Medycyna pracy最新文献

Employees in the medical profession in a situation where the life of a patient is at risk cannot refrain from working due to unsafe working conditions. Therefore, enforcing the right to safe and hygienic working conditions is particularly important so that employees can provide health care services without additional burdens. The purpose of the study is to determine how the social labour inspector can respond to Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) hazards and whether the current powers of the social labor inspectorate as the employer's internal OHS control body are sufficient. The study conducted a regulatory analysis and used relevant literature, including recent studies on law enforcement. In addition, a questionnaire survey was conducted among trade union representatives of medical professionals on the evaluation of social labour inspector activities and OHS hazards during the COVID-19 epidemic period. In this period characterized by many OHS risks in medical entities, the difficulties faced by employers in carrying out their duty to protect the health of their employees became apparent. The system of internal control with the participation of the social labour inspection in this context needs changes, due to the fact that it is used in an inefficient manner. The reasons for this are primarily incomplete legal regulations. The legislator should guarantee the social labour inspector the right to use both methods of rewarding the employer as an incentive for the proper performance of duties and measures to deter violations of the law. Despite the fact that Polish labour law guarantees mechanisms for OHS control by the social labour inspector, it would be appropriate to expand the catalog of measures used by him to effectively motivate employers to protect worker health. This study is a prelude to a broader discussion of OHS monitoring in the context of OHS hazards occurring in healthcare entities. Med Pr Work Health Saf. 2023;74(4):301-16.

Background: Harmful chemicals are used in various forms from different sources in hospital settings. The standard gold method in risk control studies still determines exposure by personal or ambient measurements. In the absence of trained personnel, resources, or sufficient time, qualitative methods should be used to assess exposure. This study aims to compare quantitative and qualitative results of chemical risk exposure.

Material and methods: Both qualitative (perceptions without monitoring data of the workers and experts) and quantitative perceptions (perceptions with monitoring data) were recorded. Two experts were asked to evaluate exposure intensity in pathology department workers, secretary workers, and cleaning workers. Occupational hygiene measurements were taken based on the occupational health and safety department risk assessment results, expert job analysis, and pilot study measurements.

Results: While most workers reported feeling highly exposed to chemical risks, the majority of experts reported medium-risk exposures and high-risk exposures. Three occupational hygiene measurements (6.6%) exceeded the permissible time-weighted average, and the other results were within the acceptable range.

Conclusions: There was a significant difference between the estimated exposure and the measured exposure in hospital settings. A correlation was not found between workers' perceptions of chemical risk exposure and the chemical risk levels measured in this study. Med Pr Work Health Saf. 2023;74(4):241-50.

Background: Personal resources are one of the determinants of lifestyle and health. The aim of the research was to analyze the relationship between sense of generalized self-efficacy, and body mass index (BMI), diet health quality and health behaviors of female nursing students and active professional nurses. The analyzed variables in the group of students and nurses were also compared.

Material and methods: The study was conducted among a group of 269 women (174 students and 95 nurses working at hospitals), using: the Beliefs and Eating Habits Questionnaire (KomPAN), Juczyński's Health Behavior Inventory (HBI) and the Generalized Self-Efficacy Scale (GSES). The BMI was assessed on the basis of anthropometric measurements. Statistical calculations were performed using analysis of variance, the Student's t-test, multivariable regression analysis and Pearson's correlation as well as moderation analysis, with the adopted level of statistical significance at α = 0.05.

Results: Professionally active nurses achieved higher BMI levels (25.95 vs. 22.31 kg/m², p < 0.001) and a higher non-healthy diet index - nHDI-14 (17.04 vs. 15.00, p = 0.038) than students. It was shown that with the increase in generalized self-efficacy (GSE), diet health quality and the level of positive mental attitude, proper eating habits and the overall index of health behaviors increased. The BMI increased with the rise in the non-healthy diet index and with the decline in health behaviors (individual categories and the overall index). It was not found that the group (students vs. working nurses) was a moderator of the relationships between health behaviors and indicators of diet health quality with GSE of the studied nurses (p > 0.05).

Conclusions: Nurses with a higher sense of self-efficacy declared a higher diet health quality and healthier behaviors, and their BMI was related to diet quality and health behaviors. Med Pr Work Health Saf. 2023;74(4):251-61.

Background: The population ageing phenomenon is mainly attributable to the increasing proportion of people >60 years of age. This demographic situation requires more attention to the needs of the elderly. Given the lack of effective methods to expand the knowledge of and increase sensitivity to elderly people's problems, especially among the younger generation, an attempt has been made to use virtual reality (VR) to prepare an educational tool focused on these problems. This paper will focus on the use of VR in depicting fundamental problems in the daily live of older people.

