Work-A Journal of Prevention Assessment & Rehabilitation最新文献

Background: Despite national recommendations and decades of literature highlighting the importance of faculty wellness, gaps at academic medical centers remain. Multilevel wellness initiatives are necessary to create change and optimally support academic faculty.

Objective: The purpose of this study is to examine faculty perceptions of factors contributing to lack of wellness and proposed solutions in the context of current resources at our academic medical center in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States.

Methods: The Georgetown University Medical Center Faculty Development Committee created a Wellness Task Force in response to a charge by leadership. The 11-member Task Force included faculty members from different disciplines: psychiatry, neurology, family medicine, pediatrics, nursing and oncology. Data collection occurred September 2021 to January 2022. Interviews and focus groups elicited faculty input on 1) factors that contribute to and detract from wellness and 2) strategies to enhance wellness within our academic medical center.

Results: Faculty described individual and organizational factors contributing to lack of wellness: challenges with balance; lack of connection, autonomy, resources and feeling valued; communication; culture; attention to diversity, equity, and inclusion; leadership; and workload. Proposed solutions included a comprehensive, centralized and consistent plan; culture change; incentives; increased autonomy, feelings of value, and resources.

Conclusions: Wellness as a budgetary priority and strategic initiative remains a critical goal for academic medical centers. Faculty perceptions of factors contributing to lack of wellness and proposed solutions underscore and add to national recommendations.

Background: The management of precarious work of delivery workers (DW) by delivery platform companies (DPC) incorporates technologies that deepen the subordination of this workforce. The demands placed on DW to carry out their tasks can compromise their health.

Objective: To analyze the contradictory demands of work subordinated to DPC and their repercussions on health, as opposed to the regulation strategies adopted by DW to prevent illnesses and accidents.

Methods: A situated analysis of the activity of DW was carried out based on the assumptions of Ergonomic Work Analysis in Salvador, Bahia, Brazil, in 2022. General and systematic observations were carried out, emphasizing the tasks of waiting for and receiving delivery orders and collecting goods, as well as self-confrontation interviews with DW.

Results: DPC are new spaces for the exploitation and precariousness of work, still operating without regulation. DPC use technology to restrict decision-making and intensify work. This increases insecurity by reducing the spaces for regulation in the face of the unpredictability of street work and the pressure of low remuneration. Consequently, there are psychosocial and physical demands associated with work accidents and illness.

Conclusion: Expanding the autonomy of these workers in terms of managing their own work and eliminating mechanisms that promote its intensification are measures required to prevent accidents and illness.

Background: This paper focuses on patient-initiated workplace violence (referred to WPV hereafter) towards healthcare workers in long-term care (LTC) and mental health and substance use (MHSU) care settings. While an extensive body of evidence has thoroughly examined WPV, our understanding of what takes place immediately before or during a violent incident, known as 'on-the-spot' experiences is limited.

Objective: This study examined (a) 'on-the-spot' experiences, (b) contributing factors, and (c) warning signs of impending WPV using the experiences of healthcare worker victims and witnesses and healthcare attendees in LTC and MHSU.

Methods: The study was conducted in one LTC home and two MHSU units in British Columbia, Canada. In-depth semi-structured virtual interviews were conducted with 17 participants from June to September 2023. Workplace Health Indicator Tracking and Evaluation (WHITE) data included 38 WPV incidents occurring between January 2022 to March 2023. Data were analyzed using thematic analysis.

Results: Six participants (35%) identified as both victims and witnesses of WPV, four participants (24%) as only victims, and five participants (29%) as only witnesses. Contributing factors to WPV encompassed two main themes and their subthemes: (1) patient/resident factors (cognitive impairment and neurodevelopmental conditions); (2) healthcare factors (lack of continuity of care across healthcare, community and family, care provision, approaches and skills in interactions with patients/residents, access to safety tools and security personnel, and unmet needs and workload and human resource challenges).

Conclusion: WPV may be reduced through access to specialized care, adoption of team-based care and person-centered care approaches, addressing resource constraints, and offering context-specific training.

Background: BP are the most common means for carrying items and are used by a large population but transporting heavy loads (over extended periods of time) can lead to a variety of health-related problems. An ergonomic backpack (EBP) was designed as a potential solution to reduce the incidence of injuries associated with heavy backpack weight.

Objective: The objective of this study was to design a novel ergonomic offloading backpack that reduced loads on the shoulder and spine compared to a traditional modern day backpack (BP).

