Aaohn Journal最新文献

Women with children are the fastest growing segment of the U.S. work force. Employers must comply with the 2010 Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, requiring them to provide acceptable facilities for breastfeeding employees. This article discusses resources for examining the economic costs and benefits of becoming a breastfeeding-friendly organization, current legislation affecting breastfeeding women in the workplace, resources related to breastfeeding, and recommendations for initiating and managing a workplace lactation program. Research demonstrating the effects of lactation programs on health care and employee replacement costs (i.e., recruiting, hiring, and training staff) is reviewed. Implementation issues are discussed, including providing breastfeeding women with sufficient time, adequate space, and support from employers and coworkers. The role of occupational health nurses in initiating and coordinating workplace lactation programs is also discussed.

Registered nurses are the largest group of health care providers in the United States. To provide 24-hour care, hospital staff nurses often work long hours and consecutive shifts, without adequate meal or rest breaks. Serious declines in functioning related to provider fatigue can lead to safety issues for patients and nurses alike. The occupational health nurse can assess the effects of nurses' work hours and break periods on employee health, educate staff on the importance of sleep and deleterious effects of fatigue, and implement programs to improve the work environment. This article examines nurses' work hours, break and meal period laws and regulations, and the role of the occupational health nurse in caring for this group of employees. Overall findings suggest that the expertise of an occupational health nurse in the hospital setting could significantly improve the health and safety of staff nurses.

Bedbugs are increasingly encountered in hotels, motels, office buildings, movie theaters, and modes of transport--anywhere the turnover of occupants is constant.

Eighteen percent of drivers do not consistently wear their seatbelts when driving. The purpose of this article is to report the problem of noncompliance with seatbelt use among health care workers at a Level I pediatric trauma center in the midwest United States with evidence from a non-experimental, observational study. Results showed that 84% (n=3,641) of drivers and 73% (n=113) of passengers wore their seatbelts. A significant correlation was found between driver seatbelt use and passenger seatbelt use (p=.272, p<.001). Drivers from primary seatbelt legislation states wore their seatbelts significantly more often than drivers from the secondary seatbelt legislation state, χ(1)=0.913, p=.012. Non-compliance with seatbelt use among pediatric health care workers is a problem equal to that of the general population. It may be necessary to adopt and enforce mandatory seatbelt use policies at the organizational level to increase seatbelt use in this population of hospital workers.

This article addresses the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommendations for 2010-2011 seasonal influenza vaccination campaigns, identifies lessons learned, outlines new recommendations for preventing and controlling influenza this year, and encourages implementing flu vaccine clinics in the workplace.

Employee wellness programs can potentially contribute to a stronger and healthier work force, with increased dexterity and positive mental health. Programs that keep the work force physically active can reduce heart disease, type 2 diabetes, hypertension, hyperlipidemia, cerebrovascular accident, and workplace injury. The occupational health nurse provides information to motivate employees to take the first step toward an active lifestyle. The purpose of this article is to present the qualitative evaluation results of an intervention study that tested the effectiveness of tailored e-mail communications designed to increase intentional physical activity in a group of manufacturing workers. The increase in overall physical activity demonstrates the effectiveness of the workplace interventions. Research will now strengthen theoretical concepts, refine messages, and increase both the dose and the power of the interventions.

With the aging of the current nursing work force, nursing leaders must develop strategies to maintain current employment levels and improve availability of nurses to care for patients. One way to maintain current levels is to retain older nurses at the bedside by adapting the current working environment to meet the needs and the limitations associated with aging. This article includes a review of literature on the effects of aging on the human body, cognitively, physically, and psychosocially; current trends in the aging population; the advantages and disadvantages of employing aging nurses; retention strategies to keep aging nurses at the bedside; methods to adapt the work environment to aging nurses' needs; policies that address the needs of aging nurses; and implications for occupational health nursing practice. This article is limited to aging as it relates to nurses employed in hospitals.

Dengue is currently the world's most rapidly spreading mosquito-borne illness.

Obesity is common, serious, and costly. This epidemic has affected all of the United States. The related health care costs are staggering. However, many occupational health nurses have not yet implemented weight management programs at their companies or taken steps to improve their own health. This article explores the obstacles to weight loss and suggests reasons and resources to implement on-site weight loss programs.