Pub Date : 2024-05-01Epub Date: 2024-02-28DOI: 10.1177/21650799241230026
Laura Jean Ridge
{"title":"Keeping Nurses' Mental Health Front and Center.","authors":"Laura Jean Ridge","doi":"10.1177/21650799241230026","DOIUrl":"10.1177/21650799241230026","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":48968,"journal":{"name":"Workplace Health & Safety","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.6,"publicationDate":"2024-05-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139984273","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2024-05-01DOI: 10.1177/21650799241226628
{"title":"CE Module: Healthcare Workers' Adherence and Attitudes Toward the Adherence to COVID-19 Precautionary Guidelines Post-Vaccination: A Cross-Sectional Pilot Study.","authors":"","doi":"10.1177/21650799241226628","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/21650799241226628","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":48968,"journal":{"name":"Workplace Health & Safety","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.6,"publicationDate":"2024-05-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140912796","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2024-05-01Epub Date: 2024-03-16DOI: 10.1177/21650799241235664
Dalmacito A Cordero
{"title":"<i>Stress No More!</i> Prioritizing the Healthcare Workers' Pleas for Their Health and Safety.","authors":"Dalmacito A Cordero","doi":"10.1177/21650799241235664","DOIUrl":"10.1177/21650799241235664","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":48968,"journal":{"name":"Workplace Health & Safety","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.3,"publicationDate":"2024-05-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140140958","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2024-05-01Epub Date: 2023-12-30DOI: 10.1177/21650799231212898
Dania M Abu-Alhaija, Gordon Lee Gillespie
Background: Healthcare workers (HCWs) have shown increased adherence to infection control practices during the COVID-19 pandemic. However, there is a need to assess their adherence to and attitude toward COVID-19 guidelines after being vaccinated. The purpose of this pilot study is to assess the adherence to and attitudes toward the adherence to COVID-19 guidelines among HCWs who have been vaccinated.
Methods: A retrospective cross-sectional design was employed. One hundred and eight participants were recruited via email from a medical center in the Midwest United States. The participants completed online surveys measuring the level of adherence to and attitudes toward the adherence to COVID-19 guidelines. The response rate was 5.4%.
Findings: Most participants were female (73.1%) and white (82.4%). The participants adhered to COVID-19 guidelines 79.7% of the time. The most frequently followed guidelines were performing hand hygiene, wearing a respirator or well-fitting mask in areas where patients may be present, and wearing eye protection when entering the room for a patient with suspected or confirmed COVID-19 infection. The least performed precautions were performing COVID-19 testing after exposure to a suspected or confirmed COVID-19 case and maintaining social distancing. There was a significant decrease in the perceived importance of adherence to COVID-19 precautions post-vaccination (p <.001, 95% CI [-0.78, -0.35]).
Conclusions: The increased perception of safety after receiving COVID-19 vaccination may negatively influence HCWs' adherence to COVID-19 precautionary guidelines. Continuous education and monitoring of HCWs' safety practices are important to influence HCWs' attitudes to adhere to COVID-19 precautions, particularly after vaccination.