Methods: Strap tension and shoulder loads were measured in a common two strap style commuter BP and the EBP during quiet (vertical) stance conditions for five weight increments (0 kg to 11 kg) to confirm the offloading capabilities of the EBP. Portable luggage scales were attached directly to the shoulder straps and configured to measure strap tension. Load sensors placed underneath the shoulder straps provided an estimate of the total force acting on the shoulders and transferred to the spine.

Results: The EBP had a large effect size and significant reduction (p < 0.05) in shoulder loads compared to a traditional BP for all bag weight conditions. Similarly, the EBP had a large effect size in reducing strap tension compared to the traditional modern day two strap BP.

Conclusion: A newly designed EBP was effective at transferring a significantly large portion of the shoulder and spine loads to the pelvic region.

Background: Despite the prevalence and impacts of pregnancy loss, there is a lack of statutory or workplace-based supports for workers experiencing pregnancy loss, especially before the point of viability. As reproductive and working ages overlap, workplaces can play a significant role in pregnancy loss experiences.

Objective: The aim of this study is to map the available literature on workplace supports for pregnancy loss before viability.

Methods: We conducted a scoping review following JBI Guidance and a pre-registered protocol. We searched eight academic databases/platforms, grey literature sources, and reference lists for eligible documents (2012-2022).

Results: Following title and abstract screening and full-text review, 48 records were included for analysis: 18 reports, 15 journal articles, 6 guides/codes of practice, 3 theses, 2 book/book chapters, and 4 other narrative records. Secondary research was the most common methodology employed (n = 16) followed by primary research (n = 14). Reports mainly originated from South-East Asia, while all empirical studies took place in high-income, English-speaking countries. Leave from work was the most discussed/important form of workplace support. Helpful organisational measures were also identified.

Conclusions: Our review found a lack of empirical research on workplace supports and experiences of pregnancy loss. Further research is needed to understand experiences and develop and implement appropriate supports.

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has significantly disrupted daily life and education, prompting institutions to adopt online teaching.

Objective: This study delves into the effectiveness of these methods during the lockdown in Pakistan, employing machine learning techniques for data analysis.

Methods: A cross-sectional online survey was conducted with 300 respondents using a semi-structured questionnaire to assess perceptions of online education. Artificial intelligence methods analyzed the specificity, sensitivity, accuracy, and precision of the collected data.

Results: Among participants, 42.3% expressed satisfaction with online learning, while 49.3% preferred using Zoom. Convenience was noted with 72% favoring classes between 8 AM and 12 PM. The survey revealed 87.33% felt placement activities were negatively impacted, and 85% reported effects on individual growth. Additionally, 90.33% stated that online learning disrupted their routines, with 84.66% citing adverse effects on physical health. The Decision Tree classifier achieved the highest accuracy at 86%. Overall, preferences leaned toward traditional in-person teaching despite satisfaction with online methods.

Conclusions: The study highlights the significant challenges in transitioning to online education, emphasizing disruptions to daily routines and overall well-being. Notably, age and gender did not significantly influence perceptions of growth or health. Finally, collaborative efforts among educators, policymakers, and stakeholders are crucial for ensuring equitable access to quality education in future crises.

Background: Numerous research has investigated the impact of depression and anxiety symptoms, occupational stress, work hours on sleep quality. Nevertheless, the interrelationships between these variables remain poorly understood.

Objective: The objective of this study is to examine the factors that influence sleep quality, to elucidate the relationships between them and to examine the extent to which depressive and anxiety symptoms act as mediators in the aforementioned relationships.

Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted to obtain information about medical personnel in Chongqing, China. The Depressive Symptom Scale, Anxiety Symptom Scale and Sleep Quality Scale developed by the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention were used to assess the status of depression, anxiety and sleep quality, respectively. Structural equation modeling was employed to investigate the factors that influence sleep quality.

Results: The detection rate of poor sleep quality among healthcare workers in Chongqing was 57.9%, analyzed by structural equation modeling, the direct effects of anxiety and depressive symptoms on sleep quality were -0.328, -0.221 and fully mediated the relationship between socio-economic status, weekly working hours and occupational tension and sleep quality. Social support, demands and payments had higher effects on sleep quality of -0.167, -0.176 respectively.

Conclusions: The factors affecting sleep quality were identified as weekly working hours, working age, socioeconomic status, and occupational tension. The sub-dimensions of occupational tension that played a decisive role were social support, demands, and payments. The association between the aforementioned variables and sleep quality was fully mediated by depression and anxiety symptoms.

Background: Shift work has been associated to a higher risk of depression and other health problems.

Objective: This study aims to explore the connection between shift work and depression using NHANES data, with a focus on the roles of sleep duration and physical activity.

