Workplace Health & Safety最新文献

Background: Occupational violence (OV) is a priority issue that significantly affects the safety of nurses, leading to staff burnout and poor retention issues. Security personnel are common in inpatient settings, yet there is limited research on their role, function, and impacts. The study aims to qualitatively evaluate a novel security role to reduce OV in inpatient settings. Methods: This qualitative study was conducted in a tertiary hospital in Brisbane, Queensland. A novel security role (Ambassador) was piloted in three inpatient wards over 6 months in 2020 to mitigate OV risk. Semi-structured in-depth interviews were conducted. All interviews were audio recorded. Interview transcripts were transcribed. Deductive analysis based on the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research (CFIR) was used to identify the experiences and perceptions of the participants. Findings: 17 participants were interviewed. Five themes were identified including program characteristics, internal drivers, external drivers, individual experience, and implementation process. An Ambassador proactively engages with patients and visitors and employs behavioral strategies to de-escalate or redirect persons of concern. Participants considered Ambassadors to be important members of the health care team who supported the provision of patient and family-centered care. Successful implementation was said to require collaboration between clinical and security services and a small agile project team with authority and autonomy. Conclusion/Application to practice: This study provides many insights into the successful implementation of a novel security role in acute hospital settings. More research is needed on the effectiveness, appropriateness, feasibility, and cost of different security models.

Background: Workers' reporting of work-related injuries or illnesses is important for treatment and prevention, yet research often focuses on reporting barriers. This study aimed to identify factors related to work-related musculoskeletal disorder (WRMSD) reporting attitudes and their connection to reporting intention and behavior.

Methods: We analyzed data from 377 direct care workers employed in 19 long-term care facilities in South Korea. A self-administered questionnaire collected demographics, job characteristics, physical and psychosocial factors, musculoskeletal symptoms, reporting attitudes, and WRMSD reporting intentions and behavior between May and August 2022. We used a generalized linear mixed model with a random intercept by employers to identify factors influencing reporting attitudes. To explore the relationship between reporting attitude and reporting intention and behavior, simple logistic regression was also conducted.

Results: We achieved an 86% response rate. The majority of the study participants were female (87.2%), married (95.9%), and non-immigrant (72.8%). Of the study participants, 48.9% had no intention to report WRMSDs, and 44.3% held negative reporting attitudes. Among 200 workers with WRMSDs, 86.5% did not report them. Attitudes were associated with work duration, safety training, management safety priority, WRMSD experience, and symptom severity and frequency. Management safety priority did not moderate this relationship. Significant links existed between attitudes and reporting intention and behavior.

Conclusions/applications to practice: This study highlights the vital influence of workers' attitudes on reporting work-related injuries and illnesses. Occupational health providers should employ strategies, such as tailored safety training and management commitment, with a focus on addressing the unique needs of long-tenured and musculoskeletal-exposed workers. Fostering a safety culture that promotes open and timely reporting is crucial, and implementing these strategies can significantly enhance workplace safety and health.

Background: Prior pandemic research has focused on physicians and nurses who provide direct patient care. Literature on the experiences of nonnurse/physician clinicians and nonclinical health care professionals is sparse.

Methods: An observational, cross-sectional study was conducted over threetime points to examine the impact of COVID-19 on clinical and nonclinical healthcare professionals (n = 464).

Findings: There were no significant differences in distress across survey waves, except for anger (p = .046). No significant differences in distress scores were found between job types. Multiple linear regression results varied. Both the threat and interrupted plans scores were significant predictors of distress. Resources available to healthcare providers (HCPs) were underutilized in all three waves.

Conclusions: Healthcare professionals' distress increases with exposure. Integrating self-care resources for staff may mitigate the impact and maintain a healthy work environment.

Application to practice: Occupational health providers should incorporate these findings when developing opportunities to address the needs of health care professionals in the workplace.

Background: The sedentary aspects of work have been associated with increased health risks. The purpose of this study was to compare the effects of high intensity interval training (HIIT) and increased steps on anthropometric, body mass, and body composition changes over a 12-week period.

Methods: 12 sedentary, obese, body mass index (BMI) = 32.98 ± 3.21 kg/m², adult (46.10 ± 9.56 years), females volunteered for the study and were randomly assigned into one of the two groups, the HIIT group and the STEP group. During the 12-week study, all participants' movements were monitored during their workday, via an accelerometer, a Movband™, 5 days/week.

Findings: The HIIT group (n = 5) engaged in structured exercise (~15.0 ± 3.5 minutes), defined as total body moves which consisted of eight different routines: upper and lower extremity, two cardio segments, two total body, yoga, and abdominal exercises. The STEP group (n = 7) averaged ~7,000 steps/day throughout 12 weeks. Pre- and post-program measurements included: five anthropometric measurements (biceps, waist, abdomen, hips, and thigh), along with body mass and body composition measures: relative (%) body fat via dual x-ray absorptiometry (DEXA) scan, fat mass, fat-free mass, and lean mass.

Conclusions: Statistical significance was determined among participants for biceps, hips, and thigh measurements along with body mass and body composition changes for improved health.

Application to practice: This work is suggestive that a physical activity intervention integrated into the workplace via work processes and/or structured exercise is supportive in reducing anthropometric and body composition measurements, while changing body mass, to increase health and reduce obesity-related chronic disease risks in sedentary women.

Background: Workplace violence and harassment are commonplace for healthcare workers and most incidents are unreported. Normalization of these experiences, lack of confidence in reporting systems, and fear of the consequences of reporting contribute to the invisibility of these experiences. Challenges are exacerbated in homecare settings and for precarious workforces including Personal Support Workers (PSWs). We created, piloted, and evaluated an intervention to enhance safety culture and encourage reporting of workplace violence and harassment.

Methods: A multi-stakeholder steering committee designed an intervention combining policy changes, a pre-visit screening tool, education, and brief end-of-visit reporting. This was piloted with a PSW care team which provided >55,000 client visits during the 32-week intervention. Operational metrics characterized screening, education, and reporting uptake. Pre- and post-intervention surveys characterized PSWs' experiences with workplace violence and harassment, reporting experiences, training history and intervention feedback.

Findings: PSWs reported increased comfort discussing workplace violence and harassment, and increased confidence managing client-to-worker incidents. The screening went smoothly with most clients in private homes. Most PSWs (75%) engaged at least once with end-of-visit reporting and nearly half submitted reports regularly. During the pilot, 21% of PSWs reported incidents and 52% of reports shared client-specific strategies for managing these situations.

Application to practice: Changes in comfort and behavior with reporting indicated a shift toward a more open culture surrounding workplace violence and harassment. Tools created for this intervention and lessons for implementation are shared for consideration by occupational health practitioners throughout the homecare sector.