{"title":"Healthcare Workers' Adherence and Attitudes Toward the Adherence to COVID-19 Precautionary Guidelines Post-Vaccination: A Cross-Sectional Pilot Study.","authors":"Dania M Abu-Alhaija, Gordon Lee Gillespie","doi":"10.1177/21650799231212898","DOIUrl":"10.1177/21650799231212898","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Healthcare workers (HCWs) have shown increased adherence to infection control practices during the COVID-19 pandemic. However, there is a need to assess their adherence to and attitude toward COVID-19 guidelines after being vaccinated. The purpose of this pilot study is to assess the adherence to and attitudes toward the adherence to COVID-19 guidelines among HCWs who have been vaccinated.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>A retrospective cross-sectional design was employed. One hundred and eight participants were recruited via email from a medical center in the Midwest United States. The participants completed online surveys measuring the level of adherence to and attitudes toward the adherence to COVID-19 guidelines. The response rate was 5.4%.</p><p><strong>Findings: </strong>Most participants were female (73.1%) and white (82.4%). The participants adhered to COVID-19 guidelines 79.7% of the time. The most frequently followed guidelines were performing hand hygiene, wearing a respirator or well-fitting mask in areas where patients may be present, and wearing eye protection when entering the room for a patient with suspected or confirmed COVID-19 infection. The least performed precautions were performing COVID-19 testing after exposure to a suspected or confirmed COVID-19 case and maintaining social distancing. There was a significant decrease in the perceived importance of adherence to COVID-19 precautions post-vaccination (<i>p</i> <.001, 95% CI [-0.78, -0.35]).</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>The increased perception of safety after receiving COVID-19 vaccination may negatively influence HCWs' adherence to COVID-19 precautionary guidelines. Continuous education and monitoring of HCWs' safety practices are important to influence HCWs' attitudes to adhere to COVID-19 precautions, particularly after vaccination.</p>","PeriodicalId":48968,"journal":{"name":"Workplace Health & Safety","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.6,"publicationDate":"2024-05-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11088981/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139075595","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2024-04-27DOI: 10.1177/21650799241247081
Valerie Gooder, London Lowe
Background:For more than 15 years, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has recommended that all community agencies and workplace environments create structured communication and collaborative plans for emergency or disaster events (2008). This recommendation is aligned with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s (2022) National Infrastructure Protection Plan. The Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic ultimately demonstrated the importance of having organized plans and processes in place for the effective and rapid dispensing of medical countermeasures (MCMs) to the general populace. Occupational and environmental health nurses (OHNs) can utilize examples of successful MCM dispensing programs and adjust details to fit individual organizational needs.Methods:This report examines a closed point of dispensing (Closed POD) mass vaccination program as a guide for designing successful workplace partnerships.Findings:Closed PODs are public or private sites that have set up a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with local health authorities to dispense MCMs to their populations during a public health emergency. The desired outcome of a closed POD agreement is the facilitation of employee health and safety, as well as enabling workplace continuity of operations.Conclusions/Applications to Practice:OHNs will play a pivotal role in any future disaster or emergency event. Because OHNs understand the critical need for anticipatory planning, they are in a prime position to drive the creation and implementation of a closed POD partnership between their workplace and their local health department.
背景：15 年多来，美国疾病控制和预防中心一直建议所有社区机构和工作场所针对紧急情况或灾难事件制定结构化的沟通和协作计划（2008 年）。这一建议与美国国土安全部（2022 年）的《国家基础设施保护计划》相一致。2019 年冠状病毒疾病（COVID-19）大流行最终证明了制定有组织的计划和流程，以便有效、快速地向普通民众分发医疗对策 (MCM) 的重要性。方法：本报告研究了一个封闭式分发点（Closed POD）大规模疫苗接种计划，作为设计成功的工作场所合作伙伴关系的指南。研究结果：封闭式分发点是公共或私人场所，它们与当地卫生当局签订了谅解备忘录（MOU），以便在公共卫生突发事件期间向其居民分发 MCM。封闭式 POD 协议的预期结果是促进员工的健康和安全，以及实现工作场所的连续运作。由于职业健康网了解预先规划的关键需求，因此他们在推动其工作场所与当地卫生部门之间建立和实施封闭式 POD 伙伴关系方面处于有利地位。
{"title":"Implementation of a COVID-19 Closed/Open POD Partnership: A Creative Professional Practice Exemplar for Occupational and Environmental Health Nurses","authors":"Valerie Gooder, London Lowe","doi":"10.1177/21650799241247081","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/21650799241247081","url":null,"abstract":"Background:For more than 15 years, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has recommended that all community agencies and workplace environments create structured communication and collaborative plans for emergency or disaster events (2008). This recommendation is aligned with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s (2022) National Infrastructure Protection Plan. The Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic ultimately demonstrated the importance of having organized plans and processes in place for the effective and rapid dispensing of medical countermeasures (MCMs) to the general populace. Occupational and environmental health nurses (OHNs) can utilize examples of successful MCM dispensing programs and adjust details to fit individual organizational needs.Methods:This report examines a closed point of dispensing (Closed POD) mass vaccination program as a guide for designing successful workplace partnerships.Findings:Closed PODs are public or private sites that have set up a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with local health authorities to dispense MCMs to their populations during a public health emergency. The desired outcome of a closed POD agreement is the facilitation of employee health and safety, as well as enabling workplace continuity of operations.Conclusions/Applications to Practice:OHNs will play a pivotal role in any future disaster or emergency event. Because OHNs understand the critical need for anticipatory planning, they are in a prime position to drive the creation and implementation of a closed POD partnership between their workplace and their local health department.","PeriodicalId":48968,"journal":{"name":"Workplace Health & Safety","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.6,"publicationDate":"2024-04-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140812529","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2024-04-25DOI: 10.1177/21650799241247077
Aoyjai P Montgomery, Courtney Sullivan, Tracey K. Dick, Charlene Roberson, Lindsey M Harris, Patricia A Patrician
BACKGROUND According to the Total Worker Health® framework, safety culture including a reasonable workload among healthcare workers is essential to the security and well-being of patients, staff, and healthcare organizations. Evaluating the impact of the pandemic on the nursing workforce in different practice areas is critical for addressing workforce health and sustainability. The purpose of this study was to compare work and selfcare experiences among Alabama nurses between practice areas and the early pandemic years (2020 vs. 2021). METHODS A secondary analysis of cross-sectional Alabama State Nurses Association (ASNA) survey data was conducted. Kruskal-Wallis analysis of variance, Wilcoxon rank, and false discovery rates were examined. RESULTS There were 1,369 and 2,458 nurse survey responses in 2020 and 2021, respectively. By 2021, nurses reported worsening staff shortages, a greater need for retired and new graduate nurses to help with the workload burden, and perceptions of heavier emergency department workloads. Lower proportions of nurses reported the ability to engage in self-care activities and satisfaction with state and federal crisis management. Intensive care nurses were more likely to report staffing shortages while also reporting the lowest ability to engage in self-care. CONCLUSIONS Overall, the Alabama nursing workforce perceived worsening work conditions in 2021 compared to when the pandemic began. Practice areas varied greatly in their responses, with acute and intensive care areas perceiving more difficult work conditions. Total Worker Health® programs should be designed to promote and support nurses' well-being based on their experience and the needs of specific practice areas.
{"title":"Comparison of Alabama Nurse Experiences Between Practice Areas During the Early COVID-19 Pandemic.","authors":"Aoyjai P Montgomery, Courtney Sullivan, Tracey K. Dick, Charlene Roberson, Lindsey M Harris, Patricia A Patrician","doi":"10.1177/21650799241247077","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/21650799241247077","url":null,"abstract":"BACKGROUND\u0000According to the Total Worker Health® framework, safety culture including a reasonable workload among healthcare workers is essential to the security and well-being of patients, staff, and healthcare organizations. Evaluating the impact of the pandemic on the nursing workforce in different practice areas is critical for addressing workforce health and sustainability. The purpose of this study was to compare work and selfcare experiences among Alabama nurses between practice areas and the early pandemic years (2020 vs. 2021).\u0000\u0000\u0000METHODS\u0000A secondary analysis of cross-sectional Alabama State Nurses Association (ASNA) survey data was conducted. Kruskal-Wallis analysis of variance, Wilcoxon rank, and false discovery rates were examined.\u0000\u0000\u0000RESULTS\u0000There were 1,369 and 2,458 nurse survey responses in 2020 and 2021, respectively. By 2021, nurses reported worsening staff shortages, a greater need for retired and new graduate nurses to help with the workload burden, and perceptions of heavier emergency department workloads. Lower proportions of nurses reported the ability to engage in self-care activities and satisfaction with state and federal crisis management. Intensive care nurses were more likely to report staffing shortages while also reporting the lowest ability to engage in self-care.\u0000\u0000\u0000CONCLUSIONS\u0000Overall, the Alabama nursing workforce perceived worsening work conditions in 2021 compared to when the pandemic began. Practice areas varied greatly in their responses, with acute and intensive care areas perceiving more difficult work conditions. Total Worker Health® programs should be designed to promote and support nurses' well-being based on their experience and the needs of specific practice areas.","PeriodicalId":48968,"journal":{"name":"Workplace Health & Safety","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.6,"publicationDate":"2024-04-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140659078","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2024-04-17DOI: 10.1177/21650799241247154
Emily G. Headrick, Maggie McCarten-Gibbs, Rachel Coley, Graciela Avila, Jerome Mina, Rea Celine Villa, L. Harini Fernando
Background:Healthcare workers (HCWs) in lower- and middle-income countries (LMICs) face unique, intersectional threats to their mental health at work. Despite the existence of recommendations for multi-tiered interventions to promote and protect occupational mental health for HCWs, there remain significant challenges to implementation worldwide.Methods:FHI 360, a global development organization, developed a novel technical assistance framework to accompany partners, including government and healthcare leaders to design, implement, improve, or evaluate any mental health and psychosocial support intervention. The EpiC Project, implemented by FHI 360, has utilized this framework in four countries (Vietnam, Philippines, Paraguay and Sri Lanka) specifically to guide the development of locally adapted occupational mental health interventions for HCWs.Findings:Each country applied this framework in various project cycle phases and in their unique local contexts; all countries reported positive developments in the advancement of their chosen interventions.Conclusions/Application to Practice:With the application of an adaptable, evidence-based technical assistance framework to guide collaborative consultation for project design, implementation, improvement, and/or evaluation, locally led teams pivoted from a solely “mental health” approach to more comprehensive, evidence-based interventions that framed mental health for HCWs as an occupational health priority. This allowed for teams advising interventions in LMICs to consider unique workplace, structural and policy-level factors rather than focusing solely on individual mental health strategies.
{"title":"Care for Staff: A Novel Technical Assistance Approach to Promote Occupational Mental Health Among Healthcare Workers in Lower and Middle Income Country Settings","authors":"Emily G. Headrick, Maggie McCarten-Gibbs, Rachel Coley, Graciela Avila, Jerome Mina, Rea Celine Villa, L. Harini Fernando","doi":"10.1177/21650799241247154","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/21650799241247154","url":null,"abstract":"Background:Healthcare workers (HCWs) in lower- and middle-income countries (LMICs) face unique, intersectional threats to their mental health at work. Despite the existence of recommendations for multi-tiered interventions to promote and protect occupational mental health for HCWs, there remain significant challenges to implementation worldwide.Methods:FHI 360, a global development organization, developed a novel technical assistance framework to accompany partners, including government and healthcare leaders to design, implement, improve, or evaluate any mental health and psychosocial support intervention. The EpiC Project, implemented by FHI 360, has utilized this framework in four countries (Vietnam, Philippines, Paraguay and Sri Lanka) specifically to guide the development of locally adapted occupational mental health interventions for HCWs.Findings:Each country applied this framework in various project cycle phases and in their unique local contexts; all countries reported positive developments in the advancement of their chosen interventions.Conclusions/Application to Practice:With the application of an adaptable, evidence-based technical assistance framework to guide collaborative consultation for project design, implementation, improvement, and/or evaluation, locally led teams pivoted from a solely “mental health” approach to more comprehensive, evidence-based interventions that framed mental health for HCWs as an occupational health priority. This allowed for teams advising interventions in LMICs to consider unique workplace, structural and policy-level factors rather than focusing solely on individual mental health strategies.","PeriodicalId":48968,"journal":{"name":"Workplace Health & Safety","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.6,"publicationDate":"2024-04-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140614141","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2024-04-09DOI: 10.1177/21650799241235410
Erik Hansson, Kristina Jakobsson, Jason R. Glaser, Catharina Wesseling, Denis Chavarría, Rebekah A. I. Lucas, David H. Wegman
Background:Mesoamerican sugarcane cutters are at a high risk of chronic kidney disease of non-traditional origin, a disease likely linked to heat-related acute kidney injury (AKI). Studies in general populations have described a positive association between high environmental temperatures and clinically assessed kidney outcomes, but there are no studies in occupational settings.Method:We accessed routine records of clinically diagnosed AKI (AKI-CD) and wet bulb globe temperatures (WBGT) at a large Nicaraguan sugarcane plantation and modeled the relationship between these using negative binomial regression. A rest-shade-hydration intervention was gradually enhanced during the study period, and efforts were made to increase the referral of workers with suspected AKI to healthcare.Results:Each 1°C WBGT was associated with an 18% (95% confidence interval [CI]: [4, 33%]) higher AKI-CD rate on the same day and a 14% (95% CI [−5, 37%]) higher rate over a week. AKI-CD rates and severity, and time between symptoms onset and diagnosis decreased during the study period, that is, with increasing rest-shade-hydration intervention. Symptoms and biochemical signs of systemic inflammation were common among AKI-CD cases.Discussion:Occupational heat stress, resulting from heavy work in environmental heat, was associated with a higher rate of clinically diagnosed AKI in a population at risk of CKDnt. Promoting rest-shade-hydration may have contributed to reducing AKI rates during the study period. Occupational health and safety personnel have key roles to play in enforcing rest, shade, and hydration practices, referring workers with suspected AKI to healthcare as well as collecting and analyzing the data needed to support workplace heat stress interventions.
{"title":"Association Between Acute Kidney Injury Hospital Visits and Environmental Heat Stress at a Nicaraguan Sugarcane Plantation","authors":"Erik Hansson, Kristina Jakobsson, Jason R. Glaser, Catharina Wesseling, Denis Chavarría, Rebekah A. I. Lucas, David H. Wegman","doi":"10.1177/21650799241235410","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/21650799241235410","url":null,"abstract":"Background:Mesoamerican sugarcane cutters are at a high risk of chronic kidney disease of non-traditional origin, a disease likely linked to heat-related acute kidney injury (AKI). Studies in general populations have described a positive association between high environmental temperatures and clinically assessed kidney outcomes, but there are no studies in occupational settings.Method:We accessed routine records of clinically diagnosed AKI (AKI-CD) and wet bulb globe temperatures (WBGT) at a large Nicaraguan sugarcane plantation and modeled the relationship between these using negative binomial regression. A rest-shade-hydration intervention was gradually enhanced during the study period, and efforts were made to increase the referral of workers with suspected AKI to healthcare.Results:Each 1°C WBGT was associated with an 18% (95% confidence interval [CI]: [4, 33%]) higher AKI-CD rate on the same day and a 14% (95% CI [−5, 37%]) higher rate over a week. AKI-CD rates and severity, and time between symptoms onset and diagnosis decreased during the study period, that is, with increasing rest-shade-hydration intervention. Symptoms and biochemical signs of systemic inflammation were common among AKI-CD cases.Discussion:Occupational heat stress, resulting from heavy work in environmental heat, was associated with a higher rate of clinically diagnosed AKI in a population at risk of CKDnt. Promoting rest-shade-hydration may have contributed to reducing AKI rates during the study period. Occupational health and safety personnel have key roles to play in enforcing rest, shade, and hydration practices, referring workers with suspected AKI to healthcare as well as collecting and analyzing the data needed to support workplace heat stress interventions.","PeriodicalId":48968,"journal":{"name":"Workplace Health & Safety","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.6,"publicationDate":"2024-04-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140561517","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2024-04-08DOI: 10.1177/21650799241238755
Lisa Pompeii, Janelle Rios, Colleen S. Kraft, Marie Kasbaum, Elisa Benavides, Scott J. Patlovich, Luis Ostrosky-Zeichner, Adam Hornbeck, Caitlin McClain, Rohan D. Fernando, Margaret Sietsema, Morgan Lane
Background:Reusable elastomeric half-mask respirators (EHMR) are an alternative to address shortages of disposable respirators. While respirator discomfort has been noted as a barrier to adherence to wearing an N95 filtering facepiece respirator (FFR) among health care personnel (HCP), few have examined EHMR comfort while providing patient care, which was the purpose of this study.Method:Among a cohort of 183 HCP, we prospectively examined how HCP rated EHMR tolerability using the Respirator Comfort, Wearing Experience, and Function Instrument (R-COMFI) questionnaire at Study Week 2 and Week 10. At the completion of the study (Week-12), HCP compared EHMR comfort with their prior N95 FFR use. Overall R-COMFI scores and three subscales (comfort, wear experience, and function) were examined as well as individual item scores.Findings:The HCP reported an improved overall R-COMFI score (lower score more favorable, 30.0 vs. 28.7/47, respectively) from Week 2 to Week 10. Many individual item scores improved or remained low over this period, except difficulty communicating with patients and coworkers. The overall R-COMFI scores for the EHMR were more favorable than for the N95 FFR (33.7 vs. 37.4, respectively), with a large proportion of workers indicating their perception that EHMR fit better, provided better protection, and they preferred to wear it in pandemic conditions compared with the N95 FFR.Conclusion/Application to Practice:Findings suggest that the EHMR is a feasible respiratory protection device with respect to tolerance. EHMRs can be considered as a possible alternative to the N95 FFR in the health care setting. Future work is needed in the EHMR design to improve communication.
{"title":"Health Care Workers’ Comfort Ratings for Elastomeric Half Mask Respirators Versus N95® Filtering Facepiece Respirators During the COVID-19 Pandemic","authors":"Lisa Pompeii, Janelle Rios, Colleen S. Kraft, Marie Kasbaum, Elisa Benavides, Scott J. Patlovich, Luis Ostrosky-Zeichner, Adam Hornbeck, Caitlin McClain, Rohan D. Fernando, Margaret Sietsema, Morgan Lane","doi":"10.1177/21650799241238755","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/21650799241238755","url":null,"abstract":"Background:Reusable elastomeric half-mask respirators (EHMR) are an alternative to address shortages of disposable respirators. While respirator discomfort has been noted as a barrier to adherence to wearing an N95 filtering facepiece respirator (FFR) among health care personnel (HCP), few have examined EHMR comfort while providing patient care, which was the purpose of this study.Method:Among a cohort of 183 HCP, we prospectively examined how HCP rated EHMR tolerability using the Respirator Comfort, Wearing Experience, and Function Instrument (R-COMFI) questionnaire at Study Week 2 and Week 10. At the completion of the study (Week-12), HCP compared EHMR comfort with their prior N95 FFR use. Overall R-COMFI scores and three subscales (comfort, wear experience, and function) were examined as well as individual item scores.Findings:The HCP reported an improved overall R-COMFI score (lower score more favorable, 30.0 vs. 28.7/47, respectively) from Week 2 to Week 10. Many individual item scores improved or remained low over this period, except difficulty communicating with patients and coworkers. The overall R-COMFI scores for the EHMR were more favorable than for the N95 FFR (33.7 vs. 37.4, respectively), with a large proportion of workers indicating their perception that EHMR fit better, provided better protection, and they preferred to wear it in pandemic conditions compared with the N95 FFR.Conclusion/Application to Practice:Findings suggest that the EHMR is a feasible respiratory protection device with respect to tolerance. EHMRs can be considered as a possible alternative to the N95 FFR in the health care setting. Future work is needed in the EHMR design to improve communication.","PeriodicalId":48968,"journal":{"name":"Workplace Health & Safety","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.6,"publicationDate":"2024-04-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140561589","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2024-04-01DOI: 10.1177/21650799241232145
{"title":"CE Module: Association Between Acute Kidney Injury Hospital Visits and Environmental Heat Stress at a Nicaraguan Sugarcane Plantation.","authors":"","doi":"10.1177/21650799241232145","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/21650799241232145","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":48968,"journal":{"name":"Workplace Health & Safety","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.6,"publicationDate":"2024-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140792316","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
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