Methods: NHANES data from 2007 to 2025 were examined using weighted multivariable logistic regression and stratified analysis, adjusting for demographic, chronic disease, and lifestyle factors. The impact of sleep duration and physical activity on depression among shift workers was examined using generalized additive models.

Results: The study included 4965 participants. Adjusting for all covariates, shift work was significantly linked to increased depression risk (OR = 1.25, 95% CI: 1.05-1.48, p = 0.0127). For shift workers, each additional hour of sleep reduced depression risk by 19% (OR = 0.81, 95% CI: 0.72-0.91, p = 0.0007), and those with adequate sleep had a 40% lower depression risk compared to those with insufficient sleep (OR = 0.60, 95% CI: 0.42-0.87, p = 0.0072). Regular physical activity reduced depression risk by 44% (OR = 0.56, 95% CI: 0.36-0.87, p = 0.0104), whereas insufficient activity showed no significant impact (OR = 0.83, 95% CI: 0.50-1.38, p = 0.4731).

Conclusions: Shift work increases depression risk, while sufficient sleep and physical activity are protective. These findings underscore the importance of improving conditions for shift workers and developing preventive strategies.

Background: School teachers often have knee osteoarthritis due to the nature of their work.

Objective: To compare the effects of post-isometric exercise and piroxicam on pain and functional impairment in school teachers having knee osteoarthritis.

Method: A pragmatic, community-based, double-blinded, randomized clinical trial (IRCT20230202057310N4) was conducted was conducted at Muhammad Physical Therapy Clinic and Rehabilitation Center, Multan, Pakistan from September 2025 to July after approval from the Institutional Ethical Committee (). A total of 70 pre-diagnosed osteoarthritis patients were randomly assigned to two groups after enrollment using the lottery method. Patients of Group A were treated with post-isometric exercises for 12 weeks (3 sessions per week and each session lasted for 45 min), while those in Group B were given piroxicam (given orally 20 mg twice a day for 12 weeks). At baseline and the 18th session, pain and daily activities were measured using the Pain Catastrophizing Scale (PCS), the Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index (WOMAC) scale, and Numerical Pain Rating Scale (NPRS), biochemical (ESR, CRP, and WBCs) and radiological (X-rays) parameters were evaluated. The data was analyzed by using SPSS-23. The independent t-test compared differences between two unrelated groups while the paired t-test assessed differences within the same group. P-value <0.005 was considered significant.

Results: Out of 70 patients, 68 patients were assessed and there were 46 females and 21 males. The results showed a highly significant improvement in flexion (p = 0.001), WOMAC ADLs (p = 0.001), WOMAC stiffness (p = 0.004), PCS (p = 0.001) in group-A than group-B. Similarly, there was a highly significant improvement in NPRS (p = 0.001), WOMAC pain (p = 0.001), WBCs % (p = 0.002), ESR (p = 0.002) and CRP (p = 0.003) in group-B than group-A, underscoring the effectiveness of the post-isometric exercises.

Conclusion: These findings suggest that post-isometric exercises could be a more beneficial treatment option than piroxicam for knee osteoarthritis. The practical implications of this research are significant, as it demonstrates that post-isometric exercises not only enhance functional results but also reduce pain severity, offering a promising alternative to traditional medication.

Background: Confined space work poses a significant threat to worker safety and health, especially in industrial environments like petrochemical plants and refineries. These environments present additional hazards beyond those inherent to confined spaces, such as high pressures, temperatures, and exposure to toxic, flammable, and combustible substances.

Objective: This study aimed to apply the Deparis method (Participatory Risk Diagnosis) to confined space work in the oil and gas industry. The goal was to identify the key risk factors involved from the perspective of the workers themselves, propose risk reduction measures where feasible within the Deparis framework, and highlight factors that require more sophisticated methodologies for risk mitigation.

Methods: The study employed the Deparis method to assess 20 different working conditions. The survey yielded a range of results, encompassing issues with readily achievable on-site solutions to more intricate challenges requiring specialized expertise and resources.

Results: The Deparis method successfully identified risk factors present in the tasks from the workers' perspective. The application of risk reduction measures proposed by the method allowed for the criticality of most factors to be reduced to acceptable levels. However, certain critical areas, such as physical space constraints, task organization, communication with confined space workers, and exposure to chemical and biological hazards, were found to require alternative approaches to achieve the desired safety levels.

Conclusions: The study underscores the effectiveness of the Deparis method as a valuable tool for evaluating risks in confined space operations and advocates for its broader adoption due to its demonstrated efficacy. Additionally, the study highlights the need for further research and development of more sophisticated risk mitigation strategies for specific critical areas in confined space work within the oil and gas industry.