiritual packages of New Age movements as the form of spiritual program, understand spiritual assessment as assessing the patients' spiritual starting point, to then build on further interventions and were likely to attest the understanding of spiritual techniques as mindfulness techniques. Finally they were also likely to understand the spiritual goals of intervention in a holistic way, that is, as that of integral healing, growth of consciousness and promoting overall well-being of patients vis-à-vis only coping and coming to terms with health adversities. Results of the structural equation models also showed covariances between religion, spirituality training, and scores on the self-reported spiritual experiences scale, having thus a set of compounding effects on social workers' views on spiritual interventions in hospitals. The implications of the results for health care social work practice and curriculum are discussed.

The Professionalization of Iranian hospital social Workers

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KHALVATI, MALIHEH; FEKRAZAD, HOSSEIN; RAFATJAH, MARYAM; OSTADHASHEMI, LEILA; KHANKEH, HAMID REZA

2018-01-01

Introduction: Identity is formed through our understanding of ourselves and what others perceive of our actions and how we do things. Formation of professional identity includes development, advancement and socialization through social learning of specific knowledge and skills obtained within the context of professional roles, new attitudes and values. Methods: This qualitative study used content analysis approach to explain the professionalization process of 22 social workers working in 14 public hospitals in Tehran based on their experiences. The data were collected through semi-structured interviews, observation and writing in the field. Results: Eleven categories and three themes of entry into the profession, identity formation, and identity ownership were extracted out of data analysis. Revealing the process, barriers and facilitators of professionalization of hospital social workers was the results of this study. Conclusion: Certain individual characteristics were factors for the tendency of participants to choose this profession. The participants' understanding of their profession was formed, when studying in the university through learning relevant knowledge, skills, views and professional expectations. Achieving a single identity and professional pride and self-esteem are achievements of identity ownership. PMID:29344524

Depiction of Trends in Administrative Healthcare Data from Hospital Information System.

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Kalankesh, Leila R; Pourasghar, Faramarz; Jafarabadi, Mohammad Asghari; Khanehdan, Negar

2015-06-01

administrative healthcare data are among main components of hospital information system. Such data can be analyzed and deployed for a variety of purposes. The principal aim of this research was to depict trends of administrative healthcare data from HIS in a general hospital from March 2011 to March 2014. data set used for this research was extracted from the SQL database of the hospital information system in Razi general hospital located in Marand. The data were saved as CSV (Comma Separated Values) in order to facilitate data cleaning and analysis. The variables of data set included patient's age, gender, final diagnosis, final diagnosis code based on ICD-10 classification system, date of hospitalization, date of discharge, LOS(Length of Stay), ward, and survival status of the patient. Data were analyzed and visualized after applying appropriate cleansing and preparing techniques. morbidity showed a constant trend over three years. Pregnancy, childbirth and the puerperium were the leading category of final diagnosis (about 32.8 %). The diseases of the circulatory system were the second class accounting for 13 percent of the hospitalization cases. The diseases of the digestive system had the third rank (10%). Patients aged between 14 and 44 constituted a higher proportion of total cases. Diseases of the circulatory system was the most common class of diseases among elderly patients (age≥65). The highest rate of mortality was observed among patients with final diagnosis of the circulatory system diseases followed by those with diseases of the respiratory system, and neoplasms. Mortality rate for the ICU and the CCU patients were 62% and 33% respectively. The longest average of LOS (7.3 days) was observed among patients hospitalized in the ICU while patients in the Obstetrics and Gynecology ward had the shortest average of LOS (2.4 days). Multiple regression analysis revealed that LOS was correlated with variables of surgery, gender, and type of payment, ward, the