Material and methods: For project purposes, a questionnaire (26 question) was developed, concerning data on socio-demographic situation, health and physical conditions; social, living and housing support needs. Additionally, qualitative interviews were conducted with elderly people regarding their needs about housing arrangements and daily activities. It was distributed to 100 people, 34 completed questionnaires were obtained from 30 women and 4 men. The study results were intended as information that would provide the basis for developing VR scenarios, not for the epidemiological purposes.

Results: The mean age of the respondents was 73.7±7.5 (60‒86 years). Different situations, as heavy housework, lifting/carrying heavy objects, lifting hands above the shoulder level, bending and squatting were identified that pose problems for elderly people. Based on these results, 3 scenario proposals were prepared, including situations: in the bathroom, in the supermarket, on a trip to the city. These scenarios were used to prepare the exercises in VR in the frame of European project - the Mixed Reality on Universal Design's Secret Service (Mr. UD) Project.

Conclusions: The use of immersive technology such as VR can be beneficial for young people to be able to see perspectives of the elderly. Students from various fields (medicine, nursing, future engineers, designers, sociologists, etc.) may feel like the elderly and experience their daily challenges. Med Pr. 2023;74(3):159-70.

The lack of empathy towards disability is a significant societal issue that hampers inclusivity and understanding. Many struggle to comprehend the daily challenges and experiences faced by people with disabilities, leading to ignorance, prejudice, and exclusion. However, empathy plays a pivotal role in addressing this problem and serves as the foundation for developing and creating better products, services, and environments. This article explores the potential of developing virtual reality (VR) applications to enhance students' empathy towards individuals with disabilities. By increasing empathy levels, students are expected to gain significant qualifications in universal design (UD). The full application development process covers the most suitable head-mounted display (HMD) set. The implementation methodology using the Unity programming platform, the approach adopted for conducting classes using the developed VR application, and the deployment stage. Testing was successfully conducted on a student population, receiving positive user feedback. Through the integration of VR technology, the authors thoroughly describe how to address the empathy gap and equip students with essential skills for inclusive and accessible design. The findings presented in this study provide valuable guidance for educators and developers interested in harnessing VR's potential to foster empathy and advance universal design practices. With the presented methodology and proposed application, the authors demonstrate the effectiveness of VR applications in elevating students' empathy levels, consequently enhancing their qualifications in universal design. Med Pr. 2023;74(3):199-210.

Background: Virtual reality (VR) has the potential to be a powerful tool in promoting empathy towards inclusion, particularly for individuals with impairments such as mobility difficulties, vision deficits, or autism but also about pregnancy, which can create temporary difficulties. By immersing users in simulated environments that replicate the experiences of those with different abilities, VR can create a sense of understanding and empathy for those who face challenges in their daily lives. For example, VR experiences can simulate the experience of navigating space as someone with a mobility impairment, providing a new perspective and appreciation for the difficulties that others face. Similarly, VR experiences can simulate the experience of vision impairment, pregnancy, or autism, providing a window into the challenges faced by those with these conditions and fostering empathy and understanding.

Material and methods: During the development of this study, field experts were consulted to ensure the robustness of the methods employed. Then, questionnaires were specifically developed to explore disabilities and challenges related to inclusion and were administered to a large population. Additionally, guided interviews were conducted with individuals who possess specific impairments to gather first-hand insights.

Results: The results obtained from the questionnaires and interviews provide a comprehensive overview of the inclusion challenges that necessitate attention and resolution. By drawing on the expertise of both experts and individuals with lived experiences, a holistic landscape of inclusion challenges has been established.

Conclusions: The VR emerges as a powerful tool for promoting inclusion and fostering understanding among individuals. Its capacity to create immersive experiences that facilitate empathy has the potential to reshape society into a more compassionate and empathetic one. By leveraging the unique capabilities of VR, we can bridge the gap between different perspectives, fostering greater understanding, acceptance, and inclusivity. Med Pr. 2023;74(3):171-85.

This article explores the relevance of universal design and empathic design in education. The universal design focuses on creating accessible and usable products, environments, and systems for individuals with diverse abilities. Empathy, on the other hand, involves understanding and sharing the feelings of others, encompassing cognitive, emotional, and compassionate empathy. The article investigates the application of empathy in design, particularly its importance for engineers. Teaching empathy to engineers is emphasized as a crucial aspect. By developing empathic skills, engineers gain a deeper understanding of user needs and perspectives, leading to more inclusive and user-centered design solutions. Effective communication techniques such as asking open-ended questions, active listening, observation, and perspective-taking are explored to enhance empathy in communication. The article also explores methods for measuring empathy, thus enabling engineers to assess the effectiveness of their empathic design approaches. The challenges facing students, teachers, and university authorities in implementing such courses are also bulleted. Med Pr. 2023;74(3):211-25.