Sample records for aged care workers

  1. Personal care workers in Australian aged care: retention and turnover intentions.

    PubMed

    Radford, Katrina; Shacklock, Kate; Bradley, Graham

    2015-07-01

    This study examined factors influencing personal care workers' intentions to stay or leave Australian aged care employment - especially for older workers. Retention of personal care workers is particularly important in aged care as they provide the majority of the direct care via community aged care or long-term aged care environments. However, there is limited research on what drives their turnover and retention. A survey was conducted during 2012 collecting 206 responses from workers within community and long-term aged care in four organisations in Australia. Perceived supervisor support, on-the-job embeddedness and area of employment were identified as predictors of both intention to stay and to leave, although the relationship strength differed. Community care workers were more likely to stay and reported more supervisor support than long-term care workers. Unexpectedly, age and health status were not predictors of staying or leaving. While there are similarities between retention and turnover motivators, there are also differences. Within a global context of health worker shortages, such new knowledge is keenly sought to enhance organisational effectiveness and sustain the provision of quality aged care. Retention strategies for older workers should involve increasing supervisor support, and seeking to embed workers more fully within their organisation. © 2013 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  2. Preferred strategies for workforce development: feedback from aged care workers.

    PubMed

    Choy, Sarojni; Henderson, Amanda

    2016-11-01

    Objective The aim of the present study was to investigate how aged care workers prefer to learn and be supported in continuing education and training activities. Methods Fifty-one workers in aged care facilities from metropolitan and rural settings across two states of Australia participated in a survey and interviews. Survey responses were analysed for frequencies and interview data provided explanations to the survey findings. Results The three most common ways workers were currently learning and prefer to continue to learn are: (1) everyday learning through work individually; (2) everyday learning through work individually assisted by other workers; and (3) everyday learning plus group training courses at work from the employer. The three most common types of provisions that supported workers in their learning were: (1) working and sharing with another person on the job; (2) direct teaching in a group (e.g. a trainer in a classroom at work); and (3) direct teaching by a workplace expert. Conclusions A wholly practice-based continuing education and training model is best suited for aged care workers. Two variations of this model could be considered: (1) a wholly practice-based model for individual learning; and (2) a wholly practice-based model with guidance from coworkers or other experts. Although the model is preferred by workers and convenient for employers, it needs to be well resourced. What is known about the topic? Learning needs for aged care workers are increasing significantly because of an aging population that demands more care workers. Workforce development is largely 'episodic', based on organisational requirements rather than systematic life-long learning. This study is part of a larger 3-year Australian research to investigate models of continuing education training. What does this paper add? Based on an analysis of survey and interview data from 51 workers, the present study suggests effective models of workforce development for aged care

  3. Older Workers' Perspectives on Training and Retention of Older Workers: Victorian Aged Care Workers Survey. Support Document

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Lundberg, David; Marshallsay, Zariah

    2007-01-01

    Older workers' perspectives are examined in a national survey of the finance sector and case studies of aged care and construction workers. The majority of older workers intend to work beyond retirement age, to achieve a better lifestyle. With training, older workers could mentor younger workers. This support document includes a national survey of…

  4. Older Workers' Perspectives on Training and Retention of Older Workers: South Australian Aged Care Workers Study. Support Document

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Lundberg, David; Marshallsay, Zariah

    2007-01-01

    Older workers' perspectives are examined in a national survey of the finance sector and case studies of aged care and construction workers. The majority of older workers intend to work beyond retirement age, to achieve a better lifestyle. With training, older workers could mentor younger workers. This support document includes a national survey of…

  5. Foreign-born aged care workers in Australia: A growing trend.

    PubMed

    Negin, Joel; Coffman, Jenna; Connell, John; Short, Stephanie

    2016-12-01

    To address Australian aged care workforce challenges, a deeper understanding of the current care workforce is needed especially given estimated increases in demand. We provide a national picture of the aged care workforce in Australia focusing on country of birth. Data from the 2006 and 2011 Australian censuses. The majority of care workers are Australia-born followed by those born in the United Kingdom, South-East Asia and South Asia. While the number of carers from all regions has grown, the increase from 2006 to 2011 has been highest for carers from South Asia (333% increase) and sub-Saharan Africa (145%). The state with the largest decrease in the proportion of Australian-born care workers is Western Australia where Australian-born workers dropped from 62% in 2006 to 49% in 2011. Understanding the migration patterns of the aged care workforce in Australia is critical to health workforce planning given increasing demand. © 2016 AJA Inc.

  6. Caring from Afar: Asian H1B Migrant Workers and Aging Parents.

    PubMed

    Lee, Yeon-Shim; Chaudhuri, Anoshua; Yoo, Grace J

    2015-09-01

    With the growth in engineering/technology industries, the United States has seen an increase in the arrival of highly skilled temporary migrant workers on H1B visas from various Asian countries. Limited research exists on how these groups maintain family ties from afar including caring for aging parents. This study explores the experiences and challenges that Asian H1B workers face when providing care from a distance. A total of 21 Chinese/Taiwanese, Korean, and Indian H1B workers participated in in-depth qualitative interviews. Key findings indicate that despite distance, caring relationships still continue through regular communications, financial remittances, and return visits, at the same time creating emotional, psychological, and financial challenges for the workers. Findings highlight the need for further research in understanding how the decline of aging parent's health impacts the migrants' adjustment and health in the United States.

  7. Diversity training for the community aged care workers: A conceptual framework for evaluation.

    PubMed

    Appannah, Arti; Meyer, Claudia; Ogrin, Rajna; McMillan, Sally; Barrett, Elizabeth; Browning, Colette

    2017-08-01

    Older Australians are an increasingly diverse population, with variable characteristics such as culture, sexual orientation, socioeconomic status, and physical capabilities potentially influencing their participation in healthcare. In response, community aged care workers may need to increase skills and uptake of knowledge into practice regarding diversity through appropriate training interventions. Diversity training (DT) programs have traditionally existed in the realm of business, with little research attention devoted to scientifically evaluating the outcomes of training directed at community aged care workers. A DT workshop has been developed for community aged care workers, and this paper focuses on the construction of a formative evaluative framework for the workshop. Key evaluation concepts and measures relating to DT have been identified in the literature and integrated into the framework, focusing on five categories: Training needs analysis; Reactions; Learning outcomes, Behavioural outcomes and Results The use of a mixed methods approach in the framework provides an additional strength, by evaluating long-term behavioural change and improvements in service delivery. As little is known about the effectiveness of DT programs for community aged care workers, the proposed framework will provide an empirical and consistent method of evaluation, to assess their impact on enhancing older people's experience of healthcare. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  8. Valuable human capital: the aging health care worker.

    PubMed

    Collins, Sandra K; Collins, Kevin S

    2006-01-01

    With the workforce growing older and the supply of younger workers diminishing, it is critical for health care managers to understand the factors necessary to capitalize on their vintage employees. Retaining this segment of the workforce has a multitude of benefits including the preservation of valuable intellectual capital, which is necessary to ensure that health care organizations maintain their competitive advantage in the consumer-driven market. Retaining the aging employee is possible if health care managers learn the motivators and training differences associated with this category of the workforce. These employees should be considered a valuable resource of human capital because without their extensive expertise, intense loyalty and work ethic, and superior customer service skills, health care organizations could suffer severe economic repercussions in the near future.

  9. The effects of emotional intelligence training on the job performance of Australian aged care workers.

    PubMed

    Karimi, Leila; Leggat, Sandra G; Bartram, Timothy; Rada, Jiri

    2018-05-09

    Emotional intelligence (EI) training is popular among human resource practitioners, but there is limited evidence of the impact of such training on health care workers. In the current article, we examine the effects of EI training on quality of resident care and worker well-being and psychological empowerment in an Australian aged care facility. We use Bar-On's (1997) conceptualization of EI. We used a quasiexperimental design in 2014-2015 with experimental (training) and control (nontraining) groups of 60 participants in each group in two geographically separate facilities. Our final poststudy sample size was 27 participants for the training group and 17 participants for the control group. Over a 6-month period, we examined whether staff improved their well-being, psychological empowerment, and job performance measured as enhanced quality of care (self-rated and client-rated) by applying skills in EI. The results showed significant improvement among workers in the training group for EI scores, quality of care, general well-being, and psychological empowerment. There were no significant differences for the control group. Through examining the impact of EI training on staff and residents of an aged care facility, we demonstrate the benefits of EI training for higher quality of care delivery. This study demonstrates the practical process through which EI training can improve the work experiences of aged care workers, as well as the quality of care for residents.

  10. A Descriptive Analysis of Incidents Reported by Community Aged Care Workers.

    PubMed

    Tariq, Amina; Douglas, Heather E; Smith, Cheryl; Georgiou, Andrew; Osmond, Tracey; Armour, Pauline; Westbrook, Johanna I

    2015-07-01

    Little is known about the types of incidents that occur to aged care clients in the community. This limits the development of effective strategies to improve client safety. The objective of the study was to present a profile of incidents reported in Australian community aged care settings. All incident reports made by community care workers employed by one of the largest community aged care provider organizations in Australia during the period November 1, 2012, to August 8, 2013, were analyzed. A total of 356 reports were analyzed, corresponding to a 7.5% incidence rate per client year. Falls and medication incidents were the most prevalent incident types. Clients receiving high-level care and those who attended day therapy centers had the highest rate of incidents with 14% to 20% of these clients having a reported incident. The incident profile indicates that clients on higher levels of care had higher incident rates. Incident data represent an opportunity to improve client safety in community aged care. © The Author(s) 2014.

  11. Work ability, age and its perception, and other related concerns of Ukraine health care workers.

    PubMed

    Bobko, Natalia A; Barishpolets, Alexey T

    2002-01-01

    A sample of 250 health care workers aged 18 to 68 (mean = 32.5 years) completed the Survey of Health Care Professionals. Self-ratings of their social skills, mental capacity, and physical capability corresponded to their ratings of work demands. Physical tiredness and tension were rated higher than mental tiredness. Worker age did not affect self-ratings of work performance, but physical and mental tiredness increased with increases in the age that one felt. The younger participants felt compared to their calendar ages, the better the level of current work ability they reported. The main concerns of workers were connected with off-the-job factors, most likely caused by the economic crisis and unfavorable ecological conditions in Ukraine. More than half of the participants were quite a bit or extremely concerned with changes in the cost of living, water quality, food safety, and radiation. The variable most closely related to these concerns is the discrepancy between calendar age and how old one feels. Coping strategies of workers can be related to sleeping, entertainment, and other off-the-job activities. These behaviors are related to the discrepancy between calendar age and how old one looks and feels, as well as felt age.

  12. Work ability, age and intention to leave aged care work.

    PubMed

    Austen, Siobhan; Jefferson, Therese; Lewin, Gill; Ong, Rachel; Sharp, Rhonda

    2016-03-01

    To describe the work ability of mature age women workers in Australia's aged care sector, and to explore the relationship between ageing, work ability and intention to leave. Logistic regression techniques were applied to a sample of 2721 responses to a survey of mature age women workers in the aged care sector. Mature age women working in the Australian aged care sector have relatively high levels of work ability by international standards. Furthermore, their work ability remains high in their 50s and 60s, in contrast to some prevailing stereotypes. However, work ability is a key determinant of intention to leave in key occupational groups. Our findings challenge some prevailing stereotypes about the work ability of mature age workers. However, they lend support for the development of retention strategies, which incorporate programs that target low work ability. © 2015 AJA Inc.

  13. Influenza vaccination for healthcare workers who care for people aged 60 or older living in long-term care institutions.

    PubMed

    Thomas, Roger E; Jefferson, Tom; Lasserson, Toby J

    2016-06-02

    A systematic review found that 3% of working adults who had received influenza vaccine and 5% of those who were unvaccinated had laboratory-proven influenza per season; in healthcare workers (HCWs) these percentages were 5% and 8% respectively. Healthcare workers may transmit influenza to patients. To identify all randomised controlled trials (RCTs) and non-RCTs assessing the effects of vaccinating healthcare workers on the incidence of laboratory-proven influenza, pneumonia, death from pneumonia and admission to hospital for respiratory illness in those aged 60 years or older resident in long-term care institutions (LTCIs). We searched CENTRAL (2015, Issue 9), MEDLINE (1966 to October week 3, 2015), EMBASE (1974 to October 2015) and Web of Science (2006 to October 2015), but Biological Abstracts only from 1969 to March 2013 and Science Citation Index-Expanded from 1974 to March 2013 due to lack of institutional access in 2015. Randomised controlled trials (RCTs) and non-RCTs of influenza vaccination of healthcare workers caring for individuals aged 60 years or older in LTCIs and the incidence of laboratory-proven influenza and its complications (lower respiratory tract infection, or hospitalisation or death due to lower respiratory tract infection) in individuals aged 60 years or older in LTCIs. Two authors independently extracted data and assessed risk of bias. Effects on dichotomous outcomes were measured as risk differences (RDs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs). We assessed the quality of evidence with GRADE. We identified four cluster-RCTs and one cohort study (n = 12,742) of influenza vaccination for HCWs caring for individuals ≥ 60 years in LTCIs. Four cluster RCTs (5896 residents) provided outcome data that addressed the objectives of our review. The studies were comparable in their study populations, intervention and outcome measures. The studies did not report adverse events. The principal sources of bias in the studies related to attrition, lack

  14. Eldercare work, migrant care workers, affective care and subjective proximity.

    PubMed

    Lovelock, Kirsten; Martin, Greg

    2016-08-01

    To document and explore the experience of migrant care workers providing health and social care to the elderly in institutional care settings and in the homes of the elderly in the community in New Zealand with a particular focus on the affective components of care work. This qualitative study involved conducting face-to-face, open-ended, semi-structured interviews with 29 migrant care workers in the eldercare sector in the cities of Auckland and Wellington, New Zealand. Participants were recruited through various agencies focusing on aged care and engaged with migrant eldercare workers and snowballing through participant referral. Sample size was determined when saturation was reached. The interviews were audio recorded, transcribed verbatim, themes were identified and then analysed drawing on a body of theoretical work in the fields of emotional anthropology and moral geography and the international empirical literature addressing migrant eldercare workers. As with the international research in this field we found that these workers were vulnerable to exploitation, the workforce is largely feminised and stereotypical understandings of racial groups and national characteristics informed recruitment and the workplace experience. Here attributing gradients of affect to particular migrant groups in the workforce was the main mechanism employed to establish worker worth and difference. Identifying with these gradients of affect enabled these eldercare workers to demonstrate that they met the moral and ethical requirements of permanent residency and ultimately citizenship. Eldercare workers in the home were vulnerable to 'blurred emotional boundaries' and care recipient demand for greater emotional commitment. The migrant eldercare workers in this study all shared vulnerable residential status and many feared they would never obtain permanent residency or citizenship. All had family who remained in the Philippines and towards whom they had an obligation to substitute

  15. Migrant care workers or migrants working in long-term care? A review of Australian experience.

    PubMed

    Howe, Anna L

    2009-01-01

    Discussion of the role of migrant care workers in long-term care (LTC) that has gained increasing attention in the United States and other developed countries in recent years is of particular relevance to Australia, where 24% of the total population is overseas-born, two-thirds of them coming from countries where English is not the primary language. Issues of interest arise regarding meeting LTC workforce demands in general and responding to the particular cultural and linguistic needs of postwar immigrants who are now reaching old age in increasing numbers. This review begins with an account of the overseas-born components of the aged care workforce and then examines this representation with reference to the four factors identified as shaping international flows of care workers in the comparative study carried out for the AARP Public Policy Institute in 2005: migration policies, LTC financing arrangements, worker recruitment and training, and credentialing. The ways in which these factors play out in Australia mean that while overseas-born workers are overrepresented in the LTC workforce, migrant care workers are not identifiable as a marginalized group experiencing disadvantage in employment conditions, nor do they offer a solution to workforce shortages. The Australian experience is different from those of other countries in many respects, but it does show that the experience of migrant care workers is not unique to LTC and points to the need to extend the search for solutions to workforce shortages and improving conditions of all care workers well beyond LTC systems to wider policy settings.

  16. Becoming-Worker: Vocational Training for Workers in Aged Care

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Somerville, Margaret

    2006-01-01

    Women's care work sits on the boundary between unpaid work in the private domain and poorly paid, low-status work in the public sphere. It continues to be a site for the expression of complex, high-level knowledge and skills, and of ongoing gender oppression. The aged-care industry is a particularly salient example of such work. It is a…

  17. Low back pain among personal care workers in an old age home: work-related and individual factors.

    PubMed

    Yeung, Simon S; Yuan, Jun

    2011-08-01

    This cross-sectional study explored the work-related and individual factors that contributed to the occurrence of low back pain and affected activities of 36 personal care workers at an old age home in Hong Kong. The study was divided into four parts: (1) a questionnaire documenting workload exposure factors; (2) a musculoskeletal symptoms survey documenting the prevalence of low back pain in this group of workers; (3) a worksite evaluation focusing on personal care workers' work postures and the work environment; and (4) an evaluation of physical fitness and lifting capacities of personal care workers. Univariate followed by multiple logistic regression analyses were used to identify the risk factors associated with low back pain that affected work activities. The results revealed that low back pain was associated with the perceived physical demands of cleaning tasks (odds ratio [OR] = 7.28, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.35-39.35, p < .05), perceived demands of awkward sustained back (OR = 4.46, CI = 0.86-22.97, p = .074) and neck (OR = 0.18, CI = 0.04-0.81, p < .05) postures, and thermal stress at work (OR = 49.80, CI = 0.70-3541.79, p = .072). The results of the current study indicated that the work environment contributed to low back pain at work. Workers perceived that exertion in workplaces has a role in assessing workplace risk. To avoid progression of low back pain in the workplace, work adjustment or modification should be considered when workers report high levels of perceived exertion at work. Copyright 2011, SLACK Incorporated.

  18. Ethical Issues in Integrated Health Care: Implications for Social Workers.

    PubMed

    Reamer, Frederic G

    2018-05-01

    Integrated health care has come of age. What began modestly in the 1930s has evolved into a mature model of health care that is quickly becoming the standard of care. Social workers are now employed in a wide range of comprehensive integrated health care organizations. Some of these settings were designed as integrated health care delivery systems from their beginning. Others evolved over time, some incorporating behavioral health into existing primary care centers and others incorporating primary care into existing behavioral health agencies. In all of these contexts, social workers are encountering complex, sometimes unprecedented, ethical challenges. This article identifies and discusses ethical issues facing social workers in integrated health care settings, especially related to informed consent, privacy, confidentiality, boundaries, dual relationships, and conflicts of interest. The author includes practical resources that social workers can use to develop state-of-the-art ethics policies and protocols.

  19. Correlates of Mental Well-Being among Turkish Health Care Workers

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Ersanli, Ercümend; Korkut, Mustafa

    2016-01-01

    The aim of present study was to investigate whether the mental well-being of health care workers associated with gender, age and marital status. Data were collected from 115 health care workers (doctors, physiotherapist, nurses, etc.) from a Turkish Medical Research and Application Center. They completed a demographic information form and the…

  20. Aging Filipino Domestic Workers and the (In)Adequacy of Retirement Provisions in Canada.

    PubMed

    Ferrer, Ilyan

    2017-03-01

    Although domestic work scholarship in Canada has focused primarily on the immigration/migration and labour experiences of domestic workers under the Foreign Domestic Movement and the Live-in-Caregiver Program, research is scarce on how these workers retire and consequently age in Canadian society. This article focuses on the aging experiences of retired Filipino domestic workers who, upon entering retirement, find themselves working in the secondary and/or underground economy while providing and receiving care from spouses, grandchildren, and local/transnational family members. Data were drawn from six qualitative, in-depth interviews with older Filipina domestic workers who discussed experiences of immigration, caring labour, retirement, and aging. Findings underscore (1) the poverty that older Filipino domestic workers encounter as they approach their retirement; (2) the necessity but insufficiency of the state's retirement provisions; (3) the need to find work in the unreported labour market; and (4) how caring labour is provided intergenerationally as a survival strategy.

  1. Foreign domestic workers and home-based care for elders in Singapore.

    PubMed

    Yeoh, Brenda S A; Huang, Shirlena

    2010-01-01

    As with other developed nations where rapid population aging has led to increasing health care and social care burdens, Singapore has searched for ways of paying for and providing long-term care for its increasing numbers of elders. The Singapore state, faced with the prospect of one-fifth of the population aged 65 or older by 2030, has reinforced its basic principle of rendering the family the "primary caregiving unit" and home-based care as the highly preferred option for eldercare. Our paper demonstrates why, despite the range of alternative care arrangements available or emerging on Singapore's eldercare landscape, the employment of live-in foreign domestic workers as care workers for the elderly has become one of the more common de facto modes of providing care for the elderly. In this context, we discuss the politics of eldercare in the privatized sphere of homespace and conclude with policy implications relating to the employment of foreign domestic workers as caregivers for the elderly.

  2. Effect of musculoskeletal pain of care workers on job satisfaction.

    PubMed

    Kim, DeokJu

    2018-01-01

    [Purpose] The purpose of this study was to examine the musculoskeletal pain of care workers and investigate its effect on their job satisfaction. [Subjects and Methods] Subjects were 87 care workers working at C elderly care service center in P region. The average age of men was 62.5 ± 3.4 years and that of women was 57.3 ± 2.7 years. The 'Guidelines for Risk Factor Survey on Tasks with Musculoskeletal Burden' of the KOSHA CODE (H-30-2003) of the Korea Occupational Safety and Health Agency (KOSHA) was used for measurement of musculoskeletal pain. This survey tool for job satisfaction consisted of 12 questions including the areas of wage satisfaction, professional satisfaction, job performance satisfaction, and relationship satisfaction. [Results] Study results showed that musculoskeletal pain varied depending on professional satisfaction, job performance satisfaction, and relationship satisfaction. The correlation between the areas of musculoskeletal pain and job satisfaction was examined and the following was revealed. Professional satisfaction was correlated with arm/elbow pain and lower back pain, job performance satisfaction with lower back pain, and relationship satisfaction with shoulder pain and lower back pain. [Conclusion] In this study, subjects were older and could have been easily exposed to diseases because of their age. To improve job efficiency among care workers, continuing education related to the job should take precedence. In addition, social support is required that can alleviate the heavy workload related to physical activity support, which is among the responsibilities of care workers. Moreover, application standards and coverage of industrial insurance for the treatment of musculoskeletal disorders of care workers should be extended further to relieve the burden of medical costs. A series of such measures will have a positive effect on improving the job satisfaction of care workers.

  3. Job satisfaction and quality of life among home care workers: a comparison of home care workers who are and who are not informal carers.

    PubMed

    Chou, Yueh-Ching; Fu, Li-Yeh; Kröger, Teppo; Ru-Yan, Chiu

    2011-06-01

    Job satisfaction and quality of life among home care workers who serve simultaneously as informal carers for their own family members have seldom been explored. This study examined how this dual role influences job satisfaction and quality of life by comparing these dual carers with home care workers who do not provide informal care. The study also explored whether the factors related to job satisfaction and quality of life between these two groups were different. Standardized self-administered questionnaires (Job Satisfaction Survey, the World Health Organization Quality of Life (WHOQOL) scales and various social demographic questions) were administered to the two groups of home care workers in Taiwan from March to April 2009. A total of 1,641 home care workers working in 119 non-government organizations sponsored by 23 local authorities completed and returned the questionnaires. The two groups did not differ in individual characteristics, work characteristics or job satisfaction. Analysis results indicate that the lowest mean scores for all home care workers were the domains of promotion and pay within their job satisfaction and the domain of environment within their quality of life. Multiple regression analysis revealed a significant effect of unpaid caregiving in terms of quality of life but not in terms of job satisfaction. Moreover, job satisfaction and quality of life among home care workers were significantly determined by both their work conditions (e.g. travelling time, salary and length of work experience) and personal variables (e.g. age, family income and family support).

  4. Unmet health care needs among sex workers in five census metropolitan areas of Canada.

    PubMed

    Benoit, Cecilia; Ouellet, Nadia; Jansson, Mikael

    2016-10-20

    This paper examines unmet health care needs in one of Canada's most hard-to-reach populations, adult sex workers, and investigates whether their reasons for not accessing health care are different from those of other Canadians. Data gathered in 2012-2013 from sex workers aged 19 and over (n = 209) in five Canadian census metropolitan areas (CMAs) were analyzed to estimate the perceived health, health care access and level of unmet health care needs of sex workers, and their principal reasons for not accessing health care. These data were collected using questions identical to those of the Canadian Community Health Survey (CCHS) Cycle 2.1, 2003. The results were compared with those of residents aged 19 and over in the same CMAs who had participated in the CCHS. Sex workers reported notably worse perceived mental health, poorer social determinants of health (with the exception of income) and nearly triple the prevalence of unmet health care needs (40.4% vs. 14.9%). Those with the greatest unmet health care needs in both groups were younger, unmarried or single and in poorer health, and reported lower income and a weaker sense of community belonging. Even without these within-group risk factors, sex workers were more likely to report unmet health care needs compared with CCHS respondents. Sex workers were also more likely to identify "didn't get around to it", "too busy", "cost", "transportation problems" and "dislike doctors/afraid" as reasons for eschewing care. Equity policies that reduce cost and transportation barriers may go some way in helping sex workers access needed health care. Qualitative research is needed to better understand the realities of sex workers' personal and work lives, including the degree of freedom they have in accessing health care when they need it, but also their experiences when they do manage to engage with the health care system.

  5. Development and evaluation of a self-care assessment inventory for workers.

    PubMed

    Ogasawara, Eiko; Shiihara, Yasufumi; Ando, Michiyo

    2013-06-01

    To develop and evaluate a self-care assessment inventory for workers (SCAI-W). A study using a self-care assessment inventory for workers consisting of 27 self-care items, the Japanese version of the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), and the Japanese version of the University of Wales Institute of Science and Technology Mood Adjective Checklist (JUMACL) was conducted. These questionnaires were distributed to 2297 workers. There were 893 valid responses (39.9%, 584 men and 309 women, mean age 37.2±10.2 years). Three primary and eight secondary factors were established for the conceptual structure of self-care and validated by structural equation modeling. "Positive attitude" comprised the secondary factors, "hope" and "sense of fulfillment", and was influenced by another secondary factor, "social support". "Positive attitude" contributed to "attitude toward health". "Attitude toward health" comprised the secondary factors, "care about one's health" and "correction of bad habits". "Attitude toward health" influenced a primary factor, "everyday behavior", comprised of "wakefulness", "eating in moderation", and "lack of self-control". The primary factors "positive attitude" and "everyday behavior" influenced the BDI scores. A multiple regression analysis indicated that JUMACL subscale scores (energetic arousal and tense arousal), demographic data (living alone, sex, and age) and health-related data (exercise, smoking, body mass index, drinking more than three alcoholic drinks/day, and gambling) predicted the scores of the self-care assessment inventory for workers. This assessment inventory could be a useful measure of workers' self-care because it establishes a relationship between psychological and behavioral concepts that are important for health promotion. © 2012 The Authors. Japan Journal of Nursing Science © 2012 Japan Academy of Nursing Science.

  6. [Problems in Providing Care to Young Workers with Mental Health Disturbance - A Survey Using of the Cases of Workers Who Had Taken Sick Leave Due to Mental Health Disturbance].

    PubMed

    Ikegami, Kazunori; Eguchi, Masafumi; Osaki, Yohei; Nakao, Tomo; Nakamoto, Kengo; Hiro, Hisanori

    2016-06-01

    In this study we discuss the measures of providing care to young workers with mental health disturbance by analyzing the cases of workers who had taken sick leave due to mental health disturbance. We analyzed 36 cases, collected from 11 occupational physicians, of workers who had taken sick leave due to mental health disturbance, and discuss measures for providing care to such young workers. We organized and classified data containing the details of the care provided to the workers and analyzed the main aspects and problems in providing it. We compared two age groups of workers: a below age 30 group, and an age 30 and above group. We observed that occupational nurses were more frequently the primary persons who dealt with workplace consultations in the below age 30 group (before sick leave: 38.9%; during sick leave: 38.9%) compared to the age 30 and above group (before sick leave: 16.7%, during sick leave: 11.1%). Most of the case providers expressed the opinion that a support system is necessary to help the workers return to work and it is an important factor in providing care to workers who have taken sick leave due to mental health disturbance. Coordination with the families of the workers was also important in the below age 30 group. It might be difficult to assign young workers to suitable workplaces or duties because of their inadequate job skills, lack of sufficient experience, and influence of personal factors on mental health. Our results suggest that it is important to provide appropriate care for young workers with mental health disturbance, such as support by occupational nurses, and to strengthen the collaboration between their families and the workplace staff.

  7. Care work in changing welfare states: Nordic care workers' experiences.

    PubMed

    Trydegård, Gun-Britt

    2012-06-01

    This article focuses on Nordic eldercare workers and their experiences of working conditions in times of change and reorganisation. In recent years New Public Management-inspired ideas have been introduced to increase efficiency and productivity in welfare services. These reforms have also had an impact on day-to-day care work, which has become increasingly standardized and set out in detailed contracts, leading to time-pressure and an undermining of care workers' professional discretion and autonomy. The empirical data comes from a survey of unionised eldercare workers in home care and residential care in Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden ( N  = 2583) and was analysed by bi- and multi-variate methods. The care workers reported that they found their working conditions physically and mentally arduous. They had to a great extent experienced changes for the worse in terms of working conditions and in their opportunity to provide good quality care. In addition, the majority felt they did not receive support from their managers. An alarming finding was that one out of three care workers declared that they had seriously considered quitting their jobs. Care workers with multiple problems at work were much more likely to consider quitting, and the likelihood was increasing with the number of problems reported. Furthermore, care workers lacking support from their managers had double odds of wanting to quit. The Nordic welfare states with growing older populations are facing challenges in retaining care staff in the eldercare services and ensuring they have good working conditions and support in their demanding work.

  8. Effects of a psycho-educational intervention on direct care workers' communicative behaviors with residents with dementia.

    PubMed

    Barbosa, Ana; Marques, Alda; Sousa, Liliana; Nolan, Mike; Figueiredo, Daniela

    2016-01-01

    This study assessed the effects of a person-centered care-based psycho-educational intervention on direct care workers' communicative behaviors with people with dementia living in aged-care facilities. An experimental study with a pretest-posttest control-group design was conducted in four aged-care facilities. Two experimental facilities received an 8-week psycho-educational intervention aiming to develop workers' knowledge about dementia, person-centered care competences, and tools for stress management. Control facilities received education only, with no support to deal with stress. In total, 332 morning care sessions, involving 56 direct care workers (female, mean age 44.72 ± 9.02 years), were video-recorded before and 2 weeks after the intervention. The frequency and duration of a list of verbal and nonverbal communicative behaviors were analyzed. Within the experimental group there was a positive change from pre- to posttest on the frequency of all workers' communicative behaviors. Significant treatment effects in favor of the experimental group were obtained for the frequency of inform (p < .01, η(2)partial = 0.09) and laugh (p < .01, η(2)partial = 0.18). Differences between groups emerged mainly in nonverbal communicative behaviors. The findings suggest that a person-centered care-based psycho-educational intervention can positively affect direct care workers' communicative behaviors with residents with dementia. Further research is required to determine the extent of the benefits of this approach.

  9. Compassion, Mindfulness and the Happiness of Health Care Workers

    PubMed Central

    Benzo, Roberto P.; Kirsch, Janae L.; Nelson, Carlie

    2017-01-01

    Context Decreased well-being of health care workers expressed as stress and decreased job satisfaction influences patient safety and satisfaction and cost containment. Self-compassion has garnered recent attention due to its positive association with wellbeing and happiness. Discovering novel pathways to increase the well-being of health care workers is essential. Objective This study sought to explore the influence of self-compassion on employee happiness in health care professionals. Design, Setting & Participants 400 participants (mean age 45 ± 14, 65% female) health care workers at a large teaching hospital were randomly asked to complete questionnaires assessing their levels of happiness and self-compassion, life conditions and habits. Measures Participants completed the Happiness Scale and Self-Compassion Scales, the Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire as well as variables associated with wellbeing: relationship status, the number of hours spent exercising a week, attendance at a wellness facility and engagement in a regular spiritual practice. Results Self-compassion was significantly and independently associated with perceived happiness explaining 39% of its variance after adjusting for age, marital status, gender, time spent exercising and attendance to an exercise facility. Two specific subdomains of self-compassion from the instrument used, coping with isolation and mindfulness, accounted for 95% of the self-compassion effect on happiness. Conclusion Self-compassion is meaningfully and independently associated with happiness and well-being in health care professionals. Our results may have practical implications by providing specific self-compassion components to be targeted in future programs aimed at enhancing wellbeing in health care professionals. PMID:28420563

  10. Perceived control among migrant live-in and local live-out home care workers in Israel.

    PubMed

    Shinan-Altman, Shiri; Ayalon, Liat

    2017-11-20

    To examine perceived control among live-in and live-out home care workers and to identify factors that contribute to perceived control among both types of caregiving. 338 migrant live-in home care workers and 185 local live-out home care workers were asked to report their perceived control. Burnout, satisfaction with the relationship with the care recipient and the care recipient's family, and satisfaction with social relationship were also gathered. Both types of caregivers reported high levels of perceived control, although live-in home care workers expressed more perceived control. Higher age, higher levels of satisfaction with the relationship with the care recipient and the care recipient's family and lower levels of burnout, predicted perceived control. Satisfaction with social relationship was a stronger predictor of one's perceived control among live-in home care workers. Promoting social relationships outside the home care context by allowing migrant live-in home care workers to take part in social gatherings is recommended as this can strengthen their sense of perceived control.

  11. Frequency of COPD in health care workers who smoke

    PubMed Central

    Kopitovic, Ivan; Bokan, Aleksandar; Andrijevic, Ilija; Ilic, Miroslav; Marinkovic, Sanja; Milicic, Dragana; Vukoja, Marija

    2017-01-01

    ABSTRACT Objective: COPD is one of the major causes of morbidity and mortality worldwide. Health care providers should counsel their smoking patients with COPD to quit smoking as the first treatment step. However, in countries with high prevalences of smoking, health care workers may also be smokers. The aim of this study was to determine the frequency and severity of COPD in health care workers who smoke. Methods: This was a cross-sectional study. All health care workers who smoke, from nine health care centers in Serbia, were invited to participate in the study and perform spirometry. The diagnosis of COPD was based on a post-bronchodilator FEV1/FVC ratio of < 0.70. All patients completed the COPD Assessment Test and the Fagerström Test for Nicotine Dependence. Results: The study involved 305 subjects, and 47 (15.4%) were male. The mean age of the participants was 49.0 ± 6.5 years. Spirometry revealed obstructive ventilatory defect in 33 subjects (10.8%); restrictive ventilatory defect, in 5 (1.6%); and small airway disease, in 96 (31.5%). A diagnosis of COPD was made in 29 patients (9.5%), 25 (86.2%) of whom were newly diagnosed. On the basis of the Global Initiative for COPD guidelines, most COPD patients belonged to groups A or B (n = 14; 48.2%, for both); 1 belonged to group D (3.6%); and none, to group C. Very high nicotine dependence was more common in those with COPD than in those without it (20.7% vs. 5.4%, p = 0.01). Conclusions: In this sample of health care workers, the frequency of COPD was comparable with that in the general population. The presence of COPD in health care workers who smoke was associated with higher nicotine dependence. PMID:29160380

  12. Office home care workers' occupational health: associations with workplace flexibility and worker insecurity.

    PubMed

    Zeytinoglu, Isik U; Denton, Margaret; Davies, Sharon; Plenderleith, Jennifer Millen

    2009-05-01

    Office home care workers provide support to visiting staff, although their work tends to be invisible in many respects. This paper focuses on managers, supervisors, coor dinators, case managers and office administrative staff in home care. We examine the effects of workplace flexibility and worker insecurity on office home care workers' occupational health, particularly their self-reported stress and musculoskeletal disorders. Data come from our survey of 300 home care office staff in a mid-sized city in Ontario. Results show that workers' perceptions of insecurity are positively associated with musculoskeletal disorders but not workplace flexibility measures. We recommend that managers and other decision-makers in the home care field pay attention to the perceptions of workers' insecurity in initiating workplace flexibility measures.

  13. Social Workers' Attempts to Navigate Among the Elderly, Their Families, and Foreign Home Care Workers in the Haredi Community.

    PubMed

    Freund, Anat; Band-Winterstein, Tova

    2017-02-01

    The study's aim is to examine social workers' experience in facilitating the integration of foreign home care workers (FHCWs) into the ultraorthodox Jewish (UOJ) community for the purpose of treating older adults. Using the qualitative-phenomenological approach, semistructured, in-depth interviews were conducted with 18 social workers in daily contact with UOJ older adult clients in the process of integrating FHCWs. Data analysis revealed three central themes-integrating FHCWs into the aging UOJ family: barriers and challenges in the interaction between the two worlds; "even the rabbi has a FHCW": changing trends in caring for older adults; and the social worker as mediator and facilitator of a successful relationship. Social workers play a central role, serving as a cultural bridge in the process of integrating FHCWs, as a way of addressing the needs of ultraorthodox elderly and their families, while also considering the needs of the foreign workers.

  14. Juggling work and elder caregiving: work-life balance for aging American workers.

    PubMed

    Pitsenberger, D Jeanne

    2006-04-01

    As the American work force ages, the demands of caring for aging relatives increase. Family caregiving often interferes with workplace responsibilities, creating physical, emotional, and financial stress for caregivers. Employers must address the productivity losses created by absenteeism of workers who struggle with work-life issues created by caregiving roles. Occupational health nurses must understand the factors that affect workers in their caregiving roles and make appropriate nursing interventions. They are in key positions to help aging employees and their employers face the increased demands on work-life balance created by elder caregiving.

  15. [Violence on health care workers].

    PubMed

    Cannavò, M; Fusaro, N; Colaiuda, F; Rescigno, G; Fioravanti, M

    2017-01-01

    The Emergency Department (ED) is vulnerable for workplace violence, but little is known about this and its consequences. Objectives of this study were presence, characteristics and effects of violence from patients and visitors on health care workers in an Emergency Department (ED). This study was about the Accident and Emergency Department, S. Pertini Hospital, (ASL RMB, Rome, Italy). Data were collected from November 2014 to January 2015 on frequency and type of violent behavior in the past five years experienced by staff members and their level of stress by an ad hoc questionnaire for the evaluation of violent events in health activities (QVS) and a questionnaire on perceived work-related stress (QES). Of the 58 eligible workers, 51 completed the interview. Health care workers were regularly exposed to violence with a consequent severe underreporting to work authorities and only a minor reporting to the police. A diffuse belief that workplace violence is a normal part of the work was also identified. Aggressors were usually patients or their relatives and were mainly males. Health care workers may suffer physical and emotional harm. Emergency Department health care workers are at risk of experiencing workplace violence and should have specific training and support in the management of violent situations focused on early identification, communication strategies, and de-escalation techniques.

  16. Unionizing: A Guide for Child Care Workers.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Whitebook, Marcy; And Others

    Including excerpts from contracts protecting unionized child care workers, this booklet explains basic terminology and facts about unionizing and addresses child care workers' concerns. Section 1 answers commonly asked questions about unions and offers advice about how to answer parents' questions about workers' attempts to organize. Section 2…

  17. Risk factors of tuberculosis among health care workers in Sabah, Malaysia.

    PubMed

    Jelip, Jenarun; Mathew, George G; Yusin, Tanrang; Dony, Jiloris F; Singh, Nirmal; Ashaari, Musa; Lajanin, Noitie; Shanmuga Ratnam, C; Yusof Ibrahim, Mohd; Gopinath, Deyer

    2004-01-01

    Tuberculosis (TB) is one of the main public health problems in Sabah; 30% of the total number of TB cases reported in Malaysia every year occur in Sabah. The average incidence of TB among health care workers over the past 5 years is 280.4 per 100,000 population (1, Annual Report of Sabah State TB Control Programme, 1998). At present, there are no specific measures for the prevention of TB transmission in health care facilities. A case-control study was conducted among health care workers in Sabah in 2000-2001. Cases were health care workers with TB diagnosed between January 1990 and June 2000. Controls were health care workers without TB and working in the same facility as cases during the disease episode. The study attempted to identify risk factors for TB among the study population. Data were collected through structured interviews and review of patients' records. The notification rate of TB among health care workers was significantly higher than that to the general population (Z=4.893, p<0.01). The average notification rate of TB among health care workers over the last 5 years was two times higher than in the general population (280.4/100,000 compared to 153.9/100,000). Regression results showed that ethnicity, designation, family contact and TB related knowledge did not significantly contribute to the risk of contracting TB in this study. However, after controlling for the above factors, age, gender, history of TB contact outside the workplace (other than family contact), duration of service and failure to use respiratory protection when performing high-risk procedures, were the main risk factors of TB among health care workers. This study succeeded in identifying some of the risk factors of TB among health care workers. We managed to include the large ratio of controls to case (3:1) and those cases spanned over a period of 10 years. However, the findings from the study have to be applied with caution due to the limitations of this study, which include recall

  18. [The actual condition of musculoskeletal disorders of workers working at new special nursing homes for the aged in Osaka Prefecture--comparison of musculoskeletal disorder between manager's awareness and care workers' complaints by questionnaire survey].

    PubMed

    Tomioka, Kimiko; Matsunaga, Ichiro

    2007-09-01

    In order to examine the actual condition of health problems of workers working at new special nursing homes for the aged, we conducted an interview survey with the managers and a questionnaire survey among the workers. Subjects of the interview survey were managers at the 7 nursing homes. Subjects of the questionnaire survey were 362 workers employed at the 7 nursing homes, 214 care workers (CWs) and 104 workers other than care workers (non-CWs); 299 questionnaires were returned. The response rate was 82.6%. We asked the managers "How many CWs are complaining of low back pain (LBP) and upper extremity pain at your nursing home?" One manager answered that 80% of CWs were complaining of LBP, but other managers answered that a few but no more than 5 CWs were complaining of LBP. On the other hand, the prevalence of LBP among CWs by the questionnaire survey was high. The point prevalence of LBP was 70.0%, the one month prevalence of LBP was 81.6%, and the period prevalence of LBP in present job was 88.6%. The managers had less interest in upper extremity pain than in LBP. But more than 60% of CWs had complained of upper extremity pain in the previous 1 month. Seventy-three percent of CWs had not received any education about work-related musculoskeletal disorders although about half of them had got some education or training to minimize the risk of injury in training school. Regarding female workers (77% of all CWs, 73% of all non-CWs), the percentages of current smokers and night shift workers were higher in CWs than in non-CWs with statistically significant differences. The percentages of workers working without work breaks and working overtime were higher in non-CWs than in CWs with statistically significant differences. For prevalence of LBP among female CWs and female non-CWs, the workers having LBP now, having had LBP in present job, and having first experienced LBP in present job were higher in CWs than in non-CWs with statistically significant differences. All

  19. Perceptions and employment intentions among aged care nurses and nursing assistants from diverse cultural backgrounds: A qualitative interview study.

    PubMed

    Gao, Fengsong; Tilse, Cheryl; Wilson, Jill; Tuckett, Anthony; Newcombe, Peter

    2015-12-01

    The residential aged care industry faces shortages and high turnover rates of direct care workers. This situation is further complicated by the increasing cultural diversity of residents and staff. To retain direct care workers, it is crucial to explore their perceptions of the rewards and difficulties of care work, and their employment intentions in multicultural environments. A qualitative descriptive study was used to understand perceptions of the rewards and difficulties of residential aged care work for core direct care workers (i.e. nurses and nursing assistants), how these were related to their intentions to stay or leave, and how these varied between nurses and nursing assistants, and between locally and overseas born workers. Individual interviews were conducted between June and September 2013 with 16 direct care workers in an Australian residential aged care facility with a specific focus on people from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds. It was found that direct care workers' employment intentions were related to their perceptions and management of the rewards and difficulties of care work. Their experiences of care work, the employment characteristics, and the organizational resources that fitted their personality, ability, expectations, and essential needs were viewed as rewards. Evaluating their jobs as meaningful was a shared perception for direct care workers who intended to stay. Individual workers' perceptions of the rewarding aspects of care work served to counterbalance the challenges of care work, and promoted their intentions to stay. Perceptions and employment intentions varied by occupational groups and by cultural backgrounds. Overseas born direct care workers are valuable resources in residential aged care facility rather than a limitation, but they do require organizational support, such as cultural awareness of the management, English language support, a sense of family, and appropriate job responsibility. The findings

  20. Employers' knowledge and attitudes regarding organizational policy toward workers caring for aging family members.

    PubMed

    Katz, Ruth; Lowenstein, Ariela; Prilutzky, Dana; Halperin, Dafna

    2011-04-01

    The study examined employers' knowledge of and attitudes toward working carers who care for aging family members. The study was based on the ecological model. One hundred employers were interviewed using structured questionnaires and 13 employers by additional in-depth interviews. Both research instruments included areas of disruption to the organization, existing policies, and feasibility as to developing appropriate policies to support working carers. Results show that caregiving caused a disruption in workers' functioning mainly by being absent, leaving work early, and coming to work late. Usually, there was "no policy," and half of the employers did not support introducing such a policy. Women managers in public organizations, who had less seniority and less previous experience with working-carers, tended to be more positive about supportive policies. Recommendations are included.

  1. Individual and contextual antecedents of workplace aggression in aged care nurses and certified nursing assistants.

    PubMed

    Rodwell, John; Demir, Defne; Gulyas, Andre

    2015-08-01

    Employees in aged care are at high risk of workplace aggression. Research rarely examines the individual and contextual antecedents of aggression for specific types of workers within these settings, such as nurses and certified nursing assistants (CNAs). The study aimed to explore characteristics of the job demands-resources model (JD-R), negative affectivity (NA) and demographics related to workplace aggression for aged care workers. The survey study was based on 208 nurses and 83 CNAs working within aged care. Data from each group were analysed separately using ordinal regressions. Both aged care nurses and CNAs reported high rates of bullying, external emotional abuse, threat of assault and physical assault. Elements of the JD-R model and individual characteristics were related to aggression types for both groups. Characteristics of the JD-R model, NA and demographics are important in understanding the antecedents of aggression observed among aged care workers. © 2015 Wiley Publishing Asia Pty Ltd.

  2. Exploring the self-compassion of health-care social workers: How do they fare?

    PubMed

    Lianekhammy, Joann; Miller, J Jay; Lee, Jacquelyn; Pope, Natalie; Barnhart, Sheila; Grise-Owens, Erlene

    2018-05-03

    Indubitably, the challenges facing health-care social workers are becoming increasingly complex. Whilst these problematic professional circumstances compound the need for self-compassion among health-care social workers, few studies, if any, have explicitly examined self-compassion among this practitioner group. This cross-sectional study explored self-compassion among a sample of practitioners (N = 138) in one southeastern state. Results indicate that health-care social workers in this sample engage in self-compassion only moderately. Further, occupational and demographic/life characteristics (e.g., age, years practicing social work, average hours worked per week, health status, and relationship status, among others) are able to predict self-compassion scores. After a terse review of relevant literature, this paper will explicate findings from this study, discuss relevant points derived from said findings, and identify salient implication for health-care social work praxis.

  3. Exploring workplace violence among home care workers in a consumer-driven home health care program.

    PubMed

    Nakaishi, Lindsay; Moss, Helen; Weinstein, Marc; Perrin, Nancy; Rose, Linda; Anger, W Kent; Hanson, Ginger C; Christian, Mervyn; Glass, Nancy

    2013-10-01

    Nominal research has examined sexual harassment and workplace violence against home care workers within consumer-driven home care models such as those offered in Oregon. This study examined home care workers' experiences of violence while providing care to consumer employers, the patients who hire and manage home care workers. Focus groups and interviews were conducted in Oregon with 83 home care workers, 99 Oregon Department of Human Services (DHS) employees, and 11 consumer employers. Home care workers reported incidents of workplace physical violence (44%), psychological abuse (65%), sexual harassment (41%), and sexual violence (14%). Further, three themes were identified that may increase the risk of workplace violence: (1) real and perceived barriers to reporting violence; (2) tolerance of violence; and (3) limited training to prevent violence. To ensure worker safety while maintaining quality care, safety policies and training for consumer employers, state DHS employees, and home care workers must be developed. Copyright 2013, SLACK Incorporated.

  4. Perspectives from practice: complexities of personal care workers.

    PubMed

    Martyn, Julie-Anne; Zanella, Sally; Wilkinson, Adele

    2017-11-14

    Personal care workers (PCWs) make up the bulk of the workforce in residential and community care services. The knowledge and skill set needed for safe and effective practice in care settings is extensive. A diverse range of registered training organisations (RTOs) offering Certificate III and IV in Individual Support (aging, home and community) are tasked with producing job-ready PCWs. However, the curricula of these programs vary. Additionally, a national code of conduct for healthcare workers became effective in October 2015 as a governance framework for PCWs. The language of the code statements is ambiguous making it unclear how this framework should be translated by RTOs and applied in the preservice practice preparation of PCWs. Employers of PCWs need to feel confident that the content of the preservice education of PCWs satisfactorily prepares them for the diverse contexts of their practice. Likewise, the health professionals who supervise PCWs must be assured about the knowledge and skills of the PCW if they are to safely delegate care activities. The perspectives presented in this discussion make it clear that investigation into the nebulous nature of PCW education, regulation and practice is needed to identify the shortcomings and enable improved practice.

  5. Reports of work related musculoskeletal injury among home care service workers compared with nursery school workers and the general population of employed women in Sweden.

    PubMed Central

    Ono, Y; Lagerström, M; Hagberg, M; Lindén, A; Malker, B

    1995-01-01

    OBJECTIVES--To describe the nationwide occurrence of work related musculoskeletal injuries among all home care service workers in Sweden, and to identify relative risks and risk factors of the injuries. METHODS--The study was based on work related injuries reported to the Swedish occupational injury information system in 1990-1. The work related musculoskeletal injuries were divided into overexertion accidents and musculoskeletal diseases. The incidence of the injuries in female home care service workers was compared with those in nursery school workers and all other employed women in Sweden. RESULTS--In home care service workers, the annual incidence of injury from overexertion accidents and musculoskeletal diseases were 19.2 and 15.1 per 1000 workers, respectively, which was higher than those in nursery school workers and all employed women in Sweden. For five injury locations including the back, all the age standardised relative risks (SRR) of overexertion accidents exceeded 4.0, and most of those for musculoskeletal diseases were 1.5 or more in home care service workers compared with all other employed women in Sweden. Total duration of sick leave due to overexertion accidents was 7.7 times, and musculoskeletal diseases 3.5 times, longer than in nursery school workers. National loss due to sick leave resulting from only musculoskeletal injuries in home care service workers was about 8.2% of the total work related sick leave in all employed women in Sweden, although the number of home care service workers represented only some 5% of this population. Lifting other people was most frequently reported as the main risk cause of overexertion accidents in both kinds of workers. CONCLUSIONS--The results support the hypothesis that home care service workers have higher annual injury incidence of musculoskeletal injuries than nursery school workers due to physically stressful tasks that are far less common in nursery school workers. PMID:7489060

  6. A survey on knowledge and self-reported formula handling practices of parents and child care workers in Palermo, Italy

    PubMed Central

    2009-01-01

    Background Powdered infant formula (PIF) is not a sterile product, but this information appears to be poorly diffused among child caregivers. Parents and child care workers may behave in an unsafe manner when handling PIF. Methods This study involved parents and child care workers in the 24 municipal child care centres of Palermo. Knowledge and self-reported practices about PIF handling were investigated by a structured questionnaire. A Likert scale was used to measure the strength of the respondent's feelings. Association of knowledge and self-reported practices with demographic variables was also evaluated. Results 42.4% of parents and 71.0% of child care workers filled in the questionnaire. Significant differences were found between parents and child care workers for age and education. 73.2% of parents and 84.4% of child care workers were confident in sterility of PIF. Generally, adherence to safe procedures when reconstituting and handling PIF was more frequently reported by child care workers who, according to the existing legislation, are regularly subjected to a periodic training on food safety principles and practices. Age and education significantly influenced the answers to the questionnaire of both parents and child care workers. Conclusion The results of the study reveal that parents and child care workers are generally unaware that powdered formulas may contain viable microorganisms. However, child care workers consistently chose safer options than parents when answering the questions about adherence to hygienic practices. At present it seems unfeasible to produce sterile PIF, but the risk of growth of hazardous organisms in formula at the time of administration should be minimized by promoting safer behaviours among caregivers to infants in both institutional settings and home. PMID:20003304

  7. Association between V̇O2max, handgrip strength, and musculoskeletal pain among construction and health care workers.

    PubMed

    Moberg, Lene Lehmann; Lunde, Lars-Kristian; Koch, Markus; Tveter, Anne Therese; Veiersted, Kaj Bo

    2017-03-21

    Construction and health care workers have a high prevalence of musculoskeletal disorders, and they are assumed to have physically demanding jobs. Profession- and gender-specific associations between individual capacity and musculoskeletal pain have not been sufficiently investigated. The main aim of this study was to examine the association between individual capacity (maximal oxygen uptake (V̇O 2max ) and handgrip strength) and musculoskeletal pain among construction and health care workers. This cross-sectional study examined 137 construction and health care workers (58 women and 79 men) with a mean age of 41.8 years (standard deviation 12). Aerobic capacity was indirectly assessed by the Åstrand cycle test, and strength was assessed by a handgrip test. Musculoskeletal pain was described by total pain, divided into neck, shoulder, and low back pain, during the last 12 months, and it was dichotomized in below or above 30 days. Logistic regression was used to analyse the associations between V̇O 2max , strength, and musculoskeletal pain in the total study sample and separately for construction and health care workers. Analyses were adjusted for age, gender, body mass index (BMI), and selected mechanical and psychosocial factors. Every second participant (51.8%) reported pain in either neck, shoulders or low back for more than 30 days during the last 12 months. Among the health care workers, a small but significant association was found between a high V̇O 2max , high handgrip strength, and a low level of musculoskeletal pain. No association was found for the construction workers. An association between V̇O 2max, handgrip strength, and musculoskeletal pain was found for health care workers but not for construction workers. These results indicate that activities promoting individual capacity may reduce musculoskeletal pain for health care workers.

  8. [Psychosocial stress among health care workers].

    PubMed

    Ansoleaga, Elisa

    2015-01-01

    Health care workers are exposed to high stress levels and psychosocial risks. The imbalance between the invested efforts and received rewards acquires special importance in this setting. To assess the psychosocial risk level and its relationship with depression, distress and psychotropic drug use among health care workers. Seven hundred eighty two workers (602 females; 180 males) answered self-administered questionnaires to measure psychosocial risk and mental health. Twenty five percent of respondents used psychotropic drugs, 34% had a high level of distress and 23% had depressive symptoms. They also reported a low level of decisional latitude (48%), high emotional demands (47%), low social support (41%) and a significant effort-reward imbalance (67%). Those exposed to job strain (high demands and low decisional latitude), iso-strain (job strain plus low social support), and effort-reward imbalance were twice as likely to suffer symptoms of depression and elevated distress compared to non-exposed subjects. There are high levels of psychosocial stress among health care workers.

  9. Older Workers: An Opportunity to Expand the Long-Term Care/Direct Care Labor Force

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hwalek, Melanie; Straub, Victoria; Kosniewski, Karen

    2008-01-01

    Purpose: This study examined issues related to using older workers in frontline jobs in long-term care from employers' and prospective employees' perspectives. Design and Methods: Telephone surveys were conducted with employers representing 615 nursing homes and 410 home health agencies, and 1,091 low-income participants aged 40+ in Operation ABLE…

  10. Challenges to the provision of community aged care services across rural Australia: perceptions of service managers.

    PubMed

    Savy, Pauline; Warburton, Jeni; Hodgkin, Suzanne

    2017-01-01

    The Australian community aged care sector is facing a growing workforce crisis, particularly in rural and regional areas. Its predominantly female workforce is ageing, and recruiting younger, skilled workers is proving difficult. The service sector, too, is proving highly complex and diverse as a result of contemporary aged care service reforms as well as ongoing difficulties in providing services to the growing numbers of older people living in Australia's rural areas. Despite these multiple challenges, there is a gap in research that explores how rural aged care services manage their day-to-day requirements for skilled workers across the diverse service sector. To address this gap, this article reports on the experiences and perceptions of a small sample of service managers whose organisations represent this diversity, and who are accountable for care provision in regional and rural locations. In such areas, recruitment and skill needs are contoured by disproportionate aged populations, distance and reduced service availability. Eleven service managers were interviewed as part of a larger project that examined the skill and training needs of community aged care workers within the Riverina, a rural region in New South Wales. Qualitative data drawn from semi-structured interviews were thematically analysed to identify the managers' individual needs for workers and skills in the context of location, service parameters and availability of other health and community services. Thematic analysis of the interview data elicited three themes: services, roles and skill deployment; older workers and gendered roles; and barriers to recruitment. The findings illustrate the complexities that characterise the community aged care sector as a whole and the impact of these on individual services located in regional and rural parts of Australia. The participants reported diverse needs for worker skills in keeping with the particular level of service they provide. Significantly

  11. Feasibility and clinical utility of the Japanese version of the Abbey pain scale in Japanese aged care.

    PubMed

    Takai, Yukari; Yamamoto-Mitani, Noriko; Chiba, Yumi; Kato, Ayako

    2014-06-01

    Active usage of observational pain scales in Japanese aged-care facilities has not been previously described. Therefore, to examine the feasibility and clinical utility of the Abbey Pain Scale-Japanese version (APS-J), this study examined the interrater reliability of the APS-J among a researcher, nurses, and care workers in aged-care facilities in Japan. This study also aimed to obtain nurses' and care workers' opinions on use of the scale. The following data were collected from 88 residents of two aged-care facilities: demographics, Barthel Index, Folstein Mini-Mental Examination (MMSE), 15-item Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS-15), and APS-J for pain. The researchers, nurses, and care workers independently assessed the residents' pain by using the APS-J, and intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC) for interrater reliability and Cronbach alpha for internal consistency were examined. The ICC between researchers and nurses, researchers and care workers, and nurses and care workers were 0.68, 0.74, and 0.76, respectively. Nurses and care workers were invited for focus group interviews to obtain their opinions regarding APS-J use. During these interviews, nurses and care workers stated that the observational points of APS-J subscales were the criteria they normally used to evaluate residents' pain. Several nurses and care workers reported a gap between the estimated pain intensity and APS-J score. Unclear APS-J criteria, difficulties in observing residents, and insufficient practice guidelines were also reported. Our findings indicate that the APS-J has moderate reliability and clinically utility. To facilitate APS-J usage, education and clinical guidelines for pain management may be required for nurses and care workers. Copyright © 2014 American Society for Pain Management Nursing. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  12. Occupationally acquired HIV: the vulnerability of health care workers under workers' compensation laws.

    PubMed Central

    Tereskerz, P M; Jagger, J

    1997-01-01

    Approximately 800,000 needlesticks and other sharp injuries from contaminated medical devices occur in health care settings each year, of which an estimated 16,000 are contaminated by human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). Health care workers who are occupationally infected by HIV are at risk of being left without workers' compensation coverage. In some states, the definition of an occupational disease is so restrictive that infected health care workers are unlikely to qualify for benefits. For those who are able to meet the definition, compensation is often inadequate. Recourse is also limited by statutory provisions that preclude health care workers from bringing civil suits against their employers. We recommend the amendment of legislation to provide more equitable remedies, including: (1) broadening the definition of occupational disease; (2) eliminating provisions that require a claimant to prove that (a) a specific occupational incident resulted in infection and (b) HIV is not an ordinary disease of life; (3) expanding the time for filing a claim; (4) assuring that lifetime benefits will be provided to the disabled health care worker; and (5) assuring that claims will remain confidential. PMID:9314817

  13. The influence of zero-hours contracts on care worker well-being.

    PubMed

    Ravalier, J M; Fidalgo, A R; Morton, R; Russell, L

    2017-07-01

    Care workers have an important social role which is set to expand with the increasing age of the UK population. However, the majority of care workers are employed on zero-hours contracts. Firstly, to investigate the relationship between working conditions and employee outcomes such as engagement and general mental well-being in a sample of UK care workers and management. Secondly, to assess whether the use of zero-hours contracts affects employee well-being. A cross-sectional survey of domiciliary care and care home employees, undertaken using the Management Standards Indicator Tool (MSIT), Utrecht Work Engagement Scale (UWES) and General Health Questionnaire (GHQ). T-tests and multivariate linear regression evaluated the differences in scoring between those with differing contractual conditions and job roles, and associations of MSIT scores with UWES and GHQ factors. Employee understanding of their role and job control were found to be priority areas for improvement in the sample. Similarly, care workers reported greater occupational demands and lower levels of control than management. However, while zero-hours contracts did not significantly influence employee well-being, these employees had greater levels of engagement in their jobs. Despite this, a greater proportion of individuals with zero-hours contracts had scores above accepted mental health cut-offs. Individual understanding of their role as care workers appears to play an important part in determining engagement and general mental well-being. However, more research is needed on the influence of zero-hours contracts on well-being, particularly in groups with increased likelihood of developing mental health disorders. © The Author 2017. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Society of Occupational Medicine. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com

  14. Occupational injury among full-time, part-time and casual health care workers.

    PubMed

    Alamgir, Hasanat; Yu, Shicheng; Chavoshi, Negar; Ngan, Karen

    2008-08-01

    Previous epidemiological studies have conflicting suggestions on the association of occupational injury risks with employment category across industries. This specific issue has not been examined for direct patient care occupations in the health care sector. To investigate whether work-related injury rates differ by employment category (part time, full time or casual) for registered nurses (RNs) in acute care and care aides (CAs) in long-term facilities. Incidents of occupational injury resulting in compensated time loss from work, over a 1-year period within three health regions in British Columbia (BC), Canada, were extracted from a standardized operational database. Detailed analysis was conducted using Poisson regression modeling. Among 8640 RNs in acute care, 37% worked full time, 24% part time and 25% casual. The overall rates of injuries were 7.4, 5.3 and 5.5 per 100 person-years, respectively. Among the 2967 CAs in long-term care, 30% worked full time, 20% part time and 40% casual. The overall rates of injuries were 25.8, 22.9 and 18.1 per 100 person-years, respectively. In multivariate models, having adjusted for age, gender, facility and health region, full-time RNs had significantly higher risk of sustaining injuries compared to part-time and casual workers. For CAs, full-time workers had significantly higher risk of sustaining injuries compared to casual workers. Full-time direct patient care occupations have greater risk of injury compared to part-time and casual workers within the health care sector.

  15. What makes migrant live-in home care workers in elder care be satisfied with their job?

    PubMed

    Iecovich, Esther

    2011-10-01

    The study aims to examine job satisfaction of migrant live-in home care workers who provide care to frail older adults and to examine the extent to which quality of relationships between the care provider and care recipient and workplace characteristics is associated with job satisfaction.  A convenience sample that included 335 dyads of Philippine workers and their frail care recipients were recruited through 2 national home care agencies and snowballing. Multiple regression analyses examined the extent to which workplace characteristics, quality of relationships, care recipient characteristics, and care worker characteristics explain job satisfaction. Scores for job satisfaction, quality of relationships, and workplace characteristics were strongly positive. Overall and intrinsic job satisfactions were explained by workers' qualifications, workplace characteristics, and quality of relationships from the perspective of care recipients, whereas satisfaction with benefits was affected by workplace characteristics and quality of relationships from the perspective of the care workers. Findings suggest that workers who were better qualified in terms of more years of formal education and more years as care workers and who reported improved workplace characteristics, in particular more job decision authority and variety, reported increased job satisfaction. Therefore, enabling migrant live-in care workers more job decision authority and variety may increase their job satisfaction. More research is needed to deepen our understanding of additional job-related characteristics that explain job satisfaction among this group of care workers.

  16. Diversity Training for Community Aged Care Workers: An Interdisciplinary Meta-Narrative Review

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Meyer, Claudia; Ogrin, Rajna; Al-Zubaidi, Hamzah; Appannah, Arti; McMillan, Sally; Barrett, Elizabeth; Browning, Colette

    2017-01-01

    Population ageing signals the need for a responsive community aged care workforce respectful of older people's diverse healthcare needs. Person-centered care premises individual needs and preferences to enhance participation in health care. Training for diversity does not yet exist for this workforce, but is necessary to ensure appropriate care…

  17. Social workers' involvement in advance care planning: a systematic narrative review.

    PubMed

    Wang, Chong-Wen; Chan, Cecilia L W; Chow, Amy Y M

    2017-07-10

    Advance care planning is a process of discussion that enables competent adults to express their wishes about end-of-life care through periods of decisional incapacity. Although a number of studies have documented social workers' attitudes toward, knowledge about, and involvement in advance care planning, the information is fragmented. The purpose of this review was to provide a narrative synthesis of evidence on social workers' perspectives and experiences regarding implementation of advance care planning. Six databases were searched for peer-reviewed research papers from their respective inception through December 2016. All of the resulting studies relevant to both advance care planning and social worker were examined. The findings of relevant studies were synthesized thematically. Thirty-one articles met the eligibility criteria. Six research themes were identified: social workers' attitudes toward advance care planning; social workers' knowledge, education and training regarding advance care planning; social workers' involvement in advance care planning; social workers' perceptions of their roles; ethical issues relevant to advance care planning; and the effect of social work intervention on advance care planning engagement. The findings suggest that there is a consensus among social workers that advance care planning is their duty and responsibility and that social workers play an important role in promoting and implementing advance care planning through an array of activities. This study provides useful knowledge for implementing advance care planning through illustrating social workers' perspectives and experiences. Further studies are warranted to understand the complexity inherent in social workers' involvement in advance care planning for different life-limiting illnesses or within different socio-cultural contexts.

  18. The effect of Medicaid wage pass-through programs on the wages of direct care workers.

    PubMed

    Baughman, Reagan A; Smith, Kristin

    2010-05-01

    Despite growing demand for nursing and home health care as the US population ages, compensation levels in the low-skill nursing labor market that provides the bulk of long-term care remain quite low. The challenge facing providers of long-term care is that Medicaid reimbursement rates for nursing home and home health care severely restrict the wage growth that is necessary to attract workers, resulting in high turnover and labor shortages. Almost half of US states have responded by enacting "pass-through" provisions in their Medicaid programs, channeling additional long-term care funding directly to compensation of lower-skill nursing workers. We test the effect of Medicaid wage pass-through programs on hourly wages for direct care workers. We estimate several specifications of wage models using employment data from the 1996 and 2001 panels of the Survey of Income and Program Participation for nursing, home health, and personal care aides. The effect of pass-through programs is identified by an indicator variable for states with programs; 20 states adopted pass-throughs during the sample period. Workers in states with pass-through programs earn as much as 12% more per hour than workers in other states after those programs are implemented. Medicaid wage pass-through programs appear to be a viable policy option for raising compensation levels of direct care workers, with an eye toward improving recruitment and retention in long-term care settings.

  19. Factors contributing to work related low back pain among personal care workers in old age.

    PubMed

    Yeung, Simon S

    2012-01-01

    This study aims to preliminary explore the work related and individual factors that contributed to the occurrence of low back pain (LBP) that affected work activities of Personal Care Workers (PCWs). A cross-sectional study was conducted to 36 PCWs in an old age home of Hong Kong. The study is divided into three parts: 1) a questionnaire to document the workload exposure factors and the musculoskeletal symptoms survey of the PCWs, 2) work posture evaluation; and 3) an evaluation of the physical fitness and lifting capacity of the PCWs. Univariate analyses were used to explore the risk factors associated with LBP that affected work activities. The results indicated that individual physical profile and lifting capacities did not contribute to occurrence of low back pain at work. For the work demand factors, the perceived physical demands in lifting and lowering heavy objects, awkward sustain neck and back postures, loading on the back, and perceived effort of cleaning task contributed to the occurrence of LBP. For the physical environment factors, thermal stress and improper ventilation were associated with the occurrence of LBP cases. For the individual factor, LBP cases were associated with workers' self perceived muscular effort, and perceived risk of mental illness in response to work requirements.

  20. Violations of workers' rights and exposure to work-related abuse of live-in migrant and live-out local home care workers - a preliminary study: implications for health policy and practice.

    PubMed

    Green, Ohad; Ayalon, Liat

    2018-06-21

    Home care workers work in an isolated environment, with limited supervision and guidance which makes them more prone to abuse and exploitation. While past research focused mostly on the well-being of care recipients, this study aimed to shed light on the care workers' daily reality and explore if and how boundaries of professional care work are blurred. Our primary aim was to assess the working conditions and the prevalence of abuse and exploitation among live-in migrant home care workers and live-out local home care workers. A random stratified sample of Israeli older adults aged over 70, who are entitled by law to home care services was used to recruit 338 migrant live-in home care workers and 185 local live-out home care workers to a face-to-face survey. The participants were asked about their relationship with the care recipient and their exposure to violations of workers' rights and work-related abuse. Almost all the participants reported exposure to certain workers' rights violations. Among the migrant live-in care workers, it was found that 58% of them did not receive any vacation days besides the weekly day-off, about 30% reported not get even a weekly day-off on a regular basis, and 79% did not get paid sick days. Local live-out care workers also suffered from a high prevalence of exploitation - 58% did not get any vacation days besides the weekly day-off, and 66% did not get paid sick leave. 20% of the local live-out care workers, and 15% of the migrant live-in care workers did not receive a signed contract. A smaller portion (7.4% among migrant care workers, 2.5% among local care workers) reported work-related abuse. When compared to local workers, migrant home care workers were more vulnerable to some worker's rights violations, as well as emotional abuse. These findings are disturbing, as work-related abuse and exploitation affect not only the well-being of the care worker but also the health of the care recipients, as the quality of care provided

  1. The use of music in aged care facilities: A mixed-methods study.

    PubMed

    Garrido, Sandra; Dunne, Laura; Perz, Janette; Chang, Esther; Stevens, Catherine J

    2018-02-01

    Music is frequently used in aged care, being easily accessible and cost-effective. Research indicates that certain types of musical engagement hold greater benefits than others. However, it is not clear how effectively music is utilized in aged care facilities and what the barriers are to its further use. This study used a mixed-methods paradigm, surveying 46 aged care workers and conducting in-depth interviews with 5, to explore how music is used in aged care facilities in Australia, staff perceptions of the impact of music on residents, and the barriers to more effective implementation of music in aged care settings.

  2. Community Health Workers as Support for Sickle Cell Care

    PubMed Central

    Hsu, Lewis L.; Green, Nancy S.; Ivy, E. Donnell; Neunert, Cindy; Smaldone, Arlene; Johnson, Shirley; Castillo, Sheila; Castillo, Amparo; Thompson, Trevor; Hampton, Kisha; Strouse, John J.; Stewart, Rosalyn; Hughes, TaLana; Banks, Sonja; Smith-Whitley, Kim; King, Allison; Brown, Mary; Ohene-Frempong, Kwaku; Smith, Wally R.; Martin, Molly

    2016-01-01

    Community health workers are increasingly recognized as useful for improving health care and health outcomes for a variety of chronic conditions. Community health workers can provide social support, navigation of health systems and resources, and lay counseling. Social and cultural alignment of community health workers with the population they serve is an important aspect of community health worker intervention. Although community health worker interventions have been shown to improve patient-centered outcomes in underserved communities, these interventions have not been evaluated with sickle cell disease. Evidence from other disease areas suggests that community health worker intervention also would be effective for these patients. Sickle cell disease is complex, with a range of barriers to multifaceted care needs at the individual, family/friend, clinical organization, and community levels. Care delivery is complicated by disparities in health care: access, delivery, services, and cultural mismatches between providers and families. Current practices inadequately address or provide incomplete control of symptoms, especially pain, resulting in decreased quality of life and high medical expense. The authors propose that care and care outcomes for people with sickle cell disease could be improved through community health worker case management, social support, and health system navigation. This report outlines implementation strategies in current use to test community health workers for sickle cell disease management in a variety of settings. National medical and advocacy efforts to develop the community health workforce for sickle cell disease management may enhance the progress and development of “best practices” for this area of community-based care. PMID:27320471

  3. Community Health Workers as Support for Sickle Cell Care.

    PubMed

    Hsu, Lewis L; Green, Nancy S; Donnell Ivy, E; Neunert, Cindy E; Smaldone, Arlene; Johnson, Shirley; Castillo, Sheila; Castillo, Amparo; Thompson, Trevor; Hampton, Kisha; Strouse, John J; Stewart, Rosalyn; Hughes, TaLana; Banks, Sonja; Smith-Whitley, Kim; King, Allison; Brown, Mary; Ohene-Frempong, Kwaku; Smith, Wally R; Martin, Molly

    2016-07-01

    Community health workers are increasingly recognized as useful for improving health care and health outcomes for a variety of chronic conditions. Community health workers can provide social support, navigation of health systems and resources, and lay counseling. Social and cultural alignment of community health workers with the population they serve is an important aspect of community health worker intervention. Although community health worker interventions have been shown to improve patient-centered outcomes in underserved communities, these interventions have not been evaluated with sickle cell disease. Evidence from other disease areas suggests that community health worker intervention also would be effective for these patients. Sickle cell disease is complex, with a range of barriers to multifaceted care needs at the individual, family/friend, clinical organization, and community levels. Care delivery is complicated by disparities in health care: access, delivery, services, and cultural mismatches between providers and families. Current practices inadequately address or provide incomplete control of symptoms, especially pain, resulting in decreased quality of life and high medical expense. The authors propose that care and care outcomes for people with sickle cell disease could be improved through community health worker case management, social support, and health system navigation. This paper outlines implementation strategies in current use to test community health workers for sickle cell disease management in a variety of settings. National medical and advocacy efforts to develop the community health workforce for sickle cell disease management may enhance the progress and development of "best practices" for this area of community-based care. Copyright © 2016 American Journal of Preventive Medicine. All rights reserved.

  4. The Relationship between Transformational Leadership and Organizational Commitment in Nonprofit Long Term Care Organizations: The Direct Care Worker Perspective

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Porter, Jeanette A.

    2015-01-01

    The United States population is rapidly aging, and retaining direct care workers (DCWs) will continue to be a workforce concern for the industry in addressing the demand for long term care services. To date, scant literature exists that addresses the DCW perspective of leadership behaviors and their influence on organizational commitment. To…

  5. Contributions of graduate mental health workers in primary care.

    PubMed

    Schafer, Tim; Wrycraft, Nick

    Graduate primary care mental health workers are part of the NHS strategy for improving the mental health of the primary care population. This article describes the role and potential contribution of these health workers to patients' mental wellbeing in primary care. Readers are informed about the need for graduate worker, and some of the issues that arose on implementing this initiative in one English region.

  6. Observations of Group Care Worker-Child Interaction in Residential Youth Care: Pedagogical Interventions and Child Behavior

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Bastiaanssen, Inge L. W.; Delsing, Marc J. M. H.; Geijsen, Luuk; Kroes, Gert; Veerman, Jan W.; Engels, Rutger C. M. E.

    2014-01-01

    Background: The work of group care workers in residential youth care is often described as professional parenting. Pedagogical interventions of group care workers influence the quality of care for looked-after children. Objective: The aim of the current study was to observe the pedagogical interventions of group care workers within residential…

  7. Why do they leave? Factors associated with job termination among personal assistant workers in home care.

    PubMed

    Butler, Sandra S; Simpson, Nan; Brennan, Mark; Turner, Winston

    2010-11-01

    Recruiting and retaining an adequate number of personal support workers in home care is both challenging and essential to allowing elders to age in place. A mixed-method, longitudinal study examined turnover in a sample of 261 personal support workers in Maine; 70 workers (26.8%) left their employment in the first year of the study. Logistic regression analysis indicated that younger age and lack of health insurance were significant predictors of turnover. Analysis of telephone interviews revealed three overarching themes related to termination: job not worthwhile, personal reasons, and burnout. Implications of study findings for gerontological social workers are outlined.

  8. Shift work and burnout among health care workers.

    PubMed

    Wisetborisut, A; Angkurawaranon, C; Jiraporncharoen, W; Uaphanthasath, R; Wiwatanadate, P

    2014-06-01

    Burnout, defined as a syndrome derived from prolonged exposure to stressors at work, is often seen in health care workers. Shift work is considered one of the occupational risks for burnout in health care workers. To identify and describe the association between shift work and burnout among health care workers. A cross-sectional study of health care workers in Chiang Mai University Hospital, Thailand. Data were collected via an online self-answered questionnaire and included details of shift work and burnout. Burnout was measured by the Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI). Two thousand seven hundred and seventy two health care workers participated, a 52% response rate. Burnout was found more frequently among shift workers than those who did not work shifts (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] 1.4, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.0-1.9). Among shift workers, over 10 years of being a shift worker was associated with increasing burnout (aOR 1.7, 95% CI: 1.2-2.6) and having 6-8 sleeping hours per day was associated with having less burnout (aOR 0.7, 95% CI: 0.5-0.9). Nurses who had at least 8 days off per month had lower odds of burnout compared with those with fewer than 8 days off (aOR 0.6, 95% CI: 0.5-0.8). Shift work was associated with burnout in this sample. Increased years of work as a shift worker were associated with more frequent burnout. Adequate sleeping hours and days off were found to be possible protective factors. Policies on shift work should take into account the potential of such work for contributing towards increasing burnout. © The Author 2014. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Society of Occupational Medicine. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

  9. Health care workers' hand decontamination practices: an Irish study.

    PubMed

    Creedon, Sile A

    2006-02-01

    The primary purpose of this quasi-experimental research is to observe health care workers' compliance with hand-hygiene guidelines during patient care in an intensive care unit in Ireland before (pretest) and after (posttest) implementation of a multifaceted hand-hygiene program. Health care workers' attitudes, beliefs, and knowledge in relation to compliance with handwashing guidelines were also investigated. A convenience sample of nurses, doctors, physiotherapists, and care assistants (n = 73 observational participants, n = 62 questionnaire respondents) was used. Data (N = 314 observations, 62 questionnaires) were analyzed descriptively and cross-tabulated using chi-square (Pearson's) and Mann-Whitney statistical tests. Results revealed that a significant shift (32%) occurred in health care workers' compliance with handwashing guidelines (pretest 51%, posttest 83%, p < .001) following the interventional hand-hygiene program. Significant changes were also found in relation to health care workers' attitudes, beliefs, and knowledge (p < .05).

  10. Health of health care workers in Canadian nursing homes and pediatric hospitals: a cross-sectional study

    PubMed Central

    Hoben, Matthias; Knopp-Sihota, Jennifer A.; Nesari, Maryam; Chamberlain, Stephanie A.; Squires, Janet E.; Norton, Peter G.; Cummings, Greta G.; Stevens, Bonnie J.; Estabrooks, Carole A.

    2017-01-01

    Background: Poor health of health care workers affects quality of care, but research and health data for health care workers are scarce. Our aim was to compare physical/mental health among health care worker groups 1) within nursing homes and pediatric hospitals, 2) between the 2 settings and 3) with the physical/mental health of the Canadian population. Methods: Using cross-sectional data collected as part of the Translating Research in Elder Care program and the Translating Research on Pain in Children program, we examined the health of health care workers. In nursing homes, 169 registered nurses, 139 licensed practical nurses, 1506 care aides, 145 allied health care providers and 69 managers were surveyed. In pediatric hospitals, 63 physicians, 747 registered nurses, 155 allied health care providers, 49 nurse educators and 22 managers were surveyed. After standardization of the data for age and sex, we applied analyses of variance and general linear models, adjusted for multiple testing. Results: Nursing home workers and registered nurses in pediatric hospitals had poorer mental health than the Canadian population. Scores were lowest for registered nurses in nursing homes (mean difference -4.4 [95% confidence interval -6.6 to -2.6]). Physicians in pediatric hospitals and allied health care providers in nursing homes had better physical health than the general population. We also found important differences in physical/mental health for care provider groups within and between care settings. Interpretation: Mental health is especially poor among nursing home workers, who care for a highly vulnerable and medically complex population of older adults. Strategies including optimized work environments are needed to improve the physical and mental health of health care workers to ameliorate quality of patient care. PMID:29162609

  11. [Adverse effects of seasonal flu vaccine and new influenza A (H1N1) vaccine in health care workers].

    PubMed

    Torruella, Joan Inglés; Soto, Rosa Gil; Valls, Rosa Carreras; Lozano, Judit Valverde; Carreras, Dolors Benito; Cunillera, Arnau Besora

    2013-01-01

    To assess and compare adverse effects of Seasonal Influenza Vaccine (SIV) and new Influenza A(H1N1) Vaccine (AIV) in health care workers. Multicenter cross-sectional study in health care workers from acute care hospitals, primary health care centers, social centers, mental health centers and a geriatric hospital participating in the 2009 vaccination campaign. Self-administered questionnaires were sent to all workers vaccinated with SIV and/or AIV. 527 valid questionnaires were collected out of 1123 sent to SIV vaccinated workers (46.9%), and 241 out of 461 sent to AIV vaccinated workers (52.%%). Participant workers include 527 vaccinated only with SIV, 117 first vaccinated with SIV and later with AIV (SIV+AIV), and 125 vaccinated only with AIV. Overall, 18.4% (95%CI 15.1-21.7) of workers vaccinated only with SIV reported adverse effects, as compared to 45.3% (95I 36.3-54.3) reporting adverse effects to AIV in the SIV+AIV group and 46.4% (95%CI 37.7-55.1) of workers vaccinated only with AIV. In all participants the most common adverseeffect was a local reaction. Women wre more reactive to both SIV and AIV than men. In all age groups SIV vaccination alone caused fewer reactions that either AIV only or the combination of SIV+AIV, with the exception of workers below 29 years of age. AIV was associated with more reactions than SIV, with no differences observed in relation to administration sequence. There were differences by sex and age, but reactions always occurred more commonly with AIV. Copyright belongs to the Societat Catalana de Seguretat i Medicina del Treball.

  12. Age-differences in work motivation and job satisfaction. The influence of age on the relationships between work characteristics and workers' outcomes.

    PubMed

    Boumans, Nicolle P G; de Jong, Ad H J; Janssen, Sara M

    2011-01-01

    This study investigated the influence of age on the relationship between work characteristics and workers' work motivation and job satisfaction. In total, 1036 workers of a Dutch division of a multinational organization participated. Data were collected by a digital questionnaire. Two interaction terms in the regression on work motivation were significant. The first interaction showed that the positive correlation between Motivating Potential Score (MPS) and motivation was much stronger for older than for younger employees. So, to remain motivated, older employees seem more in need of intrinsic challenging and fulfilling jobs. The second significant interaction indicated that the positive association between career opportunities and motivation was much stronger for younger employees than for older employees. This means that, especially, younger workers' motivation increases as they are offered more career opportunities. Careful career mentoring by the supervisor as part of an aging policy can contribute to the maintenance of workers of any age.

  13. 8 CFR 212.15 - Certificates for foreign health care workers.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-01-01

    ... occupational therapy or physical therapy. (ii) Registered nurses and other health care workers requiring the... care workers, or certified statements to nurses shall submit Form I-905, Application for Authorization... certificates to foreign health care workers or certified statements to nurses will be made in 5-year increments...

  14. 8 CFR 212.15 - Certificates for foreign health care workers.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-01-01

    ... occupational therapy or physical therapy. (ii) Registered nurses and other health care workers requiring the... care workers, or certified statements to nurses shall submit Form I-905, Application for Authorization... certificates to foreign health care workers or certified statements to nurses will be made in 5-year increments...

  15. Health care worker perspectives of their motivation to reduce health care-associated infections.

    PubMed

    McClung, Laura; Obasi, Chidi; Knobloch, Mary Jo; Safdar, Nasia

    2017-10-01

    Health care-associated infections (HAIs) are largely preventable, but are associated with considerable health care burden. Given the significant cost of HAIs, many health care institutions have implemented bundled interventions to reduce HAIs. These complex behavioral interventions require considerable effort; however, individual behaviors and motivations crucial to successful and sustained implementation have not been adequately assessed. We evaluated health care worker motivations to reduce HAIs. This was a phenomenologic qualitative study of health care workers in different roles within a university hospital, recruited via a snowball strategy. Using constructs from the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research model, face-to-face semi-structured interviews were used to explore perceptions of health care worker motivation to follow protocols on HAI prevention. Across all types of health care workers interviewed, patient safety and improvement in clinical outcomes were the major motivators to reducing HAIs. Other important motivators included collaborative environment that valued individual input, transparency and feedback at both organizational and individual levels, leadership involvement, and refresher trainings and workshops. We did not find policy, regulatory considerations, or financial penalties to be important motivators. Health care workers perceived patient safety and clinical outcomes as the primary motivators to reduce HAI. Leadership engagement and data-driven interventions with frequent performance feedback were also identified as important facilitators of HAI prevention. Published by Elsevier Inc.

  16. Aged care managers' perceptions of staff preparedness for caring for older survivors of genocide and mass trauma in Australia: How prepared are aged care workers?

    PubMed

    Teshuva, Karen; Wells, Yvonne

    2017-03-01

    To investigate aged care managers' perceptions of staff preparedness for working with older people who experienced genocide or mass trauma earlier in their lives (referred to in this paper as 'older survivors'). A survey of 60 aged care service managers was conducted (50% response rate). Trauma knowledge and skills scales with Cronbach's alpha scores of 0.74 and 0.90 respectively, were used. Scores across groups were compared using Student's t-tests. Three-quarters of the respondents reported that their agency had provided aged care services for older survivors. The majority of these managers perceived their staff to be moderately informed about trauma-related issues and half rated staff trauma-related skills positively. These ratings were positively associated with trauma-related staff training, service type and service location. Results suggest that, overall, managers perceive a need to improve aged care staff's preparedness for providing care for older survivors. © 2016 AJA Inc.

  17. Associated factors for recommending HBV vaccination to children among Georgian health care workers.

    PubMed

    Butsashvili, Maia; Kamkamidze, George; Topuridze, Marina; Morse, Dale; Triner, Wayne; DeHovitz, Jack; Nelson, Kenrad; McNutt, Louise-Anne

    2012-12-20

    Most cases of hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection and subsequent liver diseases can be prevented with universal newborn HBV vaccination. The attitudes of health care workers about HBV vaccination and their willingness to recommend vaccine have been shown to impact HBV vaccination coverage and the prevention of vertical transmission of HBV. The purpose of this study was to ascertain the factors associated with health care worker recommendations regarding newborn HBV vaccination. A cross-sectional study of prevalence and awareness of hepatitis B and hepatitis B vaccine was conducted among randomly selected physicians and nurses employed in seven hospitals in Georgia in 2006 and 2007. Self-administered questionnaires included a module on recommendations for HBV, HCV and HIV. Of the 1328 participants included in this analysis, 36% reported recommending against hepatitis B vaccination for children, including 33% of paediatricians. Among the 70.6% who provided a reason for not recommending HBV vaccine, the most common concern was an adverse vaccine event. Unvaccinated physicians and nurses were more likely to recommend against HBV vaccine (40.4% vs 11.4%, PR 3.54; 95% CI: 2.38, 5.29). Additionally, health care worker age was inversely correlated with recommendations for HBV vaccine with older workers less likely to recommend it. Vaccinating health care workers against HBV may provide a dual benefit by boosting occupational safety as well as strengthening universal coverage programs for newborns.

  18. Weighing obligations to home care workers and Medicaid recipients.

    PubMed

    Treacy, Paul C; MacKay, Douglas

    2017-01-01

    In June 2016, a US Department of Labor rule extending minimum wage and overtime pay protections to home care workers such as certified nursing assistants and home health aides survived its final legal challenge and became effective. However, Medicaid officials in certain states reported that during the intervening decades when these protections were not in place, their states had developed a range of innovative services and programs providing home care to people with disabilities-services and programs that would be at risk if workers were newly owed minimum wage and overtime pay. In this article, we examine whether the Department of Labor was right to extend these wage protections to home care workers even at the risk of a reduction in these home care services to people with disabilities. We argue that it was right to do so. Home care workers are entitled to these protections, and, although it is permissible under certain conditions for government to infringe workers' occupational rights and entitlements, these conditions are not satisfied in this case.

  19. Working on reform. How workers' compensation medical care is affected by health care reform.

    PubMed

    Himmelstein, J; Rest, K

    1996-01-01

    The medical component of workers' compensation programs-now costing over $24 billion annually-and the rest of the nation's medical care system are linked. They share the same patients and providers. They provide similar benefits and services. And they struggle over who should pay for what. Clearly, health care reform and restructuring will have a major impact on the operation and expenditures of the workers' compensation system. For a brief period, during the 1994 national health care reform debate, these two systems were part of the same federal policy development and legislative process. With comprehensive health care reform no longer on the horizon, states now are tackling both workers' compensation and medical system reforms on their own. This paper reviews the major issues federal and state policy makers face as they consider reforms affecting the relationship between workers' compensation and traditional health insurance. What is the relationship of the workers' compensation cost crisis to that in general health care? What strategies are being considered by states involved in reforming the medical component of workers compensation? What are the major policy implications of these strategies?

  20. 'One size does not fit all': Perspectives on diversity in community aged care.

    PubMed

    Meyer, Claudia; Appannah, Arti; McMillan, Sally; Browning, Colette; Ogrin, Rajna

    2018-05-13

    Typically, older people are viewed via a single health condition, yet health outcomes are likely impacted by the intersection of many individual characteristics. Promoting inclusive health care is underpinned by reducing bias, respectful communication and supporting individual needs and preferences. This study explores perspectives of community aged care workers on diversity training and implementing training into practice. Ninety community aged care workers were telephone-interviewed three months after a one-day diversity training workshop. Interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed verbatim and analysed thematically. Five themes emerged: 'raising awareness'; 'reserving judgement'; 'confidence and empowerment to embed diversity into practice'; 'communicating effectively'; and 'thinking about change … but'. Diversity concepts were positively received, but applying diversity principles into practice is more difficult. Recommendations to promote inclusive health care included raising awareness of bias, communicating with inclusive language and embedding diversity concepts into community aged care practice by addressing individual, organisational and wider system constraints. © 2018 AJA Inc.

  1. Emotional Exhaustion in Day-Care Workers

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Løvgren, Mette

    2016-01-01

    Although childcare workers have the second-worst occupation for work-related health problems and the number of professional day-care centers is growing throughout Europe, few studies have examined these workers' emotional well-being. This study investigates the effect of position, competence, work role, role clarity, and work tasks on emotional…

  2. Burnout among workers in a pediatric health care system.

    PubMed

    Jacobs, Linda M; Nawaz, Muhammad K; Hood, Joyce L; Bae, Sejong

    2012-08-01

    Burnout among health care workers is recognized as an organizational risk contributing to absenteeism, presenteeism, excessive turnover, or illness, and may also manifest as decreased patient satisfaction. Pediatric health care may add stressors including worried parents of ill or dying children, child custody issues, child abuse, and workplace violence. The purpose of this study was to measure burnout among workers in a regional pediatric health care system and report whether burnout in a pediatric health care system is different from previously published data on human service workers. The Maslach Burnout Inventory-Human Services Survey (MBI-HSS) and the Copenhagen Burnout Inventory (CBI) were used to measure burnout. Pediatric health care workers expressed significantly less burnout as compared to published MBI-HSS scores and client-related CBI scores. Personal burnout CBI scores were not different, but work-related CBI scores were significantly higher than normative scores. Copyright 2012, SLACK Incorporated.

  3. Potential allergy and irritation incidents among health care workers.

    PubMed

    Alamgir, Hasanat; Yu, Shicheng; Chavoshi, Negar; Ngan, Karen

    2008-07-01

    This study describes the types, causes, and outcomes of potential irritation and allergy incidents among workers in British Columbia's health care industry. Data on occupation-induced allergy and irritation incidents were extracted from a standardized database using the number of productive hours obtained from payroll data as a denominator during a 1-year period from three British Columbia health regions. Younger workers, female workers, facility support service workers, laboratory assistants and technicians, and maintenance and acute care workers were found to be at higher risk for allergy and irritation incidents. Major causes of allergy and irritation incidents included chemicals, blood and body fluids, food and objects, communicable diseases, air quality, and latex. A larger proportion of chemically induced incidents resulted in first aid care only, whereas non-chemical incidents required more emergency room visits.

  4. Job satisfaction and intention to stay within community and residential aged care employees.

    PubMed

    Radford, Katrina; Meissner, Ellen

    2017-09-01

    This study investigated the different facets of job satisfaction that influence community care and residential care employees' intention to stay in the aged care workforce. A survey of four organisations in Australia was undertaken. t-Tests were conducted to analyse differences between groups. Regression analyses were performed to examine the factors influencing intentions to stay in the workforce. Community care workers were more satisfied with various facets of job satisfaction including work on their present job, supervision, people in their present job and the job in general. There was a difference between how the various facets of job satisfaction influenced intentions to stay for residential care compared to community care workers. Both workers were satisfied with their work conditions and work to different extents. There is an opportunity for residential care to look to the practices within the community care sector to improve employees' intentions to stay. © 2017 AJA Inc.

  5. 22 CFR 40.53 - Uncertified foreign health-care workers.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-04-01

    ... 22 Foreign Relations 1 2011-04-01 2011-04-01 false Uncertified foreign health-care workers. 40.53... Certain Immigrants § 40.53 Uncertified foreign health-care workers. (a) Subject to paragraph (b) of this... the purpose of performing services in a health care occupation, other than as a physician, unless, in...

  6. [Calculation of workers' health care costs].

    PubMed

    Rydlewska-Liszkowska, Izabela

    2006-01-01

    In different health care systems, there are different schemes of organization and principles of financing activities aimed at ensuring the working population health and safety. Regardless of the scheme and the range of health care provided, economists strive for rationalization of costs (including their reduction). This applies to both employers who include workers' health care costs into indirect costs of the market product manufacture and health care institutions, which provide health care services. In practice, new methods of setting costs of workers' health care facilitate regular cost control, acquisition of detailed information about costs, and better adjustment of information to planning and control needs in individual health care institutions. For economic institutions and institutions specialized in workers' health care, a traditional cost-effect calculation focused on setting costs of individual products (services) is useful only if costs are relatively low and the output of simple products is not very high. But when products form aggregates of numerous actions like those involved in occupational medicine services, the method of activity based costing (ABC), representing the process approach, is much more useful. According to this approach costs are attributed to the product according to resources used during different activities involved in its production. The calculation of costs proceeds through allocation of all direct costs for specific processes in a given institution. Indirect costs are settled on the basis of resources used during the implementation of individual tasks involved in the process of making a new product. In this method, so called map of processes/actions consisted in the manufactured product and their interrelations are of particular importance. Advancements in the cost-effect for the management of health care institutions depend on their managerial needs. Current trends in this regard primarily depend on treating all cost reference

  7. Working on reform. How workers' compensation medical care is affected by health care reform.

    PubMed Central

    Himmelstein, J; Rest, K

    1996-01-01

    The medical component of workers' compensation programs-now costing over $24 billion annually-and the rest of the nation's medical care system are linked. They share the same patients and providers. They provide similar benefits and services. And they struggle over who should pay for what. Clearly, health care reform and restructuring will have a major impact on the operation and expenditures of the workers' compensation system. For a brief period, during the 1994 national health care reform debate, these two systems were part of the same federal policy development and legislative process. With comprehensive health care reform no longer on the horizon, states now are tackling both workers' compensation and medical system reforms on their own. This paper reviews the major issues federal and state policy makers face as they consider reforms affecting the relationship between workers' compensation and traditional health insurance. What is the relationship of the workers' compensation cost crisis to that in general health care? What strategies are being considered by states involved in reforming the medical component of workers compensation? What are the major policy implications of these strategies? Images p13-a p14-a p15-a p16-a p18-a p19-a p20-a p22-a p24-a PMID:8610187

  8. Mandatory influenza immunization for health care workers--an ethical discussion.

    PubMed

    Steckel, Cynthia M

    2007-01-01

    Influenza is a serious vaccine-preventable disease affecting 20% of the U.S. population each year. Vaccination of high-risk groups has been called the single most important influenza control measure by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Studies show that vaccination can lead to decreases in flu-related illness and absenteeism among health care workers, as well as fewer acute care outbreaks and reduced patient mortality in long-term care settings. However, to date, voluntary programs have achieved only a 40% vaccination rate among health care workers, causing concern among government and infectious disease organizations. This article addresses the ethical justification for mandating influenza vaccination for health care workers. Health care workers' attitudes toward vaccination are presented, as well as historical and legal perspectives on compulsory measures. The ethical principles of effectiveness, beneficence, necessity, autonomy, justice, and transparency are discussed.

  9. Older Workers' Perspectives on Training and Retention of Older Workers: National Finance Sector Survey. Support Document

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Lundberg, David; Marshallsay, Zaniah

    2007-01-01

    Older workers' perspectives are examined in a national survey of the finance sector and case studies of aged care and construction workers. The majority of older workers intend to work beyond retirement age, to achieve a better lifestyle. With training, older workers could mentor younger workers. This support document includes a national survey of…

  10. Job stress and job satisfaction: home care workers in a consumer-directed model of care.

    PubMed

    Delp, Linda; Wallace, Steven P; Geiger-Brown, Jeanne; Muntaner, Carles

    2010-08-01

    To investigate determinants of job satisfaction among home care workers in a consumer-directed model. Analysis of data collected from telephone interviews with 1,614 Los Angeles home care workers on the state payroll in 2003. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to determine the odds of job satisfaction using job stress model domains of demands, control, and support. Abuse from consumers, unpaid overtime hours, and caring for more than one consumer as well as work-health demands predict less satisfaction. Some physical and emotional demands of the dyadic care relationship are unexpectedly associated with greater job satisfaction. Social support and control, indicated by job security and union involvement, have a direct positive effect on job satisfaction. Policies that enhance the relational component of care may improve workers' ability to transform the demands of their job into dignified and satisfying labor. Adequate benefits and sufficient authorized hours of care can minimize the stress of unpaid overtime work, caring for multiple consumers, job insecurity, and the financial constraints to seeking health care. Results have implications for the structure of consumer-directed models of care and efforts to retain long-term care workers.

  11. Workplace assaults on minority health and mental health care workers in Los Angeles.

    PubMed Central

    Sullivan, C; Yuan, C

    1995-01-01

    Workplace violence is becoming increasingly recognized as a serious problem in health care settings. All 628 workers' compensation assaults claimed by minority Los Angeles County health care workers from 1986 through 1990 were abstracted. Population-at-risk data from county personnel computer tapes provided denominators by age, sex, race, job classification, and type of facility. Rates varied by type of facility (rate ratio = 38 for psychiatric hospitals vs public health facilities) and varied by job, with inpatient nursing attendants having the highest rate for caregivers. Most assaults were committed by patients (86%), followed by coworkers (8%). The average cost of an assault ($4879) was relatively low but related to the costlier problem of work-related emotional illness. PMID:7604900

  12. [Fatigue symptoms and workplace related factors of long-term care workers employed in facilities].

    PubMed

    Kawamura, Sachiyo; Yamada, Kazuko; Morioka, Ikuharu

    2015-01-01

    "Regular visiting/on-demand response type long-term care" has recently been established. This will lead to a decrease in the burden on the family, but an increase in the burden of the care personnel who provide this kind of long-term care. The objectives of this study were to clarify the fatigue symptoms of long-term care workers in facilities that provide this kind of long-term care, and examine the related factors in the workplace. An anonymous questionnaire survey was conducted with 96 workers engaged in long-term care in facilities. The questionnaire was composed of cumulative fatigue symptoms index, work situation, supports in the workplace, and the attributes. The subjects were divided into two groups: those who had night shift between PM 6 to AM 8 with or without day shift (night shift group), and those who had only day shift (day shift group). The relationships between the fatigue symptom levels and work situation etc. were compared between the two groups. The night shift group consisted of 47 workers, whose mean age was 42.3 years and whose mean working experience was 6.0 years. The median number of persons they had visited in the previous month was 9. The day shift group consisted of 49 workers, whose mean age was 44.6 years and whose mean working experience was 5.9 years. The median number of persons they visited in the previous month was 9.5. Age and sex distributions showed no difference between the two groups. There was no difference in the work situations and the supports in the workplace, except for working time and the details of care the subjects were providing. The fatigue symptom levels were high in both groups, but in the night shift group the level of physical disorders was higher than in the day shift group. Satisfaction with work, education and training for mental health and consideration for traffic safety when making home visits were negatively related to fatigue symptom levels in both groups. Learning care during the previous year, and

  13. Roles and Functions of Community Health Workers in Primary Care.

    PubMed

    Hartzler, Andrea L; Tuzzio, Leah; Hsu, Clarissa; Wagner, Edward H

    2018-05-01

    Community health workers have potential to enhance primary care access and quality, but remain underutilized. To provide guidance on their integration, we characterized roles and functions of community health workers in primary care through a literature review and synthesis. Analysis of 30 studies identified 12 functions (ie, care coordination, health coaching, social support, health assessment, resource linking, case management, medication management, remote care, follow-up, administration, health education, and literacy support) and 3 prominent roles representing clusters of functions: clinical services, community resource connections, and health education and coaching. We discuss implications for community health worker training and clinical support in primary care. © 2018 Annals of Family Medicine, Inc.

  14. Requiring influenza vaccination for health care workers: seven truths we must accept.

    PubMed

    Poland, Gregory A; Tosh, Pritish; Jacobson, Robert M

    2005-03-18

    In this paper we outline the seven primary truths supporting the call for requiring influenza immunization of all health care workers. We view this as a serious patient safety issue, given the clear and compelling data regarding the frequency and severity of influenza infection. In addition, clear-cut safety, efficacy, economic, legal, and ethical platforms support the use of influenza vaccine. Unfortunately health care workers have demonstrated, over almost 25 years that they are unwilling to comply with voluntary influenza immunization programs utilizing a variety of education and incentive programs, at rates sufficient to protect the patients in their care. We suggest that an annual influenza immunization should be required for every health care worker with direct patient contact, unless a medical contraindication or religious objection exists, or an informed declination is signed by the health care worker. High rates of health care worker immunization will benefit patients, health care workers, their families and employers, and the communities within which they work and live.

  15. Occupational allergic diseases in kitchen and health care workers: an underestimated health issue.

    PubMed

    Bilge, Ugur; Unluoglu, Ilhami; Son, Nazan; Keskin, Ahmet; Korkut, Yasemin; Unalacak, Murat

    2013-01-01

    This study evaluated the frequencies of allergic symptoms and rate of upper respiratory infections during the past year in the general population, kitchen workers (KW) and health care workers (HCW). The European Community Respiratory Health Survey (ECRHS) was used to inquire retrospectively about asthma and asthma-like symptoms and the number of treatments required for previous upper respiratory tract infections (URTI: acute pharyngitis, acute sinusitis, etc.) during the past year for health care workers, kitchen workers, and members of the general population. Adjusted odds ratios by gender, age, and smoking status were calculated. 579 subjects (186 from the general population, 205 KW, and 188 HCW; 263 females, 316 males) participated in the study. Noninfectious (allergic) rhinitis was significantly higher in the HCW and KW groups than in the general population (P < 0.001). Cumulative asthma was significantly higher only in the HCW group (P < 0.05). In addition, the HCW and KW groups had significantly higher risks of ≥2/year URTI (OR: 1.59, 95% CI: 1.07-2.38 versus OR: 1.57, 95% CI: 1.05-2.38) than the general population. Occupational allergic respiratory diseases are an important and growing health issue. Health care providers should become familiar with workplace environments and environmental causes of occupational rhinitis and asthma.

  16. Physical capacity and risk for long-term sickness absence: a prospective cohort study among 8664 female health care workers.

    PubMed

    Rasmussen, Charlotte Diana Nørregaard; Andersen, Lars Louis; Clausen, Thomas; Strøyer, Jesper; Jørgensen, Marie Birk; Holtermann, Andreas

    2015-05-01

    To assess the prospective associations between self-reported physical capacity and risk of long-term sickness absence among female health care workers. Female health care workers answered a questionnaire about physical capacity and were followed in a national register of sickness absence lasting for two or more consecutive weeks during 1-year follow-up. Using Cox regression hazard ratio analyses adjusted for age, smoking, body mass index, physical workload, job seniority, psychosocial work conditions, and previous sickness absence, we modeled risk estimates for sickness absence from low and medium physical capacity. Low and medium aerobic fitness, low muscle strength, low flexibility, and low overall physical capacity significantly increased the risk for sickness absence with 20% to 34% compared with health care workers with high capacity. Low physical capacity increases the risk of long-term sickness absence among female health care workers.

  17. Frontline Workers in Long-Term Care.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Feldman, Penny Hollander, Ed.; And Others

    1994-01-01

    In this theme issue, 18 articles discuss the motivation for and benefits of working with old and dying people, nursing homes, ethical issues, and the training of home health care workers. Employee recruitment and retention and the economics of health care for the frail elderly are also addressed. (JOW)

  18. Healthcare organization-education partnerships and career ladder programs for health care workers.

    PubMed

    Dill, Janette S; Chuang, Emmeline; Morgan, Jennifer C

    2014-12-01

    Increasing concerns about quality of care and workforce shortages have motivated health care organizations and educational institutions to partner to create career ladders for frontline health care workers. Career ladders reward workers for gains in skills and knowledge and may reduce the costs associated with turnover, improve patient care, and/or address projected shortages of certain nursing and allied health professions. This study examines partnerships between health care and educational organizations in the United States during the design and implementation of career ladder training programs for low-skill workers in health care settings, referred to as frontline health care workers. Mixed methods data from 291 frontline health care workers and 347 key informants (e.g., administrators, instructors, managers) collected between 2007 and 2010 were analyzed using both regression and fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis (QCA). Results suggest that different combinations of partner characteristics, including having an education leader, employer leader, frontline management support, partnership history, community need, and educational policies, were necessary for high worker career self-efficacy and program satisfaction. Whether a worker received a wage increase, however, was primarily dependent on leadership within the health care organization, including having an employer leader and employer implementation policies. Findings suggest that strong partnerships between health care and educational organizations can contribute to the successful implementation of career ladder programs, but workers' ability to earn monetary rewards for program participation depends on the strength of leadership support within the health care organization. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  19. Seeking a balance between employment and the care of an ageing parent.

    PubMed

    Eldh, Ann Catrine; Carlsson, Eva

    2011-06-01

    A growing number of middle-aged people are engaged in informal care of their parents while employed. To provide support as employers, co-workers or staff, health care professionals need insight into the experiences of people managing these responsibilities. To elucidate the experience of providing informal care to an ageing parent while managing the responsibilities of a working life. Narrative interviews were performed with 11 persons with experience of the phenomenon. Transcribed interviews were analysed with phenomenological hermeneutics. Informed consent was given prior to the interviews. The study was approved by a research ethics committee. Providing informal care to an ageing parent while also pursuing a working life implies seeking balance: a balance between providing support to the parent's needs and one's responsibilities at work. Being employed supports this balance as it provides both fulfilment and refuge. Being capable of managing both roles grants a sense of satisfaction, supporting one's sense of balance in life. The balance can be supported by sharing the responsibility of caring for the ageing parent with others. Despite perceived saturation and an effort to provide for the possibility to consider internal consistency, the findings should be considered as a contribution to the understanding of the phenomenon, as experienced by individuals in their life world. It is essential to recognise the impact that providing care for an ageing parent may have on the lives of a growing number of people, particularly if they have employment responsibilities. Acknowledgement by others supports one's ability to attain balance; as co-workers and managers, we can acknowledge the efforts of an informal caregiver and as health care staff recognise the valuable contribution made by people in mid-life who provide informal care for their ageing parents. © 2010 The Authors. Scandinavian Journal of Caring Sciences © 2010 Nordic College of Caring Science.

  20. Older Workers' Perspectives on Training and Retention of Older Workers: South Australian Construction Industry Study. Support Document

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Lundberg, David; Marshallsay, Zariah

    2007-01-01

    Older workers' perspectives are examined in a national survey of the finance sector and case studies of aged care and construction workers. The majority of older workers intend to work beyond retirement age, to achieve a better lifestyle. With training, older workers could mentor younger workers. This support document includes a national survey of…

  1. 22 CFR 40.53 - Uncertified foreign health-care workers.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-04-01

    ... IMMIGRANTS UNDER THE IMMIGRATION AND NATIONALITY ACT, AS AMENDED Labor Certification and Qualification for Certain Immigrants § 40.53 Uncertified foreign health-care workers. (a) Subject to paragraph (b) of this... immigrant or nonimmigrant spouse or child of a foreign health care worker and who is seeking to accompany or...

  2. Improving health care delivery to aging adults with disabilities: social work with dual eligibles in a climate of health care reform.

    PubMed

    Bachman, Sara S; Gonyea, Judith G

    2012-01-01

    Adults aging with disabilities comprise a diverse group. In this article, we identify the prevalence and characteristics of this target population, focusing on adults who are dually eligible for Medicare and Medicaid. We articulate challenges in the delivery of health, social, and support services to adults aging with disabilities, particularly how existing health care policy and financing contributes to fragmentation of care. Finally, we identify opportunities for social workers to advocate for and promote system improvements in the delivery of care for aging adults with disabilities in the current climate of health care reform.

  3. Job Stress and Job Satisfaction: Home Care Workers in a Consumer-Directed Model of Care

    PubMed Central

    Delp, Linda; Wallace, Steven P; Geiger-Brown, Jeanne; Muntaner, Carles

    2010-01-01

    Objective To investigate determinants of job satisfaction among home care workers in a consumer-directed model. Data Sources/Setting Analysis of data collected from telephone interviews with 1,614 Los Angeles home care workers on the state payroll in 2003. Data Collection and Analysis Multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to determine the odds of job satisfaction using job stress model domains of demands, control, and support. Principal Findings Abuse from consumers, unpaid overtime hours, and caring for more than one consumer as well as work-health demands predict less satisfaction. Some physical and emotional demands of the dyadic care relationship are unexpectedly associated with greater job satisfaction. Social support and control, indicated by job security and union involvement, have a direct positive effect on job satisfaction. Conclusions Policies that enhance the relational component of care may improve workers' ability to transform the demands of their job into dignified and satisfying labor. Adequate benefits and sufficient authorized hours of care can minimize the stress of unpaid overtime work, caring for multiple consumers, job insecurity, and the financial constraints to seeking health care. Results have implications for the structure of consumer-directed models of care and efforts to retain long-term care workers. PMID:20403063

  4. European Top Managers' Age-Related Workplace Norms and Their Organizations' Recruitment and Retention Practices Regarding Older Workers.

    PubMed

    Oude Mulders, Jaap; Henkens, Kène; Schippers, Joop

    2017-10-01

    Top managers guide organizational strategy and practices, but their role in the employment of older workers is understudied. We study the effects that age-related workplace norms of top managers have on organizations' recruitment and retention practices regarding older workers. We investigate two types of age-related workplace norms, namely age equality norms (whether younger and older workers should be treated equally) and retirement age norms (when older workers are expected to retire) while controlling for organizational and national contexts. Data collected among top managers of 1,088 organizations from six European countries were used for the study. Logistic regression models were run to estimate the effects of age-related workplace norms on four different organizational outcomes: (a) recruiting older workers, (b) encouraging working until normal retirement age, (c) encouraging working beyond normal retirement age, and (d) rehiring retired former employees. Age-related workplace norms of top managers affect their organizations' practices, but in different ways. Age equality norms positively affect practices before the boundary of normal retirement age (Outcomes a and b), whereas retirement age norms positively affect practices after the boundary of normal retirement age (Outcomes c and d). Changing age-related workplace norms of important actors in organizations may be conducive to better employment opportunities and a higher level of employment participation of older workers. However, care should be taken to target the right types of norms, since targeting different norms may yield different outcomes. © The Author 2016. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of The Gerontological Society of America. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

  5. Beyond 'doing': Supporting clinical leadership and nursing practice in aged care through innovative models of care.

    PubMed

    Venturato, Lorraine; Drew, Liz

    2010-06-01

    Contemporary health care environments are increasingly challenged by issues associated with the recruitment and retention of qualified nursing staff. This challenge is particularly felt by residential aged care providers, with registered nurse (RN) numbers already limited and resident acuity rapidly rising. As a result, aged care service providers are increasingly exploring creative and alternative models of care. This article details exploratory research into a pre-existing, alternative model of care in a medium sized, regional residential aged care facility. Research findings suggest that the model of care is complex and multi-faceted and is an example of an integrated model of care. As a result of the implementation of this model of care a number of shifts have occurred in the practice experiences and clinical culture within this facility. Results suggest that the main benefits of this model are: (1) increased opportunities for RNs to engage in clinical leadership and proactive care management; (2) improved management and communication in relation to work processes and practices; and (3) enhanced recruitment and retention of both RNs and care workers.

  6. Staff perspectives of relationships in aged care: A qualitative approach.

    PubMed

    Jones, Cindy; Moyle, Wendy

    2016-09-01

    To explore aged care staff perceptions and experience of their relationships with co-workers, older people and families via pragmatic exploratory interviews. Thirty-nine direct care staff from seven residential age care facilities and 12 community organisations were interviewed. Staff felt that their capacity to develop therapeutic relationships with older people and families was impeded by care tasks and concerns regarding professional boundaries. Positive relationships between staff-family and staff-staff are hindered by staff perceptions of undue care demands, high family expectations, and staff-staff conflict within a hierarchical context and between work shifts. A relationship-centred approach to care as well as staff training and education should be encouraged to assist the development of therapeutic relationships and the management of professional boundaries. © 2016 AJA Inc.

  7. Ward social workers' views of what facilitates or hinders collaboration with specialist palliative care team social workers: A grounded theory.

    PubMed

    Firn, Janice; Preston, Nancy; Walshe, Catherine

    2017-07-14

    Inpatient, generalist social workers in discharge planning roles work alongside specialist palliative care social workers to care for patients, often resulting in two social workers being concurrently involved in the same patient's care. Previous studies identifying components of effective collaboration, which impacts patient outcomes, care efficiency, professional job satisfaction, and healthcare costs, were conducted with nurses and physicians but not social workers. This study explores ward social workers' perceptions of what facilitates or hinders collaboration with palliative care social workers. Grounded theory was used to explore the research aim. In-depth qualitative interviews with masters trained ward social workers (n = 14) working in six hospitals located in the Midwest, United States were conducted between February 2014 and January 2015. A theoretical model of ward social workers' collaboration with palliative care social workers was developed. The emerging model of collaboration consists of: 1) trust, which is comprised of a) ability, b) benevolence, and c) integrity, 2) information sharing, and 3) role negotiation. Effective collaboration occurs when all elements of the model are present. Collaboration is facilitated when ward social workers' perceptions of trust are high, pertinent information is communicated in a time-sensitive manner, and a flexible approach to roles is taken. The theoretical model of collaboration can inform organisational policy and social work clinical practice guidelines, and may be of use to other healthcare professionals, as improvements in collaboration among healthcare providers may have a positive impact on patient outcomes.

  8. Commitment of Licensed Social Workers to Aging Practice

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Simons, Kelsey; Bonifas, Robin; Gammonley, Denise

    2011-01-01

    This study sought to identify client, professional, and employment characteristics that enhance licensed social workers' commitment to aging practice. A series of binary logistic regressions were performed using data from 181 licensed, full-time social workers who reported aging as their primary specialty area as part of the 2004 NASW's national…

  9. Self-competence in death work among health and social care workers: a region-wide survey in Hong Kong.

    PubMed

    Cheung, Johnny T K; Au, Doreen W H; Chan, Wallace C H; Chan, Jenny H Y; Ng, Kenway; Woo, Jean

    2018-04-20

    According to the Quality of Death Index, Hong Kong is lagging behind many other Western and Asian countries in the category of palliative and healthcare. To ensure the provision of high-quality palliative care, it is important to explore the self-competence of health and social care workers in coping with death work including palliative care. This region-wide study aims to assess the level of self-competence with a validated Self-Competence in Death Work Scale (SC-DWS) and examine its correlates. The SC-DWS was administered to a cross-sectional convenience sample of health and social care workers across eight healthcare institutions between January and October 2016. Total scores for the 16-item SC-DWS and its Existential and Emotional subscales were calculated. We then examined sociodemographic variables (e.g., age, profession, place of employment) in relation to the total and subscale scores using multiple linear regression. Coding was conducted on responses to a final open-ended question asking about the personal views of the workers towards their self-competence in death work. We collected data from 885 health and social care workers. Mean score of the SC-DWS was 60.16 (range: 16 - 80), while its Existential and Emotional subscales scored 37.90 (range: 10 - 50) and 14.46 (range: 4 - 20) respectively. Four categories of personal view towards self-competence in death work including (1) personal resources; (2) existential challenges and coping; (3) emotional challenges and coping; and (4) personal recommendations on improving self-competence were identified. In multivariate analyses, workers aged 50 or above, divorced, working in Hospice A, Rehabilitation Hospital B (where a quality improvement initiative in end-of-life care was implemented) and Acute Hospital B (a Christian institution with strong caring culture) and with personal bereavement experience had significantly higher scores, whereas nurses scored significantly lower than less-educated personal care

  10. Self-care among healthcare social workers: An exploratory study.

    PubMed

    Miller, J Jay; Lianekhammy, Joann; Pope, Natalie; Lee, Jacquelyn; Grise-Owens, Erlene

    2017-01-01

    Despite growing interest in self-care, few studies have explicitly examined the self-care practices of healthcare social workers. This exploratory study investigated self-care among practitioners (N = 138) in one southeastern state. Overall, data suggest that healthcare social workers only moderately engaged in self-care. Additionally, analyses revealed significant differences in self-care practices by financial stability, overall health, and licensure status, respectively. Interestingly, perceived health status and current financial situation were significant predictors for overall self-care practices. After a brief review of the literature, this narrative will explicate findings, elucidate discussion points, identify salient implications, and conclude with areas for future research.

  11. Older persons’ and their families’ experience with live-in foreign home care workers. A grounded theory study

    PubMed

    Petry, Heidi; Naef, Rahel; Rüesch, Peter; Mahrer-Imhof, Romy; Dreizler, Jutta

    2016-11-01

    Background: Live-in arrangements with migrant care workers have considerably increased over the last years since they allow older frail persons to age-in-place despite functional limitations. However, little is known about the ramifications live-in care arrangements for families. Aim: The aim of the study was to investigate families’ experience with live-in migrant care workers and indicators of quality from their perspective. Method: Constructivist grounded theory study with 22 families who were recruited via care agencies in the German-speaking part of Switzerland and participated in 29 individual or dyadic interviews. Results: Live-in care by migrant care workers has potentially positive ramifications for older persons and their families, but only so if families, first, reach a consensus about the need for the employment of migrant care workers; second, experience them as competent; and third, mutually forge relationships and negotiate daily life. A successful care arrangement occurs when there is a relational fit among those involved, which leaves families feeling cared for, safe and relieved. They experience a renewed stability in their family system, enriching relationships, and assuredness about the quality present in the care situation. Conclusions: A successful care arrangement is the result of relationships that have been actively created and a negotiated shared existence in a family-like network. It has a positive effect on the well-being of those receiving care and their family members. The family-like network needs competent support.

  12. Protecting Home Health Care Workers: A Challenge to Pandemic Influenza Preparedness Planning

    PubMed Central

    McPhaul, Kathleen; Phillips, Sally; Gershon, Robyn; Lipscomb, Jane

    2009-01-01

    The home health care sector is a critical element in a pandemic influenza emergency response. Roughly 85% of the 1.5 million workers delivering in-home care to 7.6 million clients are low-wage paraprofessionals, mostly women, and disproportionately members of racial and ethnic minorities. Home health care workers' ability and willingness to respond during a pandemic depends on appropriate communication, training, and adequate protections, including influenza vaccination and respiratory protection. Preparedness planning should also include support for child care and transportation and help home health care workers protect their income and access to health care. We summarize findings from a national stakeholder meeting, which highlighted the need to integrate home health care employers, workers, community advocates, and labor unions into the planning process. PMID:19461108

  13. Guidelines for a palliative approach for aged care in the community setting: A suite of resources.

    PubMed

    Toye, Christine; Blackwell, Scott; Maher, Sean; Currow, David C; Holloway, Kristi; Tieman, Jennifer; Hegarty, Meg

    2012-01-01

    In Australia, many people ageing in their own homes are becoming increasingly frail and unwell, approaching the end of life. A palliative approach, which adheres to palliative care principles, is often appropriate. These principles provide a framework for proactive and holistic care in which quality of life and of dying is prioritised, as is support for families. A palliative approach can be delivered by the general practitioner working with the community aged care team, in collaboration with family carers. Support from specialist palliative care services is available if necessary.The Guidelines for a Palliative Approach for Aged Care in the Community Setting were published by the Australian Government Department of Health and Ageing to inform practice in this area. There are three resource documents. The main document provides practical evidence based guidelines, good practice points, tools, and links to resources. This document is written for general practitioners, nurses, social workers, therapists, pastoral care workers, and other health professionals and responded to needs identified during national consultation. Evidence based guidelines were underpinned by systematic reviews of the research literature. Good practice points were developed from literature reviews and expert opinion. Two 'plain English' booklets were developed in a process involving consumer consultation; one is for older people and their families, the other for care workers.The resources are intended to facilitate home care that acknowledges and plans for the client's deteriorating functional trajectory and inevitable death. At a time when hospitals and residential aged care facilities are under enormous pressure as the population ages, such a planned approach makes sense for the health system as a whole. The approach also makes sense for older people who wish to die in their own homes. Family needs are recognised and addressed. Unnecessary hospitalisations or residential placements and

  14. Canadian government's framing of ageing at work and older workers: Echoing positive ageing models.

    PubMed

    Lagacé, Martine; Nahon-Serfaty, Isaac; Laplante, Joelle

    2015-01-01

    Public representations of ageing can influence how individuals perceive their own experience of ageing. Results of studies on the OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development)'s governmental messages on older workers suggest that they are mainly constructed around economic productivity and personal responsibility. The goal of this study is to examine how the Canadian government frames issues around ageing, work and older workers. Canada is facing a rapidly ageing workforce, hence the importance of examining how the government discusses ageing at work. A thematic content analysis was conducted on a total of 154 government web pages. Results revealed that predominant themes revolve around economic challenges resulting from an ageing workforce. Older workers are depicted as a key component for the (economic) management of an ageing workforce. More specifically, older workers who intend to continue working are highly valued in the government's messages which present them as productive citizens and role models for "ageing well". Canada's response to the challenges of an ageing workforce echoes the underlying standards of positive ageing models, which may generate, perhaps inadvertently, a new form of ageism by creating intra-and intergenerational divides in the workplace.

  15. Applying workability in the Australian residential aged care context.

    PubMed

    Brooke, Elizabeth; Goodall, Joanne; Handrus, Maxwell; Mawren, Daveena

    2013-06-01

    The study is based on an innovative demonstration project which trialled the implementation of the Finnish 'workability' framework and research measures. It aimed, firstly, to test the applicability of the Workability Index (WAI) to the Australian residential aged care workforce, focusing on personal care assistants (PCAs), and secondly, to assess the effectiveness of actions aimed at improving workability. The facility manager implemented multidimensional 'actions' according to the workability framework. The Workability Survey (WAS) and WAI and intervention instruments were administered (n = 64). Completed responses to 'pre' and 'post' instruments formed matched pairs (n = 15). WAI scores increased significantly, by 3 points on average, after all 'actions' were implemented. The only significant 'action' was increasing the number of PCAs in high care. Workability provides a useful research workforce development instrument measuring interactions between aged care workers and organisational demands and the outcomes of 'actions'. © 2013 The Authors. Australasian Journal on Ageing © 2013 ACOTA.

  16. Mercury in dental amalgam: Are our health care workers at risk?

    PubMed

    Sahani, M; Sulaiman, N S; Tan, B S; Yahya, N A; Anual, Z F; Mahiyuddin, W R Wan; Khan, M F; Muttalib, K A

    2016-11-01

    Dental amalgam in fillings exposes workers to mercury. The exposure to mercury was investigated among 1871 dental health care workers. The aim of the study was to evaluate the risk of mercury exposure among dental compared to nondental health care workers and to determine other risk factors for mercury exposure. Respondents answered questionnaires to obtain demographic, personal, professional, and workplace information and were examined for their own amalgam fillings. Chronic mercury exposure was assessed through urinary mercury levels. In total, 1409 dental and 462 nondental health care workers participated in the study. Median urine mercury levels for dental and nondental health care workers were 2.75 μg/L (interquartile range [IQR] = 3.0175) and 2.66 μg/L (IQR = 3.04) respectively. For mercury exposure, there were no significant risk factor found among the workers involved within the dental care. The Mann-Whitney test showed that urine mercury levels were significantly different between respondents who eat seafood more than 5 times per week compared to those who eat it less frequently or not at all (p = 0.003). The urinary mercury levels indicated significant difference between dental workers in their practice using squeeze cloths (Mann-Whitney test, p = 0.03). Multiple logistic regression showed that only the usage of cosmetic products that might contain mercury was found to be significantly associated with the urinary mercury levels (odds ratio [OR] = 15.237; CI: 3.612-64.276). Therefore, mean urinary mercury levels of health care workers were low. Exposure to dental amalgam is not associated with high mercury exposure. However, usage of cosmetic products containing mercury and high seafood consumption may lead to the increase of exposure to mercury. Exposure to the high levels of mercury from dental amalgam can lead to serious health effects among the dental health care workers. Nationwide chronic mercury exposure among dental personnel was assessed through

  17. The epidemiology of tuberculosis in health care workers in South Africa: a systematic review.

    PubMed

    Grobler, Liesl; Mehtar, Shaheen; Dheda, Keertan; Adams, Shahieda; Babatunde, Sanni; van der Walt, Martie; Osman, Muhammad

    2016-08-20

    In South Africa, workplace acquired tuberculosis (TB) is a significant occupational problem among health care workers. In order to manage the problem effectively it is important to know the burden of TB in health care workers. This systematic review describes the epidemiology of TB in South African health care workers. A comprehensive search of electronic databases [MEDLINE, EMBASE, Web of Science (Social Sciences Citation Index/Science Citation Index), Cochrane Library (including CENTRAL register of Controlled Trials), CINAHL and WHO International Clinical Trials Registry Platform (ICTRP)] was conducted up to April 2015 for studies reporting on any aspect of TB epidemiology in health care workers in South Africa. Of the 16 studies included in the review, ten studies reported on incidence of active TB disease in health care workers, two report on the prevalence of active TB disease, two report on the incidence of latent TB infection, three report on the prevalence of latent TB infection and four studies report on the number of TB cases in health care workers in various health care facilities in South Africa. Five studies provide information on risk factors for TB in health care workers. All of the included studies were conducted in publicly funded health care facilities; predominately located in KwaZulu-Natal and Western Cape provinces. The majority of the studies reflect a higher incidence and prevalence of active TB disease in health care workers, including drug-resistant TB, compared to the surrounding community or general population. There is relatively little research on the epidemiology of TB in health care workers in South Africa, despite the importance of the issue. To determine the true extent of the TB epidemic in health care workers, regular screening for TB disease should be conducted on all health care workers in all health care facilities, but future research is required to investigate the optimal approach to TB screening in health care workers in

  18. Unmasking the enterprising nurse: migrant care workers and the discursive mobilisation of productive professionals.

    PubMed

    Olakivi, Antero

    2017-03-01

    Public care work organisations in Northern Europe often seek to increase their economic efficiency in ways that care workers criticise for reducing both their professional autonomy and the quality of care. Recently, the ideal of 'enterprising nursing' has emerged as a political belief according to which economic efficiency, care workers' autonomy and the quality of care can be improved in tandem by cultivating care workers' agential abilities. This article examines the reception of this belief among migrant care workers in Finland. Drawing on research interviews, the analysis demonstrates how migrant care workers may have difficulties in aligning themselves with the enterprising ideals but also in protesting them. Ethnicity, and the status of a migrant, can offer resources for both constructing enterprising subjectivities and reframing care workers' agency, and their organisational environment, in more critical terms. © 2016 Foundation for the Sociology of Health & Illness.

  19. Care workers health in Swiss nursing homes and its association with psychosocial work environment: A cross-sectional study.

    PubMed

    Dhaini, Suzanne R; Zúñiga, Franziska; Ausserhofer, Dietmar; Simon, Michael; Kunz, Regina; De Geest, Sabina; Schwendimann, Rene

    2016-01-01

    Previous studies have demonstrated poor health of care workers in nursing homes. Yet, little is known about the prevalence of physical and mental health outcomes, and their associations with the psychosocial work environment in nursing homes. (1) To explore the prevalence of physical and mental health outcomes of care workers in Swiss nursing homes, (2) their association with psychosocial work environment. This is a secondary data analysis of the cross-sectional Swiss Nursing Home Human Resources Project (SHURP). We used survey data on socio-demographic characteristics and work environment factors from care workers (N=3471) working in Swiss nursing homes (N=155), collected between May 2012 and April 2013. GEE logistic regression models were used to estimate the relationship between psychosocial work environment and physical and mental health outcomes, taking into account care workers' age. Back pain (19.0%) and emotional exhaustion (24.2%) were the most frequent self-reported physical and mental health. Back pain was associated with increased workload (odds ratios (OR) 1.52, confidence interval (CI) 1.29-1.79), conflict with other health professionals and lack of recognition (OR 1.72, CI 1.40-2.11), and frequent verbal aggression by residents (OR 1.36, CI 1.06-1.74), and inversely associated with staffing adequacy (OR 0.69, CI 0.56-0.84); emotional exhaustion was associated with increased workload (OR 1.96, CI 1.65-2.34), lack of job preparation (OR 1.41, CI 1.14-1.73), and conflict with other health professionals and lack of recognition (OR 1.68, CI 1.37-2.06), and inversely associated with leadership (OR 0.70, CI 0.56-0.87). Physical and mental health among care workers in Swiss nursing homes is of concern. Modifying psychosocial work environment factors offer promising strategies to improve health. Longitudinal studies are needed to conduct targeted assessments of care workers health status, taking into account their age, along with the exposure to all four

  20. The experiences of pediatric social workers providing end-of-life care.

    PubMed

    Muskat, Barbara; Brownstone, David; Greenblatt, Andrea

    2017-07-01

    Pediatric social workers working in acute care hospital settings may care for children and their families in end-of-life circumstances. This qualitative study is part of a larger study focusing on the experiences of health care providers working with dying children. This study consisted of 9 semi-structured interviews of acute care pediatric social workers who work with dying children and their families. Themes included the role of social work with dying children, the impact of their work and coping strategies. Authors suggest a hospital-worker partnership in supporting staff and promotion of supportive resources.

  1. PCBs Alter Dopamine Mediated Function in Aging Workers

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2008-01-01

    in Aging Workers PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR: Richard F. Seegal, Ph.D. CONTRACTING ORGANIZATION: Health Research Incorporated... Health Perspectives, describes the associations between serum PCB concentrations and occupational exposure as well as fish consumption; the senior author...Alter Dopamine Mediated Function in Aging Workers 5a. CONTRACT NUMBER 5b. GRANT NUMBER DAMD17-02-1-0173 5c. PROGRAM ELEMENT NUMBER 6. AUTHOR

  2. The training needs of health care support workers: results of a study of workers and their managers.

    PubMed

    Moseley, Laurence G; Davies, Moira; Evans, Linda E

    2007-12-01

    This study was designed to assess the training needs of health care support workers. In the past, opinions on the topic have been varied, but were rarely based on empirical evidence. The study was designed as a self-report questionnaire survey of health care support workers and their managers in six units in health and social care, using as its basis 32 descriptors from the NHS Knowledge and Skills Framework, levels 1 and 2. The achieved sample was 117, giving a 77% response rate. Thirty-five per cent of respondents thought that health care support workers were 'unable' to perform six or more of the 32 descriptors used, whilst on the criterion of being 'less than able', the figure was 64%. Support workers and their managers agreed closely (rho = 0.8) on where the difficulties lay in achieving Knowledge and Skills Framework competencies. Those difficulties lay particularly in two areas: (1) biomedical/physiological knowledge and (2) data-handling. We concluded that the numbers in need of training were substantial and the areas of need were the two identified above. The main implications for clinical practice are that (a) for those who supervise or mentor health care support workers, there should be a greater concentration on the more scientific areas of expertise and (b) a similar emphasis is needed for those who train mentors or supervisors. These implications will become more important over time as scientific knowledge about medicine and health care increases.

  3. Using research evidence to inform staff learning needs in cross-cultural communication in aged care homes.

    PubMed

    Gillham, David; De Bellis, Anita; Xiao, Lily; Willis, Eileen; Harrington, Ann; Morey, Wendy; Jeffers, Lesley

    2018-04-01

    Developed countries worldwide are facing an unprecedented demand for aged care services, with recent migrants of diverse linguistic and cultural backgrounds increasingly recruited as care workers while at the same time there is growing cultural diversity among aged care residents. This situation is compounded by rapidly changing technology and varied educational levels of care workers from diverse backgrounds. The objectives were threefold: to identify staff learning needs to enable them to provide high-quality cross-cultural care; to improve team cohesion; and identify preferred learning approaches. An interpretive qualitative study utilising focus group and interview data informed the development of an education resource. Fifty six care workers from four residential aged care facilities participated in either focus groups or interviews conducted in private meeting rooms within the care facilities. Participants included personal care attendants, registered and clinical nurses, managers, hospitality staff and allied health professionals. Focus group and interview data were categorised and thematically analysed. Data relevant to cross-cultural care, team cohesion and preferred learning approaches informed education resource development, including case studies. Major themes identified the need to promote cultural awareness and understanding, and strategies for cross-cultural care and communication. Themes related to team cohesion demonstrated that staff were already sympathetic and sensitive to cross-cultural issues, and that culturally and linguistically diverse staff add value to the workforce and are supported by the organisation. Staff required clear, uncomplicated education resources to equip them with skills to address problematic cultural situations. Preferred learning approaches varied and highlighted the need for varied educational materials and approaches, as well as time efficient, opportunistic education strategies for the busy workplace. An education

  4. Health-Promoting Lifestyles Among Health Care Workers in a Postdisaster Area: A Cross-sectional Study.

    PubMed

    Yang, Wanqiu; Sim, Timothy; Cui, Ke; Zhang, Jun; Yang, Yanchun; Ma, Xiaohong

    2018-06-18

    Health care workers performing rescue tasks in large-scale disaster areas are usually challenged in terms of physical and mental endurance, which can affect their lifestyles. Nevertheless, data on whether health care workers tend to adopt healthy lifestyles after disasters are limited. This paper compares the adoption of healthy lifestyle behaviors among health care workers with that among non-health care workers in a postdisaster area. This cross-sectional observational study was conducted in August 2016. The Health-Promoting Lifestyle Profile II questionnaire was used to interview 261 health care workers and 848 non-health care workers. Results of the multivariable linear models showed that health care workers had lower physical activity levels (ß=-1.363, P<.0001), worse stress management (ß=-1.282, P<.0001), slower spiritual growth (ß=-1.228, P=.002), and poorer interpersonal relationships (ß=-0.814, P=.019) than non-health care workers. However, no significant differences were found in either nutrition (ß=-0.362, P=.319) or health responsibility (ß=-0.421, P=.283). Health care workers had less healthy lifestyle behaviors, including physical activity, stress management, spiritual growth, and interpersonal relationships. Further studies are needed to develop health-improving interventions for health care workers in postdisaster areas. (Disaster Med Public Health Preparedness. 2018;page 1 of 6).

  5. Workplace violence towards Congolese health care workers: a survey of 436 healthcare facilities in Katanga province, Democratic Republic of Congo.

    PubMed

    Muzembo, Basilua Andre; Mbutshu, Lukuke Hendrick; Ngatu, Nlandu Roger; Malonga, Kaj Francoise; Eitoku, Masamitsu; Hirota, Ryoji; Suganuma, Narufumi

    2015-01-01

    The aim of this study was to investigate workplace violence by patients or their relatives towards health-care workers in Congolese hospitals. Through the autumn of 2012, a cross-sectional survey on workplace violence was conducted in a sample of 2,210 registered health-care workers (989 males and 1,221 females, aged 33 ± 8 years) from 436 hospitals located in the province of Katanga, Democratic Republic of the Congo. Verbal aggression, harassment and physical violence perpetrated by patients or their relatives within the previous year along with factors contributing to violence, were recorded, and the response rate was 99%. About 80.1% of the health-care workers had experienced one or more types of workplace violence. Overall, the severity of workplace violence varied from verbal aggression (57.4%) and harassment (15.2%) to physical violence (7.5%). Patients were the major perpetrators of verbal aggression and harassment, whereas patients' relatives were mainly involved in physical violence. The frequency of workplace violence was similar across hospitals. Male health-care workers were more likely to be victims of physical violence, whereas female health-care workers were the prime target for harassment. Only 34.3% of the violent episodes were reported to a supervisor. Furthermore, disrespect for medical deontology was the main cause of workplace violence perceived by 68.8% of the health-care workers. Although it has not been officially recognized, there has been workplace violence towards health-care workers perpetrated by patients or their relatives despite the fact that health-care workers have traditionally been highly respected in Congolese society. Further studies on this issue may suggest opportunities for combating violence in Congolese hospitals.

  6. Job satisfaction among health care workers in Serbia.

    PubMed

    Korac, Vesna; Vasic, Milena; Krstic, Maja; Markovic, Roberta

    2010-01-01

    According to literature review there seems to be a general agreement that job satisfaction among doctors is declining. This study's objective was to identify job satisfaction levels and their causes among health care workers, employed at the public health institutions. A job satisfaction survey of health care workers was therefore carried out in 197 public health centers in the Republic of Serbia, 157 primary health care centers and 40 general hospitals, in 2008. A satisfaction questionnaire, containing 24 items was used to investigate job satisfaction. Respondents (23.259), working in primary health care, indicated an average job satisfaction level of 3.08 +/- 0.67 on a 5-point scale. Respondents (11.302), working in general hospitals, indicated a lower average job satisfaction level of 2.96 +/- 0.63. The reported level of satisfaction was the highest for their opportunities to use their abilities, cooperation with colleagues and fellow workers, and freedom to choose their own methods of work. Doctors, working in primary health care centers, reported higher level of job satisfaction than hospital doctors. Overall, job satisfaction of doctors and nurses is relatively low. Increased pay rate and more adequate equipment, as well as possibilities for education and career improvement, would enhance their job satisfaction.

  7. Drinking, Drugs & Youth: Use and Abuse. Fostering Families. A Specialized Training Program Designed for Foster Care Workers & Foster Care Parents.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Schatz, Mona Struhsaker; And Others

    This module is part of a training program for foster parents and foster care workers offered at Colorado State University. The module examines substance abuse by children aged 10 years and above. The module's learning objectives address: (1) family rules and coping mechanisms relevant to substance-abusing youth; (2) characteristics of adolescent…

  8. Mature Age "White Collar" Workers' Training and Employability

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Dymock, Darryl; Billett, Stephen; Klieve, Helen; Johnson, Greer Cavallaro; Martin, Gregory

    2012-01-01

    Global concerns about the growing impact of ageing populations on workplace productivity and on welfare budgets have led to a range of government-supported measures intended to retain and upskill older workers. Yet, a consistent theme in the research literature is that older workers are reluctant and harder to train than younger workers, and that,…

  9. Measuring Worker Turnover in Long-Term Care: Lessons from the Better Jobs Better Care Demonstration

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Piercy, Kathleen Walsh, Ed.; Barry, Theresa; Kemper, Peter; Brannon, S. Diane

    2008-01-01

    Purpose: Turnover among direct-care workers (DCWs) continues to be a challenge in long-term care. Both policy makers and provider organizations recognize this issue as a major concern and are designing efforts to reduce turnover among these workers. However, there is currently no standardized method of measuring turnover to define the scope of the…

  10. [Accidents with biological material in health care workers in 2 primary health care areas (1990-1999)].

    PubMed

    Hernández Navarrete, M J; Montes Villameriel, F J; Solano Bernad, V M; Sánchez Matienzo, D; del Val García, J L; Gil Montalbán, E; Arribas Llorente, J L

    2001-09-15

    To find out the exposures with biological material in health care workers in primary health care, registered in the biological accidents database from Preventive Medicine Service in Miguel Servet Universitary Hospital of Zaragoza. Descriptive study of a retrospective cohort. SITE: Primary health care, Areas II and V of Zaragoza.Participants. Workers in this areas, distributed by: physician, nursing staff, auxiliary, orderly, housekeeping staff, others. Data of: workers, accident, serologic source, worker protection and vaccinal status of hepatitis B. The incidence of accidents was 26 (period 1997-1999). Most proportion of accidents were declared by nursing (78%). The highest occupational incidence was in auxiliary (63 ). In 90,1% of the cases, the accident was needlestick injury. The source was known in 67,7% of cases. The accidents occurred in hands in 96,8% of cases, and only one third of workers carried gloves. Results obtained are similar with previous studies about this event. We must insist on the need to declare these accidents, providing more information and accessibility for the declaration to worker. Moreover, we must insist on the correct application in the health care field of the standard precautions, because almost 50% of accidents are evitable, and to increase hepatitis B vaccination covertures.

  11. Older Workers' Perspectives on Training and Retention of Older Workers. A National Vocational Education and Training Research and Evaluation Program Report

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Lundberg, David; Marshallsay, Zaniah

    2007-01-01

    Older workers' perspectives are examined in a national survey of the finance sector and case studies of aged care and construction workers. The majority of older workers intend to work beyond retirement age, to achieve a better lifestyle. With training, older workers could mentor younger workers. (Contains 30 tables.) [This work has been produced…

  12. PCBs Alter Dopamine Mediated Function in Aging Workers

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2004-01-01

    Do PCBs Alter Doparnine Mediated Function in Aging Workers ? Principal Investigators: Dr. Richard Seegal of the New York State Department of Health and...Award Number: DAMD17-02-1-0173 TITLE: PCBs Alter Dopamine Mediated Function in Aging Workers PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR: Richard F.Seegal, Ph.D...CONTRACTING ORGANIZATION: Health Research, Incorporated Rensselaer, New York 12144 REPORT DATE: January 2004 TYPE OF REPORT: Annual PREPARED FOR: U.S. Army

  13. Work-related Injuries to Animal Care Workers, Washington 2007–2011

    PubMed Central

    Fowler, Heather; Adams, Darrin; Bonauto, David; Rabinowitz, Peter

    2016-01-01

    Background For workers engaged in animal care, workplace hazards are common and may outnumber those experienced by human healthcare workers.. Methods We used accepted Washington State workers’ compensation claims for the period from January 1, 2007 and December 31, 2011 to compare injury rates and types of injuries across animal care occupations. Results Work-related injuries frequently affect veterinary support staff and those working in pet stores, shelters, grooming, and kennels. Animal-related injuries were the most commonly reported injury type experienced by all groups, though the animal source of injury appears to differ by work setting. Conclusions Workplace related injuries among animal care workers are common and most often caused by physical insults resulting from worker-animal interaction. PMID:26681112

  14. Work schedules of home care workers for the elderly in France: fragmented work, deteriorating quality of care, detrimental health impact.

    PubMed

    Doniol-Shaw, Ghislaine; Lada, Emmanuelle

    2011-01-01

    Like most Western countries, France is faced with rapid changes in how social welfare and care regimes are being organized. Home care for the elderly has been closely affected by such trends. This study will analyse the consequences of such developments on work schedules and working conditions of female home care workers. We carried out 55 biographical interviews with experienced female home care workers employed by six associations as well as 13 interviews with representatives of those associations. The findings reveal an increase in time pressure linked to a reduction in care time per care recipient as well as the fragmentation of care work. These conditions negatively affect the provision of quality care as well as care workers' physical and mental well-being and blur the distinction between workers' professional and home lives. The negative impacts observed call for a change in perspective in relation to how home care work for fragile, elderly people is organized. Our research bears out the necessity of drawing on the experience of the most highly-qualified care workers and entrusting them with the autonomy needed to manage the care time allotted to each care recipient.

  15. Adoption and Usage of mHealth Technology on Quality and Experience of Care Provided by Frontline Workers: Observations From Rural India.

    PubMed

    Kaphle, Sangya; Chaturvedi, Sharad; Chaudhuri, Indrajit; Krishnan, Ram; Lesh, Neal

    2015-05-28

    mHealth apps are deployed with the aim of improving access, quality, and experience of health care. It is possible that any mHealth intervention can yield differential impacts for different types of users. Mediating and determining factors, including personal and socioeconomic factors, affect technology adoption, the way health workers leverage and use the technology, and subsequently the quality and experience of care they provide. To develop a framework to assess whether mHealth platforms affect the quality and experience of care provided by frontline workers, and whether these effects on quality and experience are different depending on the level of technology adoption and individual characteristics of the health worker. Literacy, education, age, and previous mobile experience are identified as individual factors that affect technology adoption and use, as well as factors that affect the quality and experience of care directly and via the technology. Formative research was conducted with 15 community health workers (CHWs) using CommCare, an mHealth app for maternal and newborn care, in Bihar, India. CHWs were first classified on the level of CommCare adoption using data from CommCareHQ and were then shadowed on home visits to evaluate their levels of technology proficiency, and the quality and experience of care provided. Regression techniques were employed to test the relationships. Out of all the CHWs, 2 of them refused to participate in the home visits, however, we did have information on their levels of technology adoption and background characteristics, which were included in the analysis as relevant. Level of technology adoption was important for both quality and experience of care. The quality score for high users of CommCare was higher by 33.4% (P=.04), on average, compared to low users of CommCare. Those who scored higher on CommCare proficiency also provided significantly higher quality and experience of care, where an additional point in CommCare

  16. Adoption and Usage of mHealth Technology on Quality and Experience of Care Provided by Frontline Workers: Observations From Rural India

    PubMed Central

    Chaturvedi, Sharad; Chaudhuri, Indrajit; Krishnan, Ram; Lesh, Neal

    2015-01-01

    Background mHealth apps are deployed with the aim of improving access, quality, and experience of health care. It is possible that any mHealth intervention can yield differential impacts for different types of users. Mediating and determining factors, including personal and socioeconomic factors, affect technology adoption, the way health workers leverage and use the technology, and subsequently the quality and experience of care they provide. Objective To develop a framework to assess whether mHealth platforms affect the quality and experience of care provided by frontline workers, and whether these effects on quality and experience are different depending on the level of technology adoption and individual characteristics of the health worker. Literacy, education, age, and previous mobile experience are identified as individual factors that affect technology adoption and use, as well as factors that affect the quality and experience of care directly and via the technology. Methods Formative research was conducted with 15 community health workers (CHWs) using CommCare, an mHealth app for maternal and newborn care, in Bihar, India. CHWs were first classified on the level of CommCare adoption using data from CommCareHQ and were then shadowed on home visits to evaluate their levels of technology proficiency, and the quality and experience of care provided. Regression techniques were employed to test the relationships. Out of all the CHWs, 2 of them refused to participate in the home visits, however, we did have information on their levels of technology adoption and background characteristics, which were included in the analysis as relevant. Results Level of technology adoption was important for both quality and experience of care. The quality score for high users of CommCare was higher by 33.4% (P=.04), on average, compared to low users of CommCare. Those who scored higher on CommCare proficiency also provided significantly higher quality and experience of care, where

  17. Effects of Teaching Health Care Workers on Diagnosis and Treatment of Pesticide Poisonings in Uganda.

    PubMed

    Sibani, Claudia; Jessen, Kristian Kjaer; Tekin, Bircan; Nabankema, Victoria; Jørs, Erik

    2017-01-01

    Acute pesticide poisoning in developing countries is a considerable problem, requiring diagnosis and treatment. This study describes how training of health care workers in Uganda affects their ability to diagnose and manage acute pesticide poisoning. A postintervention cross-sectional study was conducted using a standardized questionnaire. A total of 326 health care workers in Uganda were interviewed on knowledge and handling of acute pesticide poisoning. Of those, 173 health care workers had received training, whereas 153 untrained health care workers from neighboring regions served as controls. Trained health care workers scored higher on knowledge of pesticide toxicity and handling of acute pesticide poisoning. Stratification by sex, profession, experience, and health center level did not have any influence on the outcome. Training health care workers can improve their knowledge and treatment of pesticide poisonings. Knowledge of the subject is still insufficient among health care workers and further training is needed.

  18. Old Dogs, New Tricks: Training Mature-Aged Manufacturing Workers

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Smith, Erica; Smith, Andrew; Smith, Chris Selby

    2010-01-01

    Purpose: This paper aims to examine the employment and training of mature-aged workers, so that suggestions for improving training for mature-aged workers may be offered. Design/methodology/approach: Six expert interviews were carried out by telephone, and three case studies involving company site visits were completed. Each company case study…

  19. The Experience of Paid Family-Care Workers of People with Dementia in South Korea.

    PubMed

    Kim, Jungmin; De Bellis, Anita Marie; Xiao, Lily Dongxia

    2018-03-01

    The South Korean government introduced the universal long-term care insurance program in 2008 that created a new employment category of "paid family-care worker" to assist the elderly with chronic illnesses including dementia. The aim of this study was to understand the lived experience of paid family-care workers of people with dementia in South Korea. The study was a qualitative research design underpinned by interpretive description principles involving eight paid family-care workers. The participants were recruited by attaching the advertisement flyer in a notice board of an educational facility for paid family-care workers. Paid family-care workers struggled to manage the behavioral and psychological symptoms of their care recipients. Their workloads created physical, emotional, social, and financial burdens. However, the care-giving activities were encouraged through their sense of responsibility, filial piety, and personal religious beliefs. Financial subsidies from the government and help received from others were also identified as encouragements. The education course provided to them assisted them to improve their dementia-care capabilities. Understanding paid family-care workers' lived experience in dementia care in South Korea assists with the identification of their educational needs and level of support they require to improve dementia care in the home care environment. A number of suggestions are made to increase paid family-care workers' knowledge, clinical skills, and job satisfaction to reduce their burdens and work-related incidents, such as challenging behaviors from those being cared for. Copyright © 2018. Published by Elsevier B.V.

  20. Motivators and barriers to mammography screening uptake by female health-care workers in primary health-care centres: a cross-sectional study.

    PubMed

    Nazzal, Zaher; Sholi, Hisham; Sholi, Suha B; Sholi, Mohammad B; Lahaseh, Rawya

    2018-02-21

    Mammography screening is an effective tool for early detection and management of breast cancer. Female health-care workers' awareness of breast cancer screening is important because their beliefs and behaviours could influence other women. The aim of this study was to assess mammography screening uptake by female health-care workers at primary health-care centres and to identify the primary motivators and barriers that affect uptake. This cross-sectional study included all governmental primary health-care centres in the West Bank. Governorates were grouped into three regions as follows: north West Bank (Nablus, Jenin, Tulkarm, Tubas, Qalqiliya, and Salfit), middle West Bank (Jerusalem, Jericho, and Ramallah), and south West Bank (Hebron, and Bethlehem). The study population included all female health-care workers older than 40 years. Those who performed mammography for a suspected mass or other breast abnormalities were excluded. A self-administered questionnaire was used to collect data on demographic characteristics, knowledge about mammography screening, the extent and regularity of mammography screening, and motivators and barriers influencing their mammography screening uptake. The rate of mammography screening uptake was calculated. χ 2 test and t tests were used to assess screening motivators and barriers. The study was approved by the Institutional Review Board of the An-Najah National University. Participation was voluntary, and written consent was obtained from each participant. 299 female health-care workers completed a self-administered questionnaire. The mean age of the participants was 46 years (SD 4·7). 284 (95%) women had adequate knowledge about breast cancer and mammography screening, and 149 (50%) women reported having had at least one mammogram. 62 (21%) women had had regular scheduled mammograms. The most frequent reported motivators were the perceived benefit that early detection of breast cancer is important for its management (269 [90

  1. Development of two measures of client engagement for use in home aged care.

    PubMed

    Baker, Jess Rose; Harrison, Fleur; Low, Lee-Fay

    2016-05-01

    The aim of the study was to develop and validate measures of client engagement in aged homecare. The Homecare Measure of Engagement-Staff questionnaire (HoME-S) is a self-complete measure of six dimensions of client engagement: client acceptance, attention, attitude, appropriateness, engagement duration and passivity. The Homecare Measure of Engagement-Client/Family report (HoME-CF) is a researcher-rated interview which obtains client and/or family perspectives regarding frequency and valence of conversational and recreational engagement during care worker visits. Care workers (n = 84) completed the HoME-S and a measure of relationship bond with client. Researchers interviewed clients (n = 164) and/or their family (n = 117) and completed the HoME-CF, and measures of agitation, dysphoria, apathy and cognitive functioning. The HoME-S and HoME-CF demonstrated good test-retest and inter-rater reliability, and showed significant negative correlations with apathy, agitation and non-English-speaking background. Controlling for client and care service characteristics, a stronger care worker-client relationship bond and English-speaking background were independently associated with higher HoME-S scores, and apathy was independently associated with higher HoME-CF scores. In conclusion, the HoME-S and HoME-CF are psychometrically sound engagement measures for use in homecare. Clients who are apathetic or from non-English-speaking backgrounds may be less responsive to traditional care worker engagement strategies. Engagement may be augmented in clients who have stronger relationships with their care workers. © 2015 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  2. JOB SATISFACTION OF HEALTH-CARE WORKERS AT HEALTH CENTERS IN VIENTIANE CAPITAL AND BOLIKHAMSAI PROVINCE, LAO PDR

    PubMed Central

    KHAMLUB, SENBOUNSOU; HARUN-OR-RASHID, MD.; ABUL BASHAR SARKER, MOHAMMAD; HIROSAWA, TOMOYA; OUTAVONG, PHATHAMMAVONG; SAKAMOTO, JUNICHI

    2013-01-01

    ABSTRACT The aim of this study was to assess job satisfaction levels among health-care workers and factors correlated with their overall job satisfaction. This cross-sectional study was conducted from July to September 2011 with 164 health-care workers using self-administered questionnaires on a six-point Likert scale. Categorical variables were reported using frequencies and median (interquartile range), while continuous data were using means and standard deviations. Spearman rho coefficients were computed to correlate the overall job satisfaction for each factor, Kruskal–Wallis and Mann–Whitney U tests were used to evaluate the differences between demographic characteristics on overall job satisfaction. Of the 164 respondents, the majority were females (65.85%). Other dominant variables were married (76.83%), age ≥41 years old (44.51%), certified heath professional level (96.30%), nurse profession (59.10%), and working experience ≤5 years (55.49%). Participants were satisfied with 17 factors, but dissatisfied with salary levels at a mean score of (3.25). The highest satisfaction reported was for the freedom to choose the method of working with a mean score of 4.99, followed by the amount of variety on the job (4.96), amount of responsibility (4.90), and relationships with co-workers (4.90). The correlation coefficient between overall job satisfaction and main factors for job satisfaction-conflict resolution at work, relationships with co-workers, and organizational structure were (0.79), (0.76), and (0.71), respectively. There were statistically significant differences in age group, working experience and position (P<0.05). In conclusion, health-care workers at health centers in Lao PDR were generally satisfied with their job except for their salary. The main factors that correlate with their overall job satisfaction were conflict resolutions at work, relationships with other co-workers, and organizational structure. PMID:24640179

  3. [Aggressions towards Primary Health Care Workers in Madrid, Spain, 2011-2012].

    PubMed

    Rincón-Del Toro, Teresa; Villanueva-Guerra, Adela; Rodríguez-Barrientos, Ricardo; Polentinos-Castro, Elena; Torijano-Castillo, Mª José; de Castro-Monteiro, Emilia; Escrivá de Romaní de Gregorio, Blanca; Barba Calderón, Margarita; de Frías Redondo, María Soledad; Alejo Brú, Nury; Blanco Morales, Concepción; Vázquez Pinilla, Margarita; Besora Altés, Cristina; Heras-Mosteiro, Julio; Infantes Rodríguez, Juan Ángel; Bustamante Fernández, Pilar; de Blas Salvador, Victorina

    2016-10-25

    The number of aggressions towards health care professionals has risen over the past few years. There are no previous studies in primary care covering an entire region and to all professional categories. The aim of this study was to characterize aggressions in Primary Care in the Community of Madrid. Multicenter cross-sectional study. Analysis of a Registration System that reports any type of aggression suffered by Primary Care workers, in the Community of Madrid. The study variables included sociodemographic characteristics of the aggressor and the victim, the type of aggression (verbal or physical abuse), its causes and consequences. We described median, intercuartilic range and frequencies. Logistic regression was performed calculating odds ratio and their 95% confidence intervals. 1,157 assaults were reported, 53.07% suffered by doctors. Physical assault occurred in 4.7% of the cases. The main reason was dissatisfaction with the care (36.1%). The non-medical staff showed less risk of being physically assaulted (OR: 0.38; CI95%: 0.17-0.86). The perpetrator profile was male (56.8%), aged between 31-40 (26.8%) years. Health care victim profile was female (84%), aged between 45-60 years. 10% of professionals reported some form of aggression, 5,9% of aggression were submitted to court. The risk of assault is higher in health personnel, particularly physicians. There were significant differences by gender and age, both in the profile of the aggressor and the victim.

  4. Effects of Teaching Health Care Workers on Diagnosis and Treatment of Pesticide Poisonings in Uganda

    PubMed Central

    Sibani, Claudia; Jessen, Kristian Kjaer; Tekin, Bircan; Nabankema, Victoria; Jørs, Erik

    2017-01-01

    Background: Acute pesticide poisoning in developing countries is a considerable problem, requiring diagnosis and treatment. This study describes how training of health care workers in Uganda affects their ability to diagnose and manage acute pesticide poisoning. Method: A postintervention cross-sectional study was conducted using a standardized questionnaire. A total of 326 health care workers in Uganda were interviewed on knowledge and handling of acute pesticide poisoning. Of those, 173 health care workers had received training, whereas 153 untrained health care workers from neighboring regions served as controls. Results: Trained health care workers scored higher on knowledge of pesticide toxicity and handling of acute pesticide poisoning. Stratification by sex, profession, experience, and health center level did not have any influence on the outcome. Conclusions: Training health care workers can improve their knowledge and treatment of pesticide poisonings. Knowledge of the subject is still insufficient among health care workers and further training is needed. PMID:28890656

  5. Low back pain among workers in care facilities for the elderly after introducing welfare equipment.

    PubMed

    Iwakiri, Kazuyuki; Takahashi, Masaya; Sotoyama, Midori; Liu, Xinxin; Koda, Shigeki

    2016-07-29

    The purpose of this study was to clarify the causes of low back pain among workers in care facilities for the elderly after the introduction of welfare equipment. We conducted anonymous questionnaire surveys among administrators and care workers in eight elderly care facilities. The questionnaires were designed to investigate the status of both the care workers and facility. In reference to the care facility, the questionnaires were comprised items for investigating basic information, occupational safety, and health activities. For care workers, in addition to basic information, occupational safety, and health activities, the questionnaires also comprised items for investigating resident transfer and bathing methods, low back pain, and occupational stress. Completed questionnaires were returned by eight care facility administrators (response rate: 100%) and 373 care workers (response rate: 92.3%), among which 367 were used for analyses. Many care workers participated in a variety of occupational safety and health activities that were conducted in the facilities. Various types of welfare equipment were introduced into the care facilities and subsequently used by many care workers during resident transfer and bathing. As a result, 89.9% of the care workers reported having only slight or no low back pain. The remaining 10.1% reported having serious low back pain that interfered with their work. On the basis of logistic regression analysis, low back pain was associated with the following variables: failure to provide the appropriate method of care to each resident, failure of colleagues to discuss methods for improving care, lack of instructions regarding the use of welfare equipment, and inappropriate job rotation. An association was also found between low back pain and poor posture, poor resident-lifting technique, insufficient time to complete work, and a shortage of workers to assist with resident transfer or bathing. Although care workers received instructions on

  6. Job satisfaction among health care workers: the role of gender and age.

    PubMed

    Carrillo-García, César; Solano-Ruíz, María del Carmen; Martínez-Roche, María Emilia; Gómez-García, Carmen Isabel

    2013-01-01

    to analyze the influence of gender and age on the quality of the professional lives of health care professionals at a university hospital. a total of 546 professionals completed a general questionnaire that measured sociodemographic variables and evaluated job satisfaction using a scale adopted from the NTP 394 Job Satisfaction scale and translated into Spanish. overall, 77.2% of the professionals surveyed were satisfied with the work they perform. With regards to gender, we found overwhelming evidence of the feminization of practically all health care professions included in the study, with higher levels of job satisfaction among women than men. Regarding age, 20-30-year-olds and professionals over 61 years old showed higher satisfaction levels than did middle-aged professionals. Higher levels of dissatisfaction were reported by professionals between 41 and 50 years old. we were able to detect the influence of gender and age on the level of job satisfaction, finding significant associations between job satisfaction and both of these variables. Generally, women expressed more satisfaction than men, and elderly professionals showed higher satisfaction compared to younger professionals. Management policies should focus on taking action to correct the conditions that produce dissatisfaction among certain groups of employees.

  7. Do age and gender contribute to workers' burnout symptoms?

    PubMed

    Marchand, A; Blanc, M-E; Beauregard, N

    2018-06-15

    Despite mounting evidence on the association between work stress and burnout, there is limited knowledge about the extent to which workers' age and gender are associated with burnout. To evaluate the relationship between age, gender and their interaction with burnout in a sample of Canadian workers. Data were collected in 2009-12 from a sample of 2073 Canadian workers from 63 workplaces in the province of Quebec. Data were analysed with multilevel regression models to test for linear and non-linear relationships between age and burnout. Analyses adjusted for marital status, parental status, educational level and number of working hours were conducted on the total sample and stratified by gender. Data were collected from a sample of 2073 Canadian workers (response rate 73%). Age followed a non-linear relationship with emotional exhaustion and total burnout, while it was linearly related to cynicism and reduced professional efficacy. Burnout level reduced with increasing age in men, but the association was bimodal in women, with women aged between 20-35 and over 55 years showing the highest burnout level. These results suggest that burnout symptoms varied greatly according to different life stages of working men and women. Younger men, and women aged between 20-35 and 55 years and over are particularly susceptible and should be targeted for programmes to reduce risk of burnout.

  8. Psychosocial stress and multi-site musculoskeletal pain: a cross-sectional survey of patient care workers.

    PubMed

    Sembajwe, Grace; Tveito, Torill Helene; Hopcia, Karen; Kenwood, Christopher; O'Day, Elizabeth Tucker; Stoddard, Anne M; Dennerlein, Jack T; Hashimoto, Dean; Sorensen, Glorian

    2013-03-01

    The aim of this study was to assess the relationship between psychosocial factors at work and multi-site musculoskeletal pain among patient care workers. In a survey of 1,572 workers from two hospitals, occupational psychosocial factors and health outcomes of workers with single and multi-site pain were evaluated using items from the Job Content Questionnaire that was designed to measure psychological demands, decision latitude, and social support. An adapted Nordic Questionnaire provided data on the musculoskeletal pain outcome. Covariates included body mass index, age, gender, and occupation. The analyses revealed statistically significant associations between psychosocial demands and multi-site musculoskeletal pain among patient care associates, nurses, and administrative personnel, both men and women. Supervisor support played a significant role for nurses and women. These results remained statistically significant after adjusting for covariates. These results highlight the associations between workplace psychosocial strain and multi-site musculoskeletal pain, setting the stage for future longitudinal explorations. Copyright 2013, SLACK Incorporated.

  9. Help! A Handbook for Child Care Workers.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Looney, Sue; And Others

    Suggestions designed to aid those who work with young children, in particular, the day care workers, are provided. Following the booklet's introductory material, the following subjects are discussed: Language in the Day Care Center (Crib Babies--birth to six months; Six Months to 12 Months; Toddlers--one to two years old; and Over Two Years); Room…

  10. [Professional quality of life in workers of the Toledo primary care health area].

    PubMed

    Villarín Castro, A; Méndez García, T; Zuzuárregui Gironés, M S; Sánchez Serrano, S; Conejo Ocaña, R

    2015-01-01

    To determine the professional quality of life in the workers of the Toledo Primary Care Health Area and to analyse its components. Descriptive, cross-sectional study, performed on workers of the Toledo Primary Care Health Area with an online self-administered questionnaire. age, sex, health centre, professional group, seniority, management experience, collaboration in working groups, employment situation, and the PQL-35 professional quality of life questionnaire. A total of 430 completed questionnaires were received (45.3%), of which 68.4% were women. The mean age was 47.7±8.6 years old. Mean seniority was 21.5±9.7 years. PQL-35 results were: perception of management support 4.8±1.5; perception of workload 6.2±1.3; intrinsic motivation 7.9±1.1; job disconnection capacity 6.3±2.6; and professional quality of life 5.2±2.1. Gender differences were found in perception of management support (4.5±1.5 in males vs 4.9±1.5 in females; P=.031) and professional quality of life (4.9±2.0 vs 5.3±2.1; p=.044). Depending on the professional group, differences were found in the perception of workload (6.4±1.1 in physicians, 6.3±1.3 in nurses, 5.9±1.6 in non-sanitary professionals, and 5.3±1.2 in support units professionals; P<.001). Depending on the employment situation, differences were found in the intrinsic motivation (7.8±1.1 in proprietors, 8.3±1.1 in temporary workers, and 8.2±1.1 in substitutes; P=.002). The professional quality of life in the workers of the Toledo Primary Care Health Area is similar to that of other Spanish Health Areas, even in a time of economic crisis. The intrinsic motivation of the professionals is very high, in contrast with their high perception of workload and their low perception of management support. Copyright © 2014 SECA. Published by Elsevier Espana. All rights reserved.

  11. Care workers, care drain, and care chains: reflections on care, migration, and citizenship.

    PubMed

    Lutz, Helma; Palenga-Möllenbeck, Ewa

    2012-01-01

    In this article, we discuss a case study that deals with the care chain phenomenon and focuses on the question of how Poland and the Ukraine as sending countries and Poland as a receiving country are affected and deal with female migrant domestic workers. We look at the ways in which these women organize care replacement for their families left behind and at those families’ care strategies. As public discourse in both countries is reacting to the feminization of migration in a form that specifically questions the social citizenship obligations of these women, we also look at the media portrayal of the situation of nonmigrating children. Finally, we explore how different aspects of citizenship matter in transnational care work migration movements.

  12. Health care worker exposures to the antibacterial agent triclosan.

    PubMed

    MacIsaac, Julia K; Gerona, Roy R; Blanc, Paul D; Apatira, Latifat; Friesen, Matthew W; Coppolino, Michael; Janssen, Sarah

    2014-08-01

    We sought to quantify absorption of triclosan, a potential endocrine disruptor, in health care workers with occupational exposure to soap containing this chemical. A cross-sectional convenience sample of two groups of 38 health care workers at separate inpatient medical centers: hospital 1 uses 0.3% triclosan soap in all patient care areas; hospital 2 does not use triclosan-containing products. Additional exposure to triclosan-containing personal care products was assessed through a structured questionnaire. Urine triclosan was quantified and the occupational contribution estimated through regression modeling. Occupational exposure accounted for an incremental triclosan burden of 206 ng/mL (P = 0.02), while triclosan-containing toothpaste use was associated with 146 ng/mL higher levels (P < 0.001). Use of triclosan-containing antibacterial soaps in health care settings represents a substantial and potentially biologically relevant source of occupational triclosan exposure.

  13. A Time Series Study of Factors Associated with Retention and Attrition of Older Adult Child-Care Workers. Final Report.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Newman, Sally; Engel, Rafael; Ward, Christopher; Karip, Emin; Faux, Robert

    The work-related and personal factors associated with the willingness and ability of older adults to remain as child care workers and the factors associated with leaving child care work were studied in a time-series design. Subjects were 534 persons aged 50 years and older who were working for pay as child care providers. Of these, 341 replied to…

  14. Food provision for older people receiving home care from the perspectives of home-care workers.

    PubMed

    Watkinson-Powell, Anna; Barnes, Sarah; Lovatt, Melanie; Wasielewska, Anna; Drummond, Barbara

    2014-09-01

    Malnutrition is a significant cause of morbidity and mortality, particularly among older people. Attention has focused on the inadequacies of food provision in institutions, yet the majority suffering from malnutrition live in the community. The aim of this study was to explore barriers and facilitators to food provision for older people receiving home care. It was a qualitative exploratory study using semi-structured interviews with nine home-care workers in June 2013 employed by independent agencies in a large city in northern England. Data were analysed thematically, based on the principles of grounded theory. Findings showed that significant time pressures limited home-care workers in their ability to socially engage with service users at mealtimes, or provide them with anything other than ready meals. Enabling choice was considered more important than providing a healthy diet, but choice was limited by food availability and reliance on families for shopping. Despite their knowledge of service users and their central role in providing food, home-care workers received little nutritional training and were not involved by healthcare professionals in the management of malnutrition. Despite the rhetoric of individual choice and importance of social engagement and nutrition for health and well-being, nutritional care has been significantly compromised by cuts to social care budgets. The potential role for home-care workers in promoting good nutrition in older people is undervalued and undermined by the lack of recognition, training and time dedicated to food-related care. This has led to a situation whereby good quality food and enjoyable mealtimes are denied to many older people on the basis that they are unaffordable luxuries rather than an integral component of fundamental care. © 2014 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  15. A mobile hospice nurse teaching team's experience: training care workers in spiritual and existential care for the dying - a qualitative study.

    PubMed

    Tornøe, Kirsten; Danbolt, Lars Johan; Kvigne, Kari; Sørlie, Venke

    2015-09-18

    Nursing home and home care nursing staff must increasingly deal with palliative care challenges, due to cost cutting in specialized health care. Research indicates that a significant number of dying patients long for adequate spiritual and existential care. Several studies show that this is often a source of anxiety for care workers. Teaching care workers to alleviate dying patients' spiritual and existential suffering is therefore important. The aim of this study is to illuminate a pioneering Norwegian mobile hospice nurse teaching team's experience with teaching and training care workers in spiritual and existential care for the dying in nursing homes and home care settings. The team of expert hospice nurses participated in a focus group interview. Data were analyzed using a phenomenological hermeneutical method. The mobile teaching team taught care workers to identify spiritual and existential suffering, initiate existential and spiritual conversations and convey consolation through active presencing and silence. The team members transferred their personal spiritual and existential care knowledge through situated "bedside teaching" and reflective dialogues. "The mobile teaching team perceived that the care workers benefitted from the situated teaching because they observed that care workers became more courageous in addressing dying patients' spiritual and existential suffering. Educational research supports these results. Studies show that efficient workplace teaching schemes allowexpert practitioners to teach staff to integrate several different knowledge forms and skills, applying a holisticknowledge approach. One of the features of workplace learning is that expert nurses are able to guide novices through the complexities of practice. Situated learning is therefore central for becoming proficient. Situated bedside teaching provided by expert mobile hospice nurses may be an efficient way to develop care workers' courage and competency to provide spiritual and

  16. Burnout After Patient Death: Challenges for Direct Care Workers.

    PubMed

    Boerner, Kathrin; Gleason, Hayley; Jopp, Daniela S

    2017-09-01

    Direct care workers in long-term care can develop close relationships with their patients and subsequently experience significant grief after patient death. Consequences of this experience for employment outcomes have received little attention. To investigate staff, institutional, patient, and grief factors as predictors of burnout dimensions among direct care workers who had experienced recent patient death; determine which specific aspects of these factors are of particular importance; and establish grief as an independent predictor of burnout dimensions. Participants were 140 certified nursing assistants and 80 homecare workers who recently experienced patient death. Data collection involved comprehensive semistructured in-person interviews. Standardized assessments and structured questions addressed staff, patient, and institutional characteristics, grief symptoms and grief avoidance, as well as burnout dimensions (depersonalization, emotional exhaustion, and personal accomplishment). Hierarchical regressions revealed that grief factors accounted for unique variance in depersonalization, over and above staff, patient, and institutional factors. Supervisor support and caregiving benefits were consistently associated with higher levels on burnout dimensions. In contrast, coworker support was associated with a higher likelihood of depersonalization and emotional exhaustion. Findings suggest that grief over patient death plays an overlooked role in direct care worker burnout. High supervisor support and caregiving benefits may have protective effects with respect to burnout, whereas high coworker support may constitute a reflection of burnout. Copyright © 2017 American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  17. [Ageing rate in workers of mechanic workshops of machinery construction industry in Armenia].

    PubMed

    Sarkisian, G T; Barkhudarov, M S; Kogan, V Iu

    2004-01-01

    Studies of biologic age formation and ageing rate in workers of mechanic workshops revealed that able-bodied population grew old demographically. That is proved by absent age group of 20-29 years and increased share of able-bodied workers older than 50. Young workers aged 30-39 appeared the most vulnerable for occupational hazards--they demonstrated increased ageing rate and maximal excess of biologic age over chronological age and due biologic age.

  18. Understanding Nursing Home Worker Conceptualizations about Good Care

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Chung, Gawon

    2013-01-01

    This study explored how direct care workers in nursing homes conceptualize good care and how their conceptualizations are influenced by external factors surrounding their work environment and the relational dynamics between them and residents. Study participants were drawn from a local service employees' union, and in-depth interviews were…

  19. Prevalence of latex hypersensitivity among health care workers in Malaysia.

    PubMed

    Shahnaz, M; Azizah, M R; Hasma, H; Mok, K L; Yip, E; Ganesapillai, T; Suraiya, H; Nasuruddin, B A

    1999-03-01

    Health care workers have been reported to constitute one of the few high-risk groups related to IgE-mediated hypersensitivity associated with the use of latex products. This paper describes the first ever study of prevalence carried out in Malaysia among these workers. One hundred and thirty health care personnel from Hospital Kuala Lumpur were skin tested. Extracts used were prepared from seven different brands of natural rubber latex gloves with varying levels of extractable protein (EPRRIM). Out of the 130 volunteers, 4 (3.1%) had positive skin test to latex with extracts with high levels of EPRRIM (> 0.7 mg/g). The prevalence among the Malaysian health care workers can be considered to be low in comparison to that of some consumer countries as the USA which reported a prevalence of as high as 16.9%.

  20. Awareness and attitude to deceased kidney donation among health-care workers in Sokoto, Nigeria.

    PubMed

    Agwu, Ngwobia Peter; Awosan, Kehinde Joseph; Ukwuani, Solomon Ifeanyi; Oyibo, Emmanuel Ugbede; Makusidi, Muhammad Aliyu; Ajala, Rotimi Abiodun

    2018-01-01

    Access to renal replacement therapy by the increasing population of patients with end-stage kidney disease across Sub-Saharan Africa, including Nigeria, has become a major public health challenge. Although deceased kidney donation constitutes a viable source, its uptake by patients is contingent on its acceptance by health-care workers. The aim of this study is to assess the awareness and attitude to deceased kidney donation among health-care workers in Sokoto, Nigeria. A cross-sectional study was conducted among 470 staff of Usmanu Danfodiyo University Teaching Hospital, Sokoto, Nigeria (attending a 1-week seminar), selected by universal sampling. Data were collected with a set of pretested, self-administered, and semi-structured questionnaire. The mean age of the respondents was 34.1 ± 7.8 years, and most of them (77.7%) were aged <40 years. Majority of respondents were males (60.6%), married (76.5%), and Moslems (73.5%). While almost all the respondents (98.1%) were aware of deceased kidney donation, only about half (51.9%) were willing to accept deceased kidney donation. Furthermore, 43.4% were willing to give consent to donate deceased relative's kidney, and 26.1% were willing to carry an organ donation card. Predictors of willingness to accept deceased kidney donation were male sex, being a medical doctor or laboratory scientist and being a Moslem (Odds ratio >2, P < 0.05). The major disincentives reported were fear that it may not work (42%) and fear of disease transmission (37.0%). Periodic education of health-care workers on effectiveness and safety of deceased kidney donation is crucial to promoting its acceptance among them.

  1. Social Workers in Home Care: The Israeli Case

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Ayalon, Liat; Baum, Nehami

    2010-01-01

    In Israel, the government partially supports personal home care services (grooming, feeding, assistance with transfers) as a means to maintain frail individuals in their home environment for as long as possible. Social workers capture a prominent position in these arrangements as initiators and supervisors of personal home care services. This…

  2. Exploring Relationships Among Occupational Safety, Job Turnover, and Age Among Home Care Aides in Maine.

    PubMed

    Butler, Sandra S

    2018-02-01

    As the U.S. population ages, the number of people needing personal assistance in the home care setting is increasing dramatically. Personal care aides and home health workers are currently adding more jobs to the economy than any other single occupation. Home health workers face physically and emotionally challenging, and at times unsafe, work conditions, with turnover rates ranging from 44 percent to 65 percent annually. As part of a mixed-method, longitudinal study in Maine examining turnover, interviews with 252 home care aides were analyzed thematically. Responses to interview questions regarding the job's impact on health and safety, the adequacy of training, and the level of agency responsiveness were examined. Emergent themes, indicating some contradictory perspectives on workplace safety, quality of training, and agency support, were compared across three variables: job termination, occupational injury, and age. Implications for increasing occupational safety and job retention are discussed.

  3. Interprofessional collaboration and integration as experienced by social workers in health care.

    PubMed

    Glaser, Brooklyn; Suter, Esther

    2016-01-01

    Interprofessional collaboration in health care is gaining popularity. This secondary analysis focuses on social workers' experiences on interprofessional teams. The data revealed that social workers perceived overall collaboration as positive. However, concerns were made apparent regarding not having the opportunity to work to full scope and a lack of understanding of social work ideology from other professionals. Both factors seem to impede integration of and collaboration with social workers on health care teams. This study confirms the need to encourage and support health care providers to more fully understand the foundation, role, and efficacy of social work on interprofessional teams.

  4. Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection in health care workers in rural India: comparison of a whole-blood interferon gamma assay with tuberculin skin testing.

    PubMed

    Pai, Madhukar; Gokhale, Kaustubh; Joshi, Rajnish; Dogra, Sandeep; Kalantri, Shriprakash; Mendiratta, Deepak K; Narang, Pratibha; Daley, Charles L; Granich, Reuben M; Mazurek, Gerald H; Reingold, Arthur L; Riley, Lee W; Colford, John M

    2005-06-08

    Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection in health care workers has not been adequately studied in developing countries using newer diagnostic tests. To estimate latent tuberculosis infection prevalence in health care workers using the tuberculin skin test (TST) and a whole-blood interferon gamma (IFN-gamma) assay; to determine agreement between the tests; and to compare their correlation with risk factors. A cross-sectional comparison study of 726 health care workers aged 18 to 61 years (median age, 22 years) with no history of active tuberculosis conducted from January to May 2004, at a rural medical school in India. A total of 493 (68%) of the health care workers had direct contact with patients with tuberculosis and 514 (71%) had BCG vaccine scars. Tuberculin skin testing was performed using 1-TU dose of purified protein derivative RT23, and the IFN-gamma assay was performed by measuring IFN-gamma response to early secreted antigenic target 6, culture filtrate protein 10, and a portion of tuberculosis antigen TB7.7. Agreement between TST and the IFN-gamma assay, and comparison of the tests with respect to their association with risk factors. A large proportion of the health care workers were latently infected; 360 (50%) were positive by either TST or IFN-gamma assay, and 226 (31%) were positive by both tests. The prevalence estimates of TST and IFN-gamma assay positivity were comparable (41%; 95% confidence interval [CI], 38%-45% and 40%; 95% CI, 37%-43%, respectively). Agreement between the tests was high (81.4%; kappa = 0.61; 95% CI, 0.56-0.67). Increasing age and years in the health profession were significant risk factors for both IFN-gamma assay and TST positivity. BCG vaccination had little impact on TST and IFN-gamma assay results. Our study showed high latent tuberculosis infection prevalence in Indian health care workers, high agreement between TST and IFN-gamma assay, and similar association between positive test results and risk factors. Although TST and

  5. Oral health knowledge of health care workers in special children's center.

    PubMed

    Wyne, Amjad; Hammad, Nouf; Splieth, Christian

    2015-01-01

    To determine the oral health knowledge of health care workers in special children's center. A self-administered questionnaire was used to collect following information: demographics, oral hygiene practices, importance of fluoride, dental visits, cause of tooth decay, gingival health, and sources of oral health information. The study was conducted at Riyadh Center for Special Children in Riyadh City from December 2013 to May 2014. All 60 health care workers in the center completed the questionnaire. A great majority (95%) of the workers brushed their teeth twice or more daily. More than two-third (71.7%) of the workers knew that fluoride helps in caries prevention. One in five (21.7%) workers thought that a dental visit only becomes necessary in case of a dental problem. Similarly, 13.3% of the workers thought to "wait till there is some pain in case of a dental cavity" before seeking dental treatment. The workers ranked soft drinks/soda (98.3%), flavored fizzy drinks (60%) and sweetened/flavored milks (43.3%) as top three cariogenic drinks. A great majority (95%) of the workers correctly responded that blood on toothbrush most probably is a sign of "gum disease". Dentists (50%) and media (45%) were the main source of their oral health information. There was no significant difference (p > 0.05) in workers' response in relation to their specific job. The special health care workers in the disabled children's center generally had satisfactory oral health knowledge and practices.

  6. "Doing the heavy lifting: health care workers take back their backs".

    PubMed

    Morse, Tim; Fekieta, Renee; Rubenstein, Harriet; Warren, Nick; Alexander, Darryl; Wawzyniecki, Patricia

    2008-01-01

    Health care workers have the highest musculoskeletal disorder prevalence and incidence of any occupational/industry group, and patient handling tasks are so biomechanically demanding that they cannot be made safe through the commonly used, technique-oriented methods such as "back school" training programs. Although there is standard-setting activity for "no-lift" programs in some states, there is still no federal standard. Health care worker unions and nurses' associations have begun to take action through training members in equipment need, use, and acceptance in programs to encourage adoption of no-lifting programs. Acceptance of lifting equipment is increasing due to recognition of the high human and economic costs of MSD, consistent documentation of cost savings from no-lift programs, major improvements in lifting equipment, and shortages of health care staff. An action-oriented training program for health care workers is described that provides knowledge about the 1) Scope of the current problem of back injuries in health care, 2) Costs of injuries, both to workers and to the hospital, 3) Elements of a safe patient-handling program, and 4) Success stories. The program also builds skills through: 1) Hands-on experience with safe lifting equipment, and 2) Assessing organizational and union readiness and planning for action at the workplace.

  7. Protecting health care workers from tuberculosis: a 10-year experience.

    PubMed

    Welbel, Sharon F; French, Audrey L; Bush, Patricia; DeGuzman, Delia; Weinstein, Robert A

    2009-10-01

    Cook County Hospital (CCH) is an inner-city, large public hospital. Twenty-five percent of Chicago's tuberculosis (TB) cases are diagnosed at CCH. We wanted to review and analyze interventions implemented over a 10-year period at CCH to prevent TB infection in health care workers. We performed a retrospective review of interventions to prevent health care-associated tuberculosis. We collated and analyzed tuberculin skin test conversions in our employees for the same time period. From 1990 to 2002, we cared for over 1800 in-patients with tuberculosis. During 1992-1997, multiple interventions to eliminate health care-associated spread of tuberculosis were implemented. Tuberculin skin test conversions in our employees decreased markedly from January 1994 through December 2002. Two drops in tuberculin skin test conversion rates occurred: one after introduction of basic administrative and engineering controls and a second after we experienced a decrease in missed TB cases and the introduction of N-95 personal respirators with 1-time qualitative fit testing. Our annual health care worker skin test conversion rate fell significantly when our primary interventions were relatively simple administrative and engineering controls. Educating health care workers to promptly recognize patients with TB and placing exhaust fans to create negative-pressure respiratory isolation rooms were probably our 2 most potent infection control measures.

  8. Health care access and health care workforce for immigrant workers in the agriculture, forestry, and fisheries sector in the southeastern US.

    PubMed

    Frank, Arthur L; Liebman, Amy K; Ryder, Bobbi; Weir, Maria; Arcury, Thomas A

    2013-08-01

    The Agriculture, Forestry, and Fishery (AgFF) Sector workforce in the US is comprised primarily of Latino immigrants. Health care access for these workers is limited and increases health disparities. This article addresses health care access for immigrant workers in the AgFF Sector, and the workforce providing care to these workers. Immigrant workers bear a disproportionate burden of poverty and ill health and additionally face significant occupational hazards. AgFF laborers largely are uninsured, ineligible for benefits, and unable to afford health services. The new Affordable Care Act will likely not benefit such individuals. Community and Migrant Health Centers (C/MHCs) are the frontline of health care access for immigrant AgFF workers. C/MHCs offer discounted health services that are tailored to meet the special needs of their underserved clientele. C/MHCs struggle, however, with a shortage of primary care providers and staff prepared to treat occupational illness and injury among AgFF workers. A number of programs across the US aim to increase the number of primary care physicians and care givers trained in occupational health at C/MHCs. While such programs are beneficial, substantial action is needed at the national level to strengthen and expand the C/MHC system and to establish widely Medical Home models and Accountable Care Organizations. System-wide policy changes alone have the potential to reduce and eliminate the rampant health disparities experienced by the immigrant workers who sustain the vital Agricultural, Forestry, and Fishery sector in the US. Copyright © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  9. Job Satisfaction, Retirement Attitude and Intended Retirement Age: A Conditional Process Analysis across Workers' Level of Household Income.

    PubMed

    Davies, Eleanor M M; Van der Heijden, Beatrice I J M; Flynn, Matt

    2017-01-01

    In the contemporary workplace, insight into retirement behaviors is of crucial importance. Previous empirical evidence has found mixed results regarding the relationship between work attitudes, such as job satisfaction, and retirement behaviors, suggesting that further scholarly examination incorporating moderating and mediating variables into retirement models is needed. Drawing on comparative models of attitude to retirement, we hypothesized a direct relationship between job satisfaction and intended retirement age for workers with a high household income and an indirect relationship between job satisfaction and intended retirement age, via retirement attitude, for workers with a low or mean household income. We collected data from a sample of 590 United Kingdom workers aged 50+. Using conditional process analysis, we found that the underlying mechanisms in our research model differ according to socio-economic status. We found no direct effect between job satisfaction and intended retirement age. However, an indirect effect was observed between job satisfaction and intended retirement age, via retirement attitude, for both low- and mean-household income individuals. Specifically, the relationship between job satisfaction and retirement attitude differed according to socio-economic group: for high-household income older workers, there was no relationship between job satisfaction and retirement attitude. However, for low- and mean-household income older workers, we observed a negative relationship between job satisfaction and retirement attitude. Otherwise stated, increases in job satisfaction for mean and low household income workers are likely to make the prospect of retirement less attractive. Therefore, we argue that utmost care must be taken around the conditions under which lower income employees will continue their work when getting older in order to protect their sustainable employability.

  10. The critical role of social workers in home-based primary care.

    PubMed

    Reckrey, Jennifer M; Gettenberg, Gabrielle; Ross, Helena; Kopke, Victoria; Soriano, Theresa; Ornstein, Katherine

    2014-01-01

    The growing homebound population has many complex biomedical and psychosocial needs and requires a team-based approach to care (Smith, Ornstein, Soriano, Muller, & Boal, 2006). The Mount Sinai Visiting Doctors Program (MSVD), a large interdisciplinary home-based primary care program in New York City, has a vibrant social work program that is integrated into the routine care of homebound patients. We describe the assessment process used by MSVD social workers, highlight examples of successful social work care, and discuss why social workers' individualized care plans are essential for keeping patients with chronic illness living safely in the community. Despite barriers to widespread implementation, such social work involvement within similar home-based clinical programs is essential in the interdisciplinary care of our most needy patients.

  11. Virulent Epidemics and Scope of Healthcare Workers' Duty of Care

    PubMed Central

    2006-01-01

    The phrase "duty of care" is, at best, too vague and, at worst, ethically dangerous. The nature and scope of the duty need to be determined, and conflicting duties must be recognized and acknowledged. Duty of care is neither fixed nor absolute but heavily dependent on context. The normal risk level of the working environment, the healthcare worker's specialty, the likely harm and benefits of treatment, and the competing obligations deriving from the worker's multiple roles will all influence the limits of the duty of care. As experts anticipate the arrival of an avian influenza pandemic in humans, discussion of this matter is urgently needed. PMID:16965703

  12. Care workers' abusive behavior to residents in care homes: a qualitative study of types of abuse, barriers, and facilitators to good care and development of an instrument for reporting of abuse anonymously.

    PubMed

    Cooper, Claudia; Dow, Briony; Hay, Susan; Livingston, Deborah; Livingston, Gill

    2013-05-01

    Elder abuse in care homes is probably common but inherently difficult to detect. We developed the first questionnaire to ask care home workers to report abuse anonymously. We held qualitative focus groups with 36 care workers from four London care homes, asking about abuse they had witnessed or perpetrated. The participants reported that situations with potentially abusive consequences were a common occurrence, but deliberate abuse was rare. Residents waited too long for personal care, or were denied care they needed to ensure they had enough to eat, were moved safely, or were not emotionally neglected. Some care workers acted in potentially abusive ways because they did not know of a better strategy or understand the resident's illness; care workers made threats to coerce residents to accept care, or restrained them; a resident at high risk of falls was required to walk as care workers thought otherwise he would forget the skill. Most care workers said that they would be willing to report abuse anonymously. Care workers were sent the newly developed Care Home Conflict Scale to comment on but not to complete and to report whether it was acceptable and relevant to them. Several completed it and reported abusive behavior. Lack of resources, especially care worker time and knowledge about managing challenging behavior and dementia were judged to underlie much of the abuse described. We describe the first instrument designed to measure abuse by care home workers anonymously; field-testing is the logical next step.

  13. A self-care plan for hospice workers.

    PubMed

    Jones, Sally Hill

    2005-01-01

    Caring for dying patients and their families is a fulfilling, enriching, and meaningful experience. It can also be extremely stressful. Maintaining the balance between the output and input of energy in a caregiver's professional and personal life is an ongoing process. Clinical staff members often formulate plans of care for patients. To prevent worker burnout, hospice caregivers must develop a plan of self-care to balance their own needs with the needs of their patients. The goal of this article is to provide an overview of ways for hospice caregivers to relieve stress and develop an individualized self-care plan within the context of their work.

  14. The weather-stains of care: interpreting the meaning of bad weather for front-line health care workers in rural long-term care.

    PubMed

    Joseph, Gillian M; Skinner, Mark W; Yantzi, Nicole M

    2013-08-01

    This paper addresses the gap in health services and policy research about the implications of everyday weather for health care work. Building on previous research on the weather-related challenges of caregiving in homes and communities, it examines the experiences of 'seasonal bad weather' for health care workers in long-term care institutions. It features a hermeneutic phenomenology analysis of six transcripts from interviews with nurses and personal support workers from a qualitative study of institutional long-term care work in rural Canada. Focussing on van Manen's existential themes of lived experience (body, relations, space, time), the analysis reveals important contradictions between the lived experiences of health care workers coping with bad weather and long-term care policies and practices that mitigate weather-related risk and vulnerability. The findings contribute to the growing concern for rural health issues particularly the neglected experiences of rural health providers and, in doing so, offer insight into the recent call for greater attention to the geographies of health care work. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  15. [Nurses and social care workers in emergency teams in Norway].

    PubMed

    Hilpüsch, Frank; Parschat, Petra; Fenes, Sissel; Aaraas, Ivar J; Gilbert, Mads

    2011-01-07

    The Norwegian counties Troms and Finnmark are dominated by large areas with widespread habitation and rather long response times for ambulances and doctors. We wished to investigate the extent to which the municipal preparedness in these counties use employees from the municipal nursing and social care services and if these are part of local emergency teams. In the autumn of 2008, we sent a questionnaire to the district medical officers and the leaders for municipal nursing and social care services in all 44 municipalities in Troms and Finnmark. The answers were analyzed manually. 41 municipalities responded. In 34 of these the municipal nurses and social care workers practice emergency medicine procedures. The content in these training sessions is much more comprehensive than that in a typical first aid course. In three of four municipalities ambulance personnel do not participate in this training. In 31 municipalities the inhabitants contact nurses and social care workers directly if they are acutely ill. In only 10 of the municipalities the nurses and social care workers are organized in local teams including a doctor and an ambulance. In the districts, nursing and social care services are a resource in an emergency medicine context. The potential within these professions can be exploited better and be an important supplement in emergencies. In emergencies, cooperation across disciplines requires a clear organizational and economical structure, local basis and leadership.

  16. Association between shift work and being overweight or obese among health care workers in a clinical setting in Medellin, Colombia.

    PubMed

    Gomez-Parra, Myrna; Romero-Arrieta, Lydis; Vasquez-Trespalacios, Elsa Maria; Palacio-Jaramillo, Veronica; Valencia-Martinez, Andrea

    2016-11-22

    Shift work is common in health care settings and has been hypothesized as a risk factor for being overweight or obese. We examined the relation between shift work and being overweight or obese, adjusting for stress and lifestyle habits in Colombian health care workers. The aim of this study was to assess the association between shift work and being overweight/obese in employees of a health care setting in Medellin, Colombia. This cross-sectional study was carried out among 200 workers in a health care setting. Participants completed a demographic, occupational, work-related stress and life style questionnaire. Their Body Mass Index (BMI) and waist to hip ratio were also measured. The study sample consisted of 160 (80%) females and 40 (20%) males. Mean age was 35.1±9.1 years and mean BMI was 25±3.9. After adjusting for potential confounders, multivariate logistic regression revealed no statistically significant association between being overweight, being obese or waist to hip ratio and shift work; 95% CI OR: 1.08 (0.62-1.89), 1.33 (0.44-3.99) and 1.2 (0.8-1.9), respectively. Day workers were statistically more likely to smoke, work more hours, and have a higher educational level than shift workers. No significant associations between shift work and being overweight/obese were observed in health care workers in a Colombian setting. These findings need to be confirmed through longitudinal studies.

  17. Social regulation of ageing by young workers in the honey bee, Apis mellifera.

    PubMed

    Eyer, Michael; Dainat, Benjamin; Neumann, Peter; Dietemann, Vincent

    2017-01-01

    Organisms' lifespans are modulated by both genetic and environmental factors. The lifespan of eusocial insects is determined by features of the division of labor, which itself is influenced by social regulatory mechanisms. In the honey bee, Apis mellifera, the presence of brood and of old workers carrying out foraging tasks are important social drivers of ageing, but the influence of young adult workers is unknown, as it has not been experimentally teased apart from that of brood. In this study, we test the role of young workers in the ageing of their nestmates. We measured the impact of different social contexts characterized by the absence of brood and/or young adults on the lifespan of worker nestmates in field colonies. To acquire insight into the physiological processes occurring under these contexts, we analyzed the expression of genes known to affect honey bee ageing. The data showed that young workers significantly reduced the lifespan of nestmate workers, similar to the effect of brood on its own. Differential expression of vitellogenin, major royal jelly protein-1, and methylase transferase, but not methyl farneosate epoxidase genes suggests that young workers and brood influence ageing of adult nestmate workers via different physiological pathways. We identify young workers as an essential part of the social regulation of ageing in honey bee colonies. Copyright © 2016 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  18. Social Workers' Participation in the Resolution of Ethical Dilemmas in Hospice Care

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Csikai, Ellen L.

    2004-01-01

    Ethical dilemmas are inherent in every health care setting. A sample of hospice social workers with no direct access to a hospice ethics committee (N = 110) was surveyed regarding ethical issues in hospice care, how the issues were managed, and the extent to which social workers participated in resolution of ethical dilemmas. Common issues…

  19. Support workers in social care in England: a scoping study.

    PubMed

    Manthorpe, Jill; Martineau, Stephen; Moriarty, Jo; Hussein, Shereen; Stevens, Martin

    2010-05-01

    This paper reports the findings of a scoping study designed to describe the evidence base with regard to support workers in social care in the United Kingdom and to identify gaps in knowledge. Multiple bibliographic databases were searched for studies published since 2003. The results revealed that the support worker role, though not well-defined, could be characterised as one aimed at fostering independence among service users, undertaking tasks across social and health-care, and not being trained in, or a member of, a specific profession. The studies identified were predominantly small-scale qualitative projects which considered issues such as role clarity, training and pay, worker satisfaction, service user views and the amount of time support workers are able to spend with service users compared to other staff. The review concluded that the research base lacks longitudinal studies, there is definitional confusion and imprecision, and there is limited evidence about employment terms and conditions for support workers or about their accountability and performance. The desirability and value of training and how it is resourced need further analysis. It is concluded that moves to self-directed support or personalisation and the increased reliance on and use of support workers, in the form of personal assistants, call for closer scrutiny of the role.

  20. Oncology Social Workers' Attitudes toward Hospice Care and Referral Behavior

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Becker, Janet E.

    2004-01-01

    Members of the Association of Oncology Social Workers completed a survey, which included the Hospice Philosophy Scale (HPS) assessing the likelihood of the worker referring a terminally ill patient to hospice, background and experience, and demographics. The respondents held overwhelmingly favorable attitudes toward hospice philosophy and care,…

  1. Are Staffing, Work Environment, Work Stressors, and Rationing of Care Related to Care Workers' Perception of Quality of Care? A Cross-Sectional Study.

    PubMed

    Zúñiga, Franziska; Ausserhofer, Dietmar; Hamers, Jan P H; Engberg, Sandra; Simon, Michael; Schwendimann, René

    2015-10-01

    To describe care worker-reported quality of care and to examine its relationship with staffing variables, work environment, work stressors, and implicit rationing of nursing care. Cross-sectional study. National, randomly selected sample of Swiss nursing homes, stratified according to language region and size. A total of 4311 care workers of all educational backgrounds (registered nurses, licensed practical nurses, nurse aides) from 402 units in 155 nursing homes completed a survey between May 2012 and April 2013. Care worker-reported quality of care was measured with a single item; predictors were assessed with established instruments (eg, Practice Environment Scale-Nurse Working Index) adapted for nursing home use. A multilevel logistic regression model was applied to assess predictors for quality of care. Overall, 7% of care workers rated the quality of care provided as rather low or very low. Important factors related to better quality of care were higher teamwork and safety climate (odds ratio [OR] 6.19, 95% confidence interval [CI] 4.36-8.79); better staffing and resources adequacy (OR 2.94, 95% CI 2.08-4.15); less stress due to workload (OR 0.71, 95% CI 0.55-0.93); less implicit rationing of caring, rehabilitation, and monitoring (OR 0.34, 95% CI 0.24-0.49); and less rationing of social care (OR 0.80, 95% CI 0.69-0.92). Neither leadership nor staffing levels, staff mix, or turnover was significantly related to quality of care. Work environment factors and organizational processes are vital to provide high quality of care. The improvement of work environment, support in handling work stressors, and reduction of rationing of nursing care might be intervention points to promote high quality of care in nursing homes. Copyright © 2015 AMDA – The Society for Post-Acute and Long-Term Care Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  2. Population ageing and dental care.

    PubMed

    Harford, Jane

    2009-04-01

    Population ageing is a fact in both developed and developing countries. The concern about population ageing largely arises from the combination of a greater number of older people requiring greater amounts of healthcare services and pensions, and relatively fewer people working to pay for them. Oral health and dental care are important aspects of health and health care. Lower rates of edentulism and an ageing population mean that older people will feature more prominently in dental services. Traditionally, economic studies of ageing have focused on the fiscal implications of ageing, projecting the increased burden on health and welfare services that accompanies ageing. It assumed that ageing is the major driver of recent changes and those past trends will simply be amplified by faster population ageing in the future. Less work has been done to understand other past drivers of increased healthcare spending and their implications for the future. The conclusion of these reports is usually that population ageing is unaffordable with current policy settings. They have proposed policies to deal with population ageing which focused on increasing workforce participation and worker productivity to increase the tax base and reducing entitlements. However, the affordability question is as much political as a numerical. There are no clearly articulated criteria for affordability and little opportunity for public discourse about what citizens are willing to pay in taxes to support an ageing population. While the reports do not necessarily reflect public opinion, they will certainly shape it. Predicting the future for oral health is more fraught than for general health, as oral health is in the midst of an epidemiological transition from high rates of edentulism and tooth loss to low rates. Changes in the pattern of dental expenditure in the past do not mirror the experience of rapid increases in per capita expenditure on older age groups as regards general health. Dentistry

  3. Integrating community health workers within Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act implementation.

    PubMed

    Islam, Nadia; Nadkarni, Smiti Kapadia; Zahn, Deborah; Skillman, Megan; Kwon, Simona C; Trinh-Shevrin, Chau

    2015-01-01

    The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act's (PPACA) emphasis on community-based initiatives affords a unique opportunity to disseminate and scale up evidence-based community health worker (CHW) models that integrate CHWs within health care delivery teams and programs. Community health workers have unique access and local knowledge that can inform program development and evaluation, improve service delivery and care coordination, and expand health care access. As a member of the PPACA-defined health care workforce, CHWs have the potential to positively impact numerous programs and reduce costs. This article discusses different strategies for integrating CHW models within PPACA implementation through facilitated enrollment strategies, patient-centered medical homes, coordination and expansion of health information technology (HIT) efforts, and also discusses payment options for such integration. Title V of the PPACA outlines a plan to improve access to and delivery of health care services for all individuals, particularly low-income, underserved, uninsured, minority, health disparity, and rural populations. Community health workers' role as trusted community leaders can facilitate accurate data collection, program enrollment, and provision of culturally and linguistically appropriate, patient- and family-centered care. Because CHWs already support disease management and care coordination services, they will be critical to delivering and expanding patient-centered medical homes and Health Home services, especially for communities that suffer disproportionately from multiple chronic diseases. Community health workers' unique expertise in conducting outreach make them well positioned to help enroll people in Medicaid or insurance offered by Health Benefit Exchanges. New payment models provide opportunities to fund and sustain CHWs. Community health workers can support the effective implementation of PPACA if the capacity and potential of CHWs to serve as cultural

  4. Improving health care workers' protection against infection of Ebola hemorrhagic fever through video surveillance.

    PubMed

    Xi, Huijun; Cao, Jie; Liu, Jingjing; Li, Zhaoshen; Kong, Xiangyu; Wang, Yonghua; Chen, Jing; Ma, Su; Zhang, Lingjuan

    2016-08-01

    The purpose of this study was to investigate the importance of supervision through video surveillance in improving the quality of personal protection in preparing health care workers working in Ebola treatment units. Wardens supervise, remind, and guide health care workers' behavior through onsite voice and video systems when they are in the suspected patient observation ward and in the patient diagnosed ward of the Ebola treatment center. The observation results were recorded, and timely feedback was given to the health care workers. After 2 months of supervision, 1,797 cases of incorrect personal protection behaviors were identified and corrected. The error rate continuously declined. The declined rate of the first 2 weeks was statistically different from other time periods. Through reminding and supervising, nonstandard personal protective behaviors can be discovered and corrected, which can help health care workers standardize personal protection. The timely feedback from video surveillance can also offer psychologic support and encouragement promptly to ease psychologic pressure. Finally, this can ensure health care workers stay at a zero infection rate during patient treatment. Personal protective equipment protocol supervised by wardens through a video monitoring process can be used as an effective complement to conventional mutual supervision methods and can help health care workers avoid Ebola infection during treatment. Copyright © 2016 Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology, Inc. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  5. Social Work Involvement in Advance Care Planning: Findings from a Large Survey of Social Workers in Hospice and Palliative Care Settings.

    PubMed

    Stein, Gary L; Cagle, John G; Christ, Grace H

    2017-03-01

    Few data are available describing the involvement and activities of social workers in advance care planning (ACP). We sought to provide data about (1) social worker involvement and leadership in ACP conversations with patients and families; and (2) the extent of functions and activities when these discussions occur. We conducted a large web-based survey of social workers employed in hospice, palliative care, and related settings to explore their role, participation, and self-rated competency in facilitating ACP discussions. Respondents were recruited through the Social Work Hospice and Palliative Care Network and the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization. Descriptive analyses were conducted on the full sample of respondents (N = 641) and a subsample of clinical social workers (N = 456). Responses were analyzed to explore differences in ACP involvement by practice setting. Most clinical social workers (96%) reported that social workers in their department are conducting ACP discussions with patients/families. Majorities also participate in, and lead, ACP discussions (69% and 60%, respectively). Most respondents report that social workers are responsible for educating patients/families about ACP options (80%) and are the team members responsible for documenting ACP (68%). Compared with other settings, oncology and inpatient palliative care social workers were less likely to be responsible for ensuring that patients/families are informed of ACP options and documenting ACP preferences. Social workers are prominently involved in facilitating, leading, and documenting ACP discussions. Policy-makers, administrators, and providers should incorporate the vital contributions of social work professionals in policies and programs supporting ACP.

  6. Sharp Injury and Exposure to Blood and Body Fluids among Health Care Workers in Health Care Centers of Eastern Ethiopia.

    PubMed

    Alemayehu, T; Worku, A; Assefa, N

    2016-07-01

    Health care workers are facing certain occupational hazards because of sharp injury and exposure to human blood and body fluids as a result of handling wastes. Though much attention is paid for the protection of these workers, the number of exposures and injuries do not show a sign of decline from time to time. To examine the occurrence of sharp injury and exposure to blood and body fluids in health care workers in health care centers in Ethiopia. In a case-control study, a randomly selected sample of 65 health facilities with 391 cases and 429 controls were studied. Data were collected through a self-administered questionnaire. Detailed analysis of exposure among the health care workers was done by logistic regression analysis with generalized estimating equations model to control correlation effects of responses within the cluster of health facilities. The number of health care workers who got sharp injury was 217 (26.5%). 296 (36.1%) had exposure to blood and body fluids. Working at Harari region (adjusted OR 0.44, 95% CI 0.26 to 0.75) and East Hararghea (adjusted OR 0.61, 95% CI 0.40 to 0.94), being male (adjusted OR 0.56, 95% CI 0.44 to 0.91), and a being nurse (adjusted OR 0.188, 95% CI 0.06 to 0.63) were independent risk factors of the exposure. Regardless of the anticipated low self-reporting for exposure status, the number of health care workers reported having sharp injury and exposure to blood and body fluids was high. Such high exposures indicate that health care workers are at high risk of acquiring blood-borne viral infections such as hepatitis B, hepatitis C, and HIV.

  7. Feasibility of implementing oral health guidelines in residential care settings: views of nursing staff and residential care workers.

    PubMed

    Hilton, Shaylee; Sheppard, Justine Joan; Hemsley, Bronwyn

    2016-05-01

    To determine the views of nurses and on the feasibility of implementing current evidence-based guidelines for oral care, examining barriers and facilitators to implementation. This mixed-methods study involved an online survey of 35 nurses and residential care workers, verified and expanded upon by one focus group of six residential care workers. Results reflected that nurses and residential care workers (a) have little or no training in recommended oral care techniques, and (b) lack access to the equipment and professional supports needed to provide adequate oral care. Basic oral care might be performed less than once per day in some settings and patients with problematic behaviours, dysphagia, or sensitivities associated with poor oral health might be less likely to receive oral care. While lack of time was highlighted as a barrier in the survey findings, focus group members considered that time should not be a barrier to prioritising oral care practices on a daily basis in residential care settings. There are several important discrepancies between the recommendations made in evidence-based guidelines for oral care and the implementation of such practices in residential care settings. Nursing and residential care staff considered adequate oral care to be feasible if access, funding and training barriers are removed and facilitators enhanced. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  8. Age in relation to worker compensation costs in the construction industry.

    PubMed

    Schwatka, Natalie V; Butler, Lesley M; Rosecrance, John C

    2013-03-01

    A better understanding of how workers' compensation (WC) costs are affected by an aging US workforce is needed, especially for physically demanding industries, such as construction. The relationship between age and injury type on claim costs was evaluated using a database of 107,064 Colorado WC claims filed between 1998 and 2008 among construction workers. Mean WC costs increased with increasing age for total cost (P < 0.0001), medical costs (P < 0.0001), and indemnity costs (P < 0.0001). For each one-year increase in age, indemnity, and medical costs increased by 3.5% and 1.1%, respectively. For specific injury types, such as strains and contusions, the association between age and indemnity costs was higher among claimants aged ≥65 compared to claimants aged 18-24. Our findings suggest that specific injury types may be partially responsible for the higher indemnity costs among older construction workers, compared with their younger coworkers. Copyright © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  9. Review of Pesticide Education Materials for Health Care Providers Providing Care to Agricultural Workers

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hiott, Ann E.; Quandt, Sara A.; Early, Julie; Jackson, David S.; Arcury, Thomas A.

    2006-01-01

    Context: Pesticide exposure is an important environmental and occupational health risk for agricultural workers and their families, but health care providers receive little training in it. Objective: To evaluate the medical resources available to providers caring for patients, particularly farmworkers, exposed to pesticides and to recommend a…

  10. Developing a Strong Direct Care Workforce.

    PubMed

    Stear, Lynda A

    The aging population of the United States has led to a need for more direct care workers to provide personal care to older adults and disabled people in their homes. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts employment of paraprofessionals in home care will grow 49% between 2012 and 2022 as the baby boomer generation ages and requires more assistance in activities of daily living. The typical direct care worker is a female aged 25 to 54 years old, a demographic that is projected to remain flat in the coming years. Direct care workers typically are poorly paid for work that is labor-intensive and often work in less than optimal working conditions. It is important that agencies hiring direct care workers understand the challenges these workers face and institute sound hiring practices and provide proper training and ongoing supervision. It is possible to have a quality direct care team. Proper training, role modeling, and supervision will improve employee satisfaction, decrease turnover, and improve care outcomes for patients.

  11. Perceived Challenges in Dementia Care by Vietnamese Family Caregivers and Care Workers in South Australia.

    PubMed

    Xiao, Lily Dongxia; Habel, Lesley; De Bellis, Anita

    2015-09-01

    The majority of Vietnamese Australians migrated to Australia as refugees to escape a war and this unique migration background may affect their ability to access and utilize healthcare services in Australia. Inability to utilize dementia services is associated with higher levels of caregiver burden, higher rates of morbidities and mortality and hospitalization. The aim of the study was to explore the perceived challenges of dementia care from Vietnamese family caregivers and Vietnamese care workers. Gadamer's philosophical hermeneutics was used to interpret and describe the experiences of the participants. Data were collected from in-depth interviews with six Vietnamese family caregivers and a focus group with Vietnamese care workers using purposive sampling. Participants were recruited from a Vietnamese community care organization in South Australia. Five themes were identified from the data analysis namely: (1) a need for culturally and linguistically appropriate dementia education programs; (2) a willingness and unwillingness to seek help; (3) poor knowledge of health care service availability related to dementia; (4) the effect of language barrier in accessing services; and (5) the main sources of services utilized. The study revealed that Vietnamese family caregivers and Vietnamese care workers held different views on the association of stigma with dementia. Findings also revealed factors that impacted accessing and utilizing dementia services. These findings facilitate a more comprehensive understanding of Vietnamese family caregivers' needs and have implications for developing individualized support for family caregivers and for consumer-directed dementia services in Australia.

  12. Japanese care workers' perception of dementia-related physically and psychologically aggressive behaviour symptoms.

    PubMed

    Hirata, Hiromi; Harvath, Theresa A

    2017-03-01

    The purpose of this study was to explore Japanese care workers' attributions, beliefs and cultural explanations of physically and psychologically aggressive behaviour symptoms. Physically and psychologically aggressive behaviour symptoms by older people with dementia have been associated with occupational stress among care workers in the United States and other Western countries and may contribute to staff turnover. However, few studies related to this issue have been conducted in Japan, where care worker reaction to physically and psychologically aggressive behaviour symptoms might be different because of cultural and customary differences in how care is provided for older people. This study reports on the results of three open-ended questions that were part of a larger study that explored Japanese care workers' experiences with aggressive behaviour symptoms in persons with dementia. Convenience sampling was used to recruit 137 care workers in 10 nursing homes in the northern and western areas of Japan. The answers to the open-ended questions were analysed using a content analysis. Most of the participants indicated that they believed that physically and psychologically aggressive behaviour symptoms came from residents' stress from dementia. Approximately, one-fourth of the participants responded that Japanese values such as chu (loyalty) and joge (hierarchy) influenced their work with residents with physically and psychologically aggressive behaviour symptoms. Seventeen participants (12%) commented either that they respected older people or that they respected older people as persons who had had many experiences in life. Interestingly, 43 responses (41.0%) indicated that physically and psychologically aggressive behaviour symptoms influenced quality of care positively, while, not surprisingly, about 30 responses indicated that those behaviour symptoms influenced quality of care negatively. Findings from this study indicate that the training and education needs to

  13. Knowledge, attitudes and practices regarding tuberculosis care among health workers in Southern Mozambique.

    PubMed

    Noé, Andrés; Ribeiro, Rafaela M; Anselmo, Rui; Maixenchs, Maria; Sitole, Layce; Munguambe, Khatia; Blanco, Silvia; le Souef, Peter; García-Basteiro, Alberto L

    2017-01-05

    Tuberculosis (TB) control is more likely to be achieved if the level of knowledge regarding TB is increased among health workers managing high-risk groups. No formal assessments regarding knowledge, attitudes and practises of health workers about TB have been published for Mozambique, a country facing challenges in the fight against TB, with a fragile health system and considerable work overload of health personnel. The main objective of the study was to determine the level of knowledge, identify attitudes and assess practices regarding TB care and control among health care workers of the district of Manhiça. A descriptive cross-sectional study was performed through the use of a specifically designed Knowledge, Attitudes and Practices (KAP) questionnaire in the district of Manhiça, a high tuberculosis and HIV burden rural area in Southern Mozambique. In this district, 14 health care facilities service a population of approximately 160,000 people. The questionnaire took 30-45 min to administer with external assistance not permitted. The survey contained 79 questions pertaining to four different areas: demographics, TB knowledge, attitudes and practices. The study sample included 170 health care workers. The average knowledge score was 14.89 points (SD = 3.61) out of a total possible 26 points. Less than 30% of respondents had heard of Xpert MTB/RIF®. Seventy per cent agreed there was stigma associated with TB and 48.2% believed this stigma was greater than that associated with HIV. The average practice score was 3.2 out of 9 points (35.6%, SD = 2.4). Health care worker's knowledge gaps identified in this study may result in substandard patient care. Specific deficiencies in understanding existed in terms of paediatric TB and Xpert MTB/RIF® testing. The present study provides impetus for tailored TB education among health care workers from a high TB burden rural area in Southern Mozambique.

  14. Suicidal and depressive symptoms in Filipino home care workers in Israel.

    PubMed

    Ayalon, Liat

    2012-03-01

    The study consisted of a cross sectional sample of 178 Filipino home care workers who completed the Paykel Suicide Scale and the Patient Health Questionnaire-9. Respondents also completed questionnaires about exposure to abuse and perceived social support. Overall, 35% of the sample reported exposure to some type of abuse within their home/work environment. For those reporting low levels of satisfaction with care recipient, higher exposure to major lifetime discrimination was associated with higher SIA, whereas for those reporting high levels of satisfaction with care recipient, there was no relationship between exposure to major lifetime discrimination and SIA. Abuse within the home/work environment was the only predictor of depressive symptoms, with greater abuse being associated with higher levels of depressive symptoms. Filipino home care workers in Israel likely are exposed to moderate levels of abuse and discrimination within the home/work environment as well as within society at large. Because live-in home care workers spend the majority of their time within the home/work environment, their relationship with their care recipients have protective qualities that can serve as a buffer against discrimination. Nevertheless, abusive working conditions within their home/work environment have detrimental effects on their mental health.

  15. Learning to Facilitate Advance Care Planning: The Novice Social Worker's Experience

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Washington, Karla; Bowland, Sharon; Mueggenburg, Kay; Pederson, Margaret; Otten, Sheila; Renn, Tanya

    2014-01-01

    Professional leaders have identified clear roles for social workers involved in advance care planning (ACP), a facilitated process whereby individuals identify their preferences for future medical care; yet information about effective teaching practices in this area is scant. This study reports on the experiences of 14 social workers who…

  16. Employment hardship among older workers: does residential and gender inequality extend into older age?

    PubMed

    Slack, Tim; Jensen, Leif

    2008-01-01

    The realities of a rapidly aging society make the employment circumstances of older workers an increasingly important social issue. We examine the prevalence and correlates of underemployment among older Americans, with a special focus on residence and gender, to provide an assessment of the labor market challenges facing older workers. We analyzed data from the March Current Population Surveys for the years 2003, 2004, and 2005. We used descriptive statistics to explore the prevalence of underemployment among older workers and developed multivariate models to assess the impact of age, residence, and gender on the likelihood of underemployment, net of other predictors. We found clear disadvantages for older workers relative to their middle-aged counterparts, and particular disadvantages for older rural residents and women. Multivariate models showed that the disadvantages of older age held net of other predictors. The results also indicated that much of the disadvantage faced by older rural workers and women was explained by factors other than age, particularly education. In an aging society, underemployment among older workers comes at an increasing social cost. Policies aimed at supporting older workers and alleviating employment hardship among them are increasingly in the public interest.

  17. Psychosocial work environment factors and weight change: a prospective study among Danish health care workers.

    PubMed

    Gram Quist, Helle; Christensen, Ulla; Christensen, Karl Bang; Aust, Birgit; Borg, Vilhelm; Bjorner, Jakob B

    2013-01-17

    Lifestyle variables may serve as important intermediate factors between psychosocial work environment and health outcomes. Previous studies, focussing on work stress models have shown mixed and weak results in relation to weight change. This study aims to investigate psychosocial factors outside the classical work stress models as potential predictors of change in body mass index (BMI) in a population of health care workers. A cohort study, with three years follow-up, was conducted among Danish health care workers (3982 women and 152 men). Logistic regression analyses examined change in BMI (more than +/- 2 kg/m(2)) as predicted by baseline psychosocial work factors (work pace, workload, quality of leadership, influence at work, meaning of work, predictability, commitment, role clarity, and role conflicts) and five covariates (age, cohabitation, physical work demands, type of work position and seniority). Among women, high role conflicts predicted weight gain, while high role clarity predicted both weight gain and weight loss. Living alone also predicted weight gain among women, while older age decreased the odds of weight gain. High leadership quality predicted weight loss among men. Associations were generally weak, with the exception of quality of leadership, age, and cohabitation. This study of a single occupational group suggested a few new risk factors for weight change outside the traditional work stress models.

  18. Evaluating the working conditions and exposure to abuse of Filipino home care workers in Israel: characteristics and clinical correlates.

    PubMed

    Ayalon, Liat

    2009-02-01

    Filipino home care workers provide the majority of around-the-clock personal care to frail individuals in Israel. To date, the working conditions as well as exposure to work-related abuse of Filipino home care workers in Israel have not been evaluated. A survey of 245 Filipino home care workers was conducted to evaluate their working conditions and exposure to abuse as well as their clinical correlates (e.g. burnout as measures by the Maslach Burnout Inventory). This was integrated with findings from interviews with Filipino home care workers, social workers, and family members of care recipients cared by Filipino home care workers. A majority of the workers (88%) reported paying large amounts of money in order to work in the country. Overall, 43% reported being asked to do more than was specified in their job description, 41% reported being verbally abused, and 40% reported not receiving adequate food. Almost half reported work-related injuries. The most consistent predictor of burnout (as measured by the Emotional Exhaustion and Depersonalization scales) was exposure to work-related abuse. Interview data identified system and societal barriers that prevent workers from using the legal system for their protection. The present study calls for further supervision of this caregiving arrangement. Psychoeducational programs directed towards all stakeholders (e.g. social workers, home care workers, care recipients, and family members of care recipients) are needed.

  19. Dental care knowledge and practice of a group of health workers in benin city, Nigeria.

    PubMed

    Amuh, Vo; Okojie, Oh; Ehizele, Ao

    2014-09-01

    The correlation between knowledge of dental care knowledge and its practice varies among the different health professionals. The aim of the following study is to assess the knowledge and practice of health workers in a private medical health facility on dental care. A descriptive cross-sectional study was carried out on the health workers in Faith Medical Center, Benin City, Nigeria. A self-administered questionnaire, containing 31 open and closed questions was used for data collection to assess their knowledge and practice of dental care. The data was analyzed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 17.0 (Chicago, IL, USA) and WIN PEPI software version 11.15. None of the respondents had a poor knowledge of dental care, but majority had poor practice. The pattern of distribution of knowledge and practice of dental care observed in this study was not significantly affected by age, gender, occupation and working experience. The entire respondents knew that bleeding from the gum is not normal and 96.2% (75/78) gave correct causes of bleeding gums. Majority 88.5% (69/78) also knew that tooth decay is not normal, but fewer 66.6% (52/78) knew the correct causes of tooth decay. Only 37.2% (29/75) of the respondents took correct action after experiencing a toothache (i.e., consulting a dentist for proper management) and majority 80.8% (63/78) and 76.1% (60/78) still make use of toothpicks, which is considered as potentially harmful and frequently consume cariogenic diet respectively. There is a good knowledge of dental care, but poor oral health practices among the studied health workers. Oral health education to correct their improper practices is therefore highly advocated.

  20. Vaccinating Health Care Workers Against Influenza: The Ethical and Legal Rationale for a Mandate

    PubMed Central

    Wu, Joel T.; Poland, Gregory A.; Jacobson, Robert M.; Koenig, Barbara A.; Tilburt, Jon C.

    2011-01-01

    Despite improvements in clinician education, symptom awareness, and respiratory precautions, influenza vaccination rates for health care workers have remained unacceptably low for more than three decades, adversely affecting patient safety. When public health is jeopardized, and a safe, low-cost, and effective method to achieve patient safety exists, health care organizations and public health authorities have a responsibility to take action and change the status quo. Mandatory influenza vaccination for health care workers is supported not only by scientific data but also by ethical principles and legal precedent. The recent influenza pandemic provides an opportunity for policymakers to reconsider the benefits of mandating influenza vaccination for health care workers, including building public trust, enhancing patient safety, and strengthening the health care workforce. PMID:21228284

  1. Vaccinating health care workers against influenza: the ethical and legal rationale for a mandate.

    PubMed

    Ottenberg, Abigale L; Wu, Joel T; Poland, Gregory A; Jacobson, Robert M; Koenig, Barbara A; Tilburt, Jon C

    2011-02-01

    Despite improvements in clinician education, symptom awareness, and respiratory precautions, influenza vaccination rates for health care workers have remained unacceptably low for more than three decades, adversely affecting patient safety. When public health is jeopardized, and a safe, low-cost, and effective method to achieve patient safety exists, health care organizations and public health authorities have a responsibility to take action and change the status quo. Mandatory influenza vaccination for health care workers is supported not only by scientific data but also by ethical principles and legal precedent. The recent influenza pandemic provides an opportunity for policymakers to reconsider the benefits of mandating influenza vaccination for health care workers, including building public trust, enhancing patient safety, and strengthening the health care workforce.

  2. What Makes Migrant Live-in Home Care Workers in Elder Care Be Satisfied with Their Job?

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Iecovich, Esther

    2011-01-01

    Purpose: The study aims to examine job satisfaction of migrant live-in home care workers who provide care to frail older adults and to examine the extent to which quality of relationships between the care provider and care recipient and workplace characteristics is associated with job satisfaction. Design and Methods: A convenience sample that…

  3. Social Workers' Role in the Canadian Mental Health Care System

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Towns, Ashley M.; Schwartz, Karen

    2012-01-01

    Objective: Using Canadian survey data this research provides social workers in Canada with a better understanding of their role in the Canadian mental health care system. Methods: By analyzing data from the Canadian Community Health Survey, Cycle 1.2 Mental Health and Well-being, the role of social workers in the Canadian mental health system was…

  4. Long-term care insurance and market for aged care in Japan: focusing on the status of care service providers by locality and organisational nature based on survey results.

    PubMed

    Kubo, Makoto

    2014-09-01

    The purpose of this paper is to examine the status of care service providers by locality and organisational nature. Questionnaires were sent to 9505 home-based care service providers registered in the databases of 17 prefectures. The prefectures were selected according to population size. Numerous for-profit providers have newly entered the aged care service market and are operating selectively in Tokyo, a typical example of a metropolitan area. Furthermore, both for-profit and non-profit providers have suffered from a shortage of care workers and difficult management conditions, which tend to be more pronounced in Tokyo. The market under long-term care insurance was successful in terms of the volume of services, but most providers were sceptical as to whether competition in the market could facilitate quality care services. © 2013 The Author. Australasian Journal on Ageing © 2013 ACOTA.

  5. Putting the 'care' back into aged care.

    PubMed

    Beadnell, Cathy

    2006-04-01

    Aged care is well and truly back on the political agenda in Australia. While the mainstream media has recently exposed a number of horrific cases of alleged abuse in aged care facilities it has done little to highlight the failings of social policy over time or to foster debate on how to improve the care of older Australians. What are the barriers to providing safe and quality aged care to a growing number of our citizens and how do we overcome them? If you relied on the recent media coverage for your impression of aged care you could be forgiven for thinking it is all bad news. But there are facilities providing high quality care and stories of nurses working wonders in the face of adversity. Cathy Beadnell considers some of the broader cultural and workforce issues in aged care.

  6. Emotional labour and aboriginal maternal infant care workers: The invisible load.

    PubMed

    Kirkham, R; Rumbold, A; Hoon, E; Stuart-Butler, D; Moore, V

    2018-04-01

    The term 'emotional labour' has been used to describe the competing demands on midwives to empathize with clients whilst maintaining a level of professional detachment. Previous research indicates that when individuals experience difficulty managing these emotions, burnout may result. Aboriginal health care workers often have roles with large emotional demands, as they are relied upon heavily to engage clients in care. However, the concept of emotional labour has received little attention in relation to this group. To explore potential sources of emotional labour for Aboriginal Maternal Infant Care workers in a maternity care program for Aboriginal women in South Australia. The program involves these workers providing care for women in partnership with midwives. We employed a phenomenological approach. Thirty in-depth interviews were conducted with staff and clients of the program. Recorded interviews were transcribed and coded and emerging themes identified. This workforce undertakes extensive emotional labour. Key sources include the cultural and family obligations they have to clients, complex social needs of many clients, and potential for community backlash when poor perinatal outcomes occur. A lack of respect for the role within the workplace further contributes to these experiences. This study found that the responsibilities inherent to the role as both cultural broker and carer create significant emotional labour for workers. Recommendations to address this and enhance the sustainability of this workforce include: recognition and valuing of emotional work by management and other staff, enhancing cultural awareness training, and building stress-relieving activities into the workplace. Copyright © 2017 Australian College of Midwives. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  7. A Thematic Analysis of Health Care Workers' Adoption of Mindfulness Practices.

    PubMed

    Valley, Morgan; Stallones, Lorann

    2018-05-01

    Mindfulness training, which teaches individuals to bring awareness and acceptance to the present moment, has been effective in improving the well-being of health care workers. Limited research examines the adoption of mindfulness practices using health behavior theories. The current study sought to conceptualize hospital health care workers' experiences in adopting mindfulness practices using the Health Belief Model (HBM), a theoretical framework used by health promotion practitioners to design and implement health behavior change interventions. Hospital health care workers in Colorado participated in an 8-week Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) course. Participants ( n = 19) answered open-ended questions about their experiences adopting mindfulness practices. A theory-driven thematic analysis approach was used to analyze data with key constructs of the HBM acting as the framework for the analysis. Results showed that HBM constructs, including internal cues to action, perceived benefits and barriers, and self-efficacy, helped portray the participants' experiences and challenges in adopting and adhering to the mindfulness practices taught in the MBSR course.

  8. Professionalised intimacy: how dementia care workers navigate between domestic intimacy and institutional detachment.

    PubMed

    Haeusermann, Tobias

    2018-06-01

    This article reports an ethnographic study of the handover routines in Germany's first dementia village, with a central focus on how care is balanced between domestic intimacy and institutional detachment. The term 'professionalised intimacy' is used for the vivid interplay between comfort and intimacy that renders the interaction between care workers and residents far more complex than previous theories have articulated. Because of the intimacy involved in community building, however, the promise of personalised care must clash with the bureaucratic structures of an official institution, potentially depriving the care workers of their public, respected identity in the process. The study further suggests that most care workers, in fact, support this division between domestic intimacy and institutional detachment. Even if they subscribe to a dementia village's philosophy of personalised care, their medical training and enculturation has endowed them with a habitus compatible with the modern health profession, with incentives on achieving quantifiable health goals. The dementia village is thus illustrated as a pioneering health care experiment that negotiates rivalling discourses of intimacy, professionalisation, and medicalisation. © 2018 Foundation for the Sociology of Health & Illness.

  9. Rural Indonesian health care workers' constructs of infection prevention and control knowledge.

    PubMed

    Marjadi, Brahmaputra; McLaws, Mary-Louise

    2010-06-01

    Understanding the constructs of knowledge behind clinical practices in low-resource rural health care settings with limited laboratory facilities and surveillance programs may help in designing resource-appropriate infection prevention and control education. Multiple qualitative methods of direct observations, individual and group focus discussions, and document analysis were used to examine health care workers' knowledge of infection prevention and control practices in intravenous therapy, antibiotic therapy, instrument reprocessing, and hand hygiene in 10 rural Indonesian health care facilities. Awareness of health care-associated infections was low. Protocols were in the main based on verbal instructions handed down through the ranks of health care workers. The evidence-based knowledge gained across professional training was overridden by empiricism, nonscientific modifications, and organizational and societal cultures when resources were restricted or patients demanded inappropriate therapies. This phenomenon remained undetected by accreditation systems and clinical educators. Rural Indonesian health care workers would benefit from a formal introduction to evidence-based practice that would deconstruct individual protocols that include nonscientific knowledge. To achieve levels of acceptable patient safety, protocols would have to be both evidence-based and resource-appropriate. Copyright 2010 Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology, Inc. All rights reserved.

  10. The emotional climate of care-giving in home-care services.

    PubMed

    Olsson, E; Ingvad, B

    2001-11-01

    The emotional aspects of the care-giving relationship in home-care services are studied, starting from the home-care recipients' and the home-care workers' perception of the emotional climate. Their experiences of the care-giving relationship and the influence from different aspects of the care-giving situation and social processes in the work organisation are explored. Two hundred and twenty-two recipients and their home-care workers in three typical Swedish municipalities were studied. The emotional climate is described with the help of a scale of 85 adjectives. Results show that home-care workers are more likely to experience the climate with a higher degree of emotionality. There is symmetry between the parties in the perception of a negative climate. However, if one party perceives the climate as close the other party is more likely to perceive it as rational or instrumental. The organisational processes, especially the group climate of the work team, principally influence the home-care recipients' perceptions. The workers' perceptions are principally influenced by age and gender of the recipients and the workers' own age. The emotional climate is constructed in a process between the parties, depending on their responses to each other. Tendencies to perceive a specific climate are strengthened or weakened by context variables and this in turn changes the care-giving interaction.

  11. Employment Hardship Among Older Workers: Does Residential and Gender Inequality Extend Into Older Age?

    PubMed Central

    Slack, Tim; Jensen, Leif

    2008-01-01

    Objectives. The realities of a rapidly aging society make the employment circumstances of older workers an increasingly important social issue. We examine the prevalence and correlates of underemployment among older Americans, with a special focus on residence and gender, to provide an assessment of the labor market challenges facing older workers. Methods. We analyzed data from the March Current Population Surveys for the years 2003, 2004, and 2005. We used descriptive statistics to explore the prevalence of underemployment among older workers and developed multivariate models to assess the impact of age, residence, and gender on the likelihood of underemployment, net of other predictors. Results. We found clear disadvantages for older workers relative to their middle-aged counterparts, and particular disadvantages for older rural residents and women. Multivariate models showed that the disadvantages of older age held net of other predictors. The results also indicated that much of the disadvantage faced by older rural workers and women was explained by factors other than age, particularly education. Discussion. In an aging society, underemployment among older workers comes at an increasing social cost. Policies aimed at supporting older workers and alleviating employment hardship among them are increasingly in the public interest. PMID:18332197

  12. How decentralisation influences the retention of primary health care workers in rural Nigeria.

    PubMed

    Abimbola, Seye; Olanipekun, Titilope; Igbokwe, Uchenna; Negin, Joel; Jan, Stephen; Martiniuk, Alexandra; Ihebuzor, Nnenna; Aina, Muyi

    2015-01-01

    In Nigeria, the shortage of health workers is worst at the primary health care (PHC) level, especially in rural communities. And the responsibility for PHC - usually the only form of formal health service available in rural communities - is shared among the three tiers of government (federal, state, and local governments). In addition, the responsibility for community engagement in PHC is delegated to community health committees. This study examines how the decentralisation of health system governance influences retention of health workers in rural communities in Nigeria from the perspective of health managers, health workers, and people living in rural communities. The study adopted a qualitative approach, and data were collected using semi-structured in-depth interviews and focus group discussions. The multi-stakeholder data were analysed for themes related to health system decentralisation. The results showed that decentralisation influences the retention of rural health workers in two ways: 1) The salary of PHC workers is often delayed and irregular as a result of delays in transfer of funds from the national to sub-national governments and because one tier of government can blame failure on another tier of government. Further, the primary responsibility for PHC is often left to the weakest tier of government (local governments). And the result is that rural PHC workers are attracted to working at levels of care where salaries are higher and more regular - in secondary care (run by state governments) and tertiary care (run by the federal government), which are also usually in urban areas. 2) Through community health committees, rural communities influence the retention of health workers by working to increase the uptake of PHC services. Community efforts to retain health workers also include providing social, financial, and accommodation support to health workers. To encourage health workers to stay, communities also take the initiative to co-finance and co

  13. Residential care workers and residents: the New Zealand story.

    PubMed

    Kiata, Liz; Kerse, Ngaire; Dixon, Robyn

    2005-05-06

    To describe the nature and size of long-term residential care homes in New Zealand; funding of facilities; and the ethnic and gender composition of residents and residential care workers nationwide. A postal, fax, and email survey of all long-term residential care homes in New Zealand. Completed surveys were received from an eligible 845 facilities (response rate: 55%). The majority of these (54%) facilities housed less than 30 residents. Of the 438 (94%) facilities completing the questions about residents' ethnicity, 432 (99%) housed residents from New Zealand European (Pakeha) descent, 156 (33%) housed at least 1 Maori resident, 71 (15%) at least 1 Pacific (Islands) resident, and 61 (13%) housed at least 1 Asian resident. Facilities employed a range of ethnically diverse staff, with 66% reporting Maori staff. Less than half of all facilities employed Pacific staff (43%) and Asian staff (33%). Registered nursing staff were mainly between 46 and 60 years (47%), and healthcare assistant staff were mostly between 25 and 45 years old (52%). Wide regional variation in the ethnic make up of staff was reported. About half of all staff were reported to have moved within the previous 2 years. The age and turnover of the residential care workforce suggests the industry continues to be under threat from staffing shortages. While few ethnic minority residents live in long-term care facilities, staff come from diverse backgrounds, especially in certain regions.

  14. A Different Class of Care: the Benefits Crisis and Low-Wage Workers.

    PubMed

    Jones, Trina

    When compared to other developed nations, the United States fares poorly with regard to benefits for workers. While the situation is grim for most U.S. workers, it is worse for low-wage workers. Data show a significant benefits gap between low-wage and high-wage in terms of flexible work arrangements (FWAs), paid leave, pensions, and employer-sponsored health-care insurance, among other things. This gap exists notwithstanding the fact that FWAs and employment benefits produce positive returns for employees, employers, and society in general. Despite these returns, this Article contends that employers will be loath to extend FWAs and greater employment benefits to low-wage workers due to (1) concerns about costs, (2) a surplus of low-wage workers in the labor market, (3) negative perceptions of the skill of low-wage workers and the value of low-wage work, (4) other class-based stereotypes and biases, and (5) structural impediments in some low-wage jobs. Given the decline of unions and limited legislative action to date, the Article maintains that low-wage workers are in a "different class of care" with little hope for meaningful change on the horizon.

  15. Inverse roles of emotional labour on health and job satisfaction among long-term care workers in Japan.

    PubMed

    Tsukamoto, Erika; Abe, Takeru; Ono, Michikazu

    2015-01-01

    Emotional labour increases among long-term care workers because providing care and services to impaired elders causes conflicting interpersonal emotions. Thus, we investigated the associations between emotional labour, general health and job satisfaction among long-term care workers. We conducted a cross-sectional study among 132 established, private day care centres in Tokyo using a mail survey. The outcome variables included two health-related variables and four job satisfaction variables: physical and psychological health, satisfaction with wages, interpersonal relationships, work environment and job satisfaction. We performed multiple regression analyses to identify significant factors. Directors from 36 facilities agreed to participate. A total of 123 responses from long-term care workers were analysed. Greater emotional dissonance was associated with better physical and psychological health and worse work environment satisfaction (partial regression coefficient: -2.93, p = .0389; -3.32, p = .0299; -1.92, p = .0314, respectively). Fewer negative emotions were associated with more job satisfaction (partial regression coefficient: -1.87, p = .0163). We found that emotional labour was significantly inversely associated with health and job satisfaction. Our findings indicated that the emotional labour of long-term care workers has a negative and positive influence on health and workplace satisfaction, and suggests that care quality and stable employment among long-term care workers might affect their emotional labour. Therefore, we think a programme to support emotional labour among long-term care workers in an organized manner and a self-care programme to educate workers regarding emotional labour would be beneficial.

  16. [Restoring dignity and respect to health care workers].

    PubMed

    Nedić, Olesja

    2006-01-01

    This year, the World Health Organization focuses on restoring dignity and respect to health care workers. The aim of this study was to investigate the workplace stressors in physicians. The present study was performed in the period 2002 - 2004, among physicians treated in the Health Center Novi Sad. The examinees were asked to fill out a questionnaire--a workplace survey--to identify workplace stressors by using a self-evaluation method The physicians were divided into three groups: those practicing surgery (S), internal medicine (IM) and preventive-diagnostics (PD). Statistical analysis was done using SPSS and STATISTICA software. The sample included 208 physicians with an average age of 40 years (SD = 7,1); average work experience of 22 years (SD = 8,1). 65 physicians from group S and 108 physicians from group IM, identified the following workplace stressors: treating patients in life-threatening situations (47.7%, 30.6%, respectfully); on-call duty (13.8%, 12%); low salary (10.8%, 10.2%); limited diagnostic and therapeutic resources in the IM group. 35 physicians from the DP group identified the following stressors: low salary (25%), treating patients in life-threatening situations and a great number of patients (16%). The analysis of all examined physicians revealed the following workplace stressors: treating patients in life-threatening situations (34.6%), low salary (13%), on-call duty and overtime, and too many patients per physician (11.5%). Restoring the reputation of health workers can be done by providing new equipment to resolve life-threatening situations, by increasing salaries, reducing on-call time, as well as the number of patients. Generally speaking, this should help to improve the quality of work in the health care system, in accordance with the recommendations of the WHO.

  17. Occupational safety among dental health-care workers

    PubMed Central

    Shimoji, Shigehiro; Ishihama, Kohji; Yamada, Hidefumi; Okayama, Masaki; Yasuda, Kouichi; Shibutani, Tohru; Ogasawara, Tadashi; Miyazawa, Hiroo; Furusawa, Kiyofumi

    2010-01-01

    Compared to other health-care workers, dental health-care workers come in close contact with patients and use a variety of sharp and high-speed rotating instruments. It is important to understand the characteristics of the occupational accidents that occur. We reviewed incident reports from April 1, 2005, to March 31, 2010, at Matsumoto Dental University Hospital. In addition, questionnaires dealing with identification of occupational safety issues, especially splash exposures, were conducted for dentists, dental hygienists, and nurses. Thirty-two occupational injuries were reported during the study period, including 23 sharp instrument injuries (71.9%), 6 splash exposures (18.8%), and 3 others. Of the six splash exposures, only two cases involved potential contamination with blood or other potentially infectious patient material. Of the 66 workers who experienced sharps injuries, 20 workers (30.3%, 20/66) reported them to the hospital work safety team. The questionnaire revealed high incident of splash exposures and conjunctiva exposures: 87.9% (51/58) and 60.3% (35/58) in dentists and 88.6% (39/44) and 61.4% (27/44) in dental hygienists. The compliance rate for routine use of protective eyewear was 60.3% (35/58) for dentists and 34.1% (15/44) for hygienists. Of the presented informational items included in the questionnaire, those that strongly persuaded respondents to use protective eyewear were ‘splatters from the patient’s mouth contain blood’ (90%, 99/110) and ‘dental operations at our clinic are performed based only on a questionnaire without serious examinations for HBV, HCV, and HIV’ (71.8%, 79/110). The reason of low compliance of protective eyewear among dentists might relate to fine dental procedures. Appropriate information is important for the motive of wearing personal protective equipment, and an early educational program may have a potential to increase compliance with the use of that equipment. PMID:23745061

  18. Occupational safety among dental health-care workers.

    PubMed

    Shimoji, Shigehiro; Ishihama, Kohji; Yamada, Hidefumi; Okayama, Masaki; Yasuda, Kouichi; Shibutani, Tohru; Ogasawara, Tadashi; Miyazawa, Hiroo; Furusawa, Kiyofumi

    2010-01-01

    Compared to other health-care workers, dental health-care workers come in close contact with patients and use a variety of sharp and high-speed rotating instruments. It is important to understand the characteristics of the occupational accidents that occur. We reviewed incident reports from April 1, 2005, to March 31, 2010, at Matsumoto Dental University Hospital. In addition, questionnaires dealing with identification of occupational safety issues, especially splash exposures, were conducted for dentists, dental hygienists, and nurses. Thirty-two occupational injuries were reported during the study period, including 23 sharp instrument injuries (71.9%), 6 splash exposures (18.8%), and 3 others. Of the six splash exposures, only two cases involved potential contamination with blood or other potentially infectious patient material. Of the 66 workers who experienced sharps injuries, 20 workers (30.3%, 20/66) reported them to the hospital work safety team. The questionnaire revealed high incident of splash exposures and conjunctiva exposures: 87.9% (51/58) and 60.3% (35/58) in dentists and 88.6% (39/44) and 61.4% (27/44) in dental hygienists. The compliance rate for routine use of protective eyewear was 60.3% (35/58) for dentists and 34.1% (15/44) for hygienists. Of the presented informational items included in the questionnaire, those that strongly persuaded respondents to use protective eyewear were 'splatters from the patient's mouth contain blood' (90%, 99/110) and 'dental operations at our clinic are performed based only on a questionnaire without serious examinations for HBV, HCV, and HIV' (71.8%, 79/110). The reason of low compliance of protective eyewear among dentists might relate to fine dental procedures. Appropriate information is important for the motive of wearing personal protective equipment, and an early educational program may have a potential to increase compliance with the use of that equipment.

  19. Oral health knowledge of health care workers in special children’s center

    PubMed Central

    Wyne, Amjad; Hammad, Nouf; Splieth, Christian

    2015-01-01

    Objective: To determine the oral health knowledge of health care workers in special children’s center. Methods: A self-administered questionnaire was used to collect following information: demographics, oral hygiene practices, importance of fluoride, dental visits, cause of tooth decay, gingival health, and sources of oral health information. The study was conducted at Riyadh Center for Special Children in Riyadh City from December 2013 to May 2014. Results: All 60 health care workers in the center completed the questionnaire. A great majority (95%) of the workers brushed their teeth twice or more daily. More than two-third (71.7%) of the workers knew that fluoride helps in caries prevention. One in five (21.7%) workers thought that a dental visit only becomes necessary in case of a dental problem. Similarly, 13.3% of the workers thought to “wait till there is some pain in case of a dental cavity” before seeking dental treatment. The workers ranked soft drinks/soda (98.3%), flavored fizzy drinks (60%) and sweetened/flavored milks (43.3%) as top three cariogenic drinks. A great majority (95%) of the workers correctly responded that blood on toothbrush most probably is a sign of “gum disease”. Dentists (50%) and media (45%) were the main source of their oral health information. There was no significant difference (p > 0.05) in workers’ response in relation to their specific job. Conclusion: The special health care workers in the disabled children’s center generally had satisfactory oral health knowledge and practices. PMID:25878636

  20. The ethics of care: social workers in an influenza pandemic.

    PubMed

    Rosoff, Philip M

    2008-01-01

    Many healthcare organizations and government agencies are making detailed preparations for the possibility of a pandemic of highly virulent influenza. All plans to date have recognized that there will undoubtedly be a greater need for medical resources than will be available. Thus, we will be faced with a situation in which not all will be offered curative care, even if they could benefit from it. Even if there were sufficient amounts of vaccines, hospital beds, ventilators, and antibiotics, there are still expected to be large numbers of deaths as well as stress due to the overwhelming nature of the pandemic. The challenges of caring for the incurable, the uncured, healthcare workers, and the survivors and their families will place almost unprecedented demands on mental health workers. In this article, I discuss these ethical and medical challenges and the role that social workers will be called on to play.

  1. Assessment of Day Caring Methods among Civil Servant Mothers of Reproductive Age in Lagos State Nigeria

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Akinnubi, Caroline Funmbi

    2016-01-01

    This study examined the day caring methods among the civil servants of reproductive age with children between three months to four years in Lagos State Nigeria. The research design employed for this study was a descriptive research design. A total number of 212 teachers and 128 ministry workers making a total of 340 reproductive age mothers were…

  2. Decolonization of patients and health care workers to control nosocomial spread of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus: a simulation study.

    PubMed

    Gurieva, Tatiana V; Bootsma, Martin C J; Bonten, Marc J M

    2012-11-14

    Control of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) transmission has been unsuccessful in many hospitals. Recommended control measures include isolation of colonized patients, rather than decolonization of carriage among patients and/or health care workers. Yet, the potential effects of such measures are poorly understood. We use a stochastic simulation model in which health care workers can transmit MRSA through short-lived hand contamination, or through persistent colonization. Hand hygiene interrupts the first mode, decolonization strategies the latter. We quantified the effectiveness of decolonization of patients and health care workers, relative to patient isolation in settings where MRSA carriage is endemic (rather than sporadic outbreaks in non-endemic settings caused by health care workers). Patient decolonization is the most effective intervention and outperforms patient isolation, even with low decolonization efficacy and when decolonization is not achieved immediately. The potential role of persistently colonized health care workers in MRSA transmission depends on the proportion of persistently colonized health care workers and the likelihood per colonized health care worker to transmit. As stand-alone intervention, universal screening and decolonization of persistently colonized health care workers is generally the least effective intervention, especially in high endemicity settings. When added to patient isolation, such a strategy would have maximum benefits if few health care workers cause a large proportion of the acquisitions. In high-endemicity settings regular screening of health care workers followed by decolonization of MRSA-carriers is unlikely to reduce nosocomial spread of MRSA unless there are few persistently colonized health care workers who are responsible for a large fraction of the MRSA acquisitions by patients. In contrast, decolonization of patients can be very effective.

  3. Occupational dermatitis in health care workers evaluated for suspected allergic contact dermatitis.

    PubMed

    Kadivar, Salmon; Belsito, Donald V

    2015-01-01

    Contact dermatitides occur commonly among health care workers (HCWs). To contrast the atopic status and incidence, location, and final diagnosis of skin diseases afflicting HCWs versus non-HCWs (NHCWs) evaluated for suspicion of allergic contact dermatitis (ACD); and among the population diagnosed with ACD, to compare the incidence and occupational relatedness of allergens found in HCWs with the rates observed in NHCWs. Between July 1, 1994, and May 30, 2014, 2611 patients underwent patch testing by the senior author. Of these, 165 were classified as HCWs based on their primary occupation. Statistical analysis was done using a χ test. Health care workers were more likely than NHCWs to be women and to have hand dermatitis. Women, but not men, HCWs suffered more irritant contact dermatitis. Health care workers had significantly more work-related ACD, especially to formaldehyde, quaternium-15, 2-bromo-2-nitropropane-1,3-diol, cocamide diethanolamine (DEA), thiuram mix, carba mix, thimerosal, benzalkonium chloride, glutaraldehyde, and bacitracin. Only patients suspected of having ACD were tested. Our population was geographically limited to metropolitan Kansas City, MO and metropolitan New York, NY. Health care workers suffer more from occupational ACD, especially of the hands, than do NHCWs, including to allergens not present on available standard allergen series.

  4. Macro-organizational factors, the incidence of work disability, and work ability among the total workforce of home care workers in Sweden.

    PubMed

    Dellve, Lotta; Karlberg, Catarina; Allebeck, Peter; Herloff, Birgitta; Hagberg, Mats

    2006-01-01

    To investigate the importance of macro-organizational factors, i.e. organizational sociodemographic and socioeconomic preconditions, of the municipal incidence of long-term sick leave, disability pension, and prevalence of workers with long-term work ability among home care workers. In an ecological study design, data from national databases were combined by record linkage. Descriptive and analytical statistics were used to estimate and interpret macro-organizational factors (economic resources, region, unemployment, employment, occupational rehabilitation, return to work, age structures of inhabitants and home care workers). The incidence of long-term sick leave among female home care workers was twice as high as that of male home care workers, and incidence of disability pension was about four times as high for the women. A great variation in municipal incidence of long-term sick leave, disability pension, and long-term work ability (101-264, 0.6-19.6, and 913-1,279 per 1,000 full-time equivalent workers and year) was also found. The strongest single factor for long-term work ability was a high proportion of part-time or hourly paid employees, which explained 35% of the municipal variation. Macro-organizational factors explained long-term work ability (47-62% explained variance) better than long-term sick leave (33% explained variance). There was a low rehabilitation activity; only 2% received occupational rehabilitation and 5% of those on sick leave longer than 2 weeks returned to work within 30 days. The differences in the municipal proportion of work ability incidence indicate a preventive potential, especially related to employment and return to work after sick leave.

  5. Psychosocial factors and prevalence of burnout syndrome among nursing workers in intensive care units.

    PubMed

    da Silva, Jorge Luiz Lima; Soares, Rafael da Silva; Costa, Felipe dos Santos; Ramos, Danusa de Souza; Lima, Fabiano Bittencourt; Teixeira, Liliane Reis

    2015-01-01

    To evaluate the prevalence of burnout syndrome among nursing workers in intensive care units and establish associations with psychosocial factors. This descriptive study evaluated 130 professionals, including nurses, nursing technicians, and nursing assistants, who performed their activities in intensive care and coronary care units in 2 large hospitals in the city of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Data were collected in 2011 using a self-reported questionnaire. The Maslach Burnout Inventory was used to evaluate the burnout syndrome dimensions, and the Self Reporting Questionnaire was used to evaluate common mental disorders. The prevalence of burnout syndrome was 55.3% (n = 72). In the quadrants of the demand-control model, low-strain workers exhibited a prevalence of 64.5% of suspected cases of burnout, whereas high-strain workers exhibited a prevalence of 72.5% of suspected cases (p = 0.006). The prevalence of suspected cases of common mental disorders was 27.7%; of these, 80.6% were associated with burnout syndrome (< 0.0001). The multivariate analysis adjusted for gender, age, educational level, weekly work duration, income, and thoughts about work during free time indicated that the categories associated with intermediate stress levels - active work (OR = 0.26; 95%CI = 0.09 - 0.69) and passive work (OR = 0.22; 95%CI = 0.07 - 0.63) - were protective factors for burnout syndrome. Psychosocial factors were associated with the development of burnout syndrome in this group. These results underscore the need for the development of further studies aimed at intervention and the prevention of the syndrome.

  6. Psychosocial factors and prevalence of burnout syndrome among nursing workers in intensive care units

    PubMed Central

    da Silva, Jorge Luiz Lima; Soares, Rafael da Silva; Costa, Felipe dos Santos; Ramos, Danusa de Souza; Lima, Fabiano Bittencourt; Teixeira, Liliane Reis

    2015-01-01

    Objective To evaluate the prevalence of burnout syndrome among nursing workers in intensive care units and establish associations with psychosocial factors. Methods This descriptive study evaluated 130 professionals, including nurses, nursing technicians, and nursing assistants, who performed their activities in intensive care and coronary care units in 2 large hospitals in the city of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Data were collected in 2011 using a self-reported questionnaire. The Maslach Burnout Inventory was used to evaluate the burnout syndrome dimensions, and the Self Reporting Questionnaire was used to evaluate common mental disorders. Results The prevalence of burnout syndrome was 55.3% (n = 72). In the quadrants of the demand-control model, low-strain workers exhibited a prevalence of 64.5% of suspected cases of burnout, whereas high-strain workers exhibited a prevalence of 72.5% of suspected cases (p = 0.006). The prevalence of suspected cases of common mental disorders was 27.7%; of these, 80.6% were associated with burnout syndrome (< 0.0001). The multivariate analysis adjusted for gender, age, educational level, weekly work duration, income, and thoughts about work during free time indicated that the categories associated with intermediate stress levels - active work (OR = 0.26; 95%CI = 0.09 - 0.69) and passive work (OR = 0.22; 95%CI = 0.07 - 0.63) - were protective factors for burnout syndrome. Conclusion Psychosocial factors were associated with the development of burnout syndrome in this group. These results underscore the need for the development of further studies aimed at intervention and the prevention of the syndrome. PMID:26340152

  7. Job Stress and Job Satisfaction among Health-Care Workers of Endoscopy Units in Korea.

    PubMed

    Nam, Seung-Joo; Chun, Hoon Jai; Moon, Jeong Seop; Park, Sung Chul; Hwang, Young-Jae; Yoo, In Kyung; Lee, Jae Min; Kim, Seung Han; Choi, Hyuk Soon; Kim, Eun Sun; Keum, Bora; Jeen, Yoon Tae; Lee, Hong Sik; Kim, Chang Duck

    2016-05-01

    The management of job-related stress among health-care workers is critical for the improvement of healthcare services; however, there is no existing research on endoscopy unit workers as a team. Korea has a unique health-care system for endoscopy unit workers. In this study, we aimed to estimate job stress and job satisfaction among health-care providers in endoscopy units in Korea. We performed a cross-sectional survey of health-care providers in the endoscopy units of three university-affiliated hospitals in Korea. We analyzed the job stress levels by using the Korean occupational stress scale, contributing factors, and job satisfaction. Fifty-nine workers completed the self-administered questionnaires. The job stress scores for the endoscopy unit workers (46.39±7.81) were relatively lower compared to those of the national sample of Korean workers (51.23±8.83). Job stress differed across job positions, with nurses showing significantly higher levels of stress (48.92±7.97) compared to doctors (42.59±6.37). Job stress and job satisfaction were negatively correlated with each other (R (2) =0.340, p<0.001). An endoscopy unit is composed of a heterogeneous group of health-care professionals (i.e., nurses, fellows, and professors), and job stress and job satisfaction significantly differ according to job positions. Job demand, insufficient job control, and job insecurity are the most important stressors in the endoscopy unit.

  8. Job Stress and Job Satisfaction among Health-Care Workers of Endoscopy Units in Korea

    PubMed Central

    Nam, Seung-Joo; Chun, Hoon Jai; Moon, Jeong Seop; Park, Sung Chul; Hwang, Young-Jae; Yoo, In Kyung; Lee, Jae Min; Kim, Seung Han; Choi, Hyuk Soon; Kim, Eun Sun; Keum, Bora; Jeen, Yoon Tae; Lee, Hong Sik; Kim, Chang Duck

    2016-01-01

    Background/Aims: The management of job-related stress among health-care workers is critical for the improvement of healthcare services; however, there is no existing research on endoscopy unit workers as a team. Korea has a unique health-care system for endoscopy unit workers. In this study, we aimed to estimate job stress and job satisfaction among health-care providers in endoscopy units in Korea. Methods: We performed a cross-sectional survey of health-care providers in the endoscopy units of three university-affiliated hospitals in Korea. We analyzed the job stress levels by using the Korean occupational stress scale, contributing factors, and job satisfaction. Results: Fifty-nine workers completed the self-administered questionnaires. The job stress scores for the endoscopy unit workers (46.39±7.81) were relatively lower compared to those of the national sample of Korean workers (51.23±8.83). Job stress differed across job positions, with nurses showing significantly higher levels of stress (48.92±7.97) compared to doctors (42.59±6.37). Job stress and job satisfaction were negatively correlated with each other (R2=0.340, p<0.001). Conclusions: An endoscopy unit is composed of a heterogeneous group of health-care professionals (i.e., nurses, fellows, and professors), and job stress and job satisfaction significantly differ according to job positions. Job demand, insufficient job control, and job insecurity are the most important stressors in the endoscopy unit. PMID:26898513

  9. Unravelling current sexual care in chronic kidney disease: perspective of social workers.

    PubMed

    van Ek, Gaby F; Keurhorst, Dirry; Krouwel, Esmée M; Nicolai, Melianthe P J; Den Ouden, Marjolein E M; Elzevier, Henk W; Putter, Hein; Pelger, Rob C M; Den Oudsten, Brenda L

    2018-03-01

    Fifty to eighty percent of patients suffering from chronic kidney disease (CKD) experience a form of sexual dysfunction (SD), even after renal transplantation. Despite this, inquiring about SD is often not included in the daily practice of renal care providers. This paper explores the perspectives of renal social workers regarding sexual care for patients and evaluates their practice, attitude towards responsibility and knowledge of SD. A cross-sectional study was conducted using a 41-item online survey. Seventy-nine members of the Dutch Federation of Social Workers Nephrology. It was revealed that 60% of respondents discussed SD with a fifth of their patients. Frequency of discussion was associated with experience (p = 0.049), knowledge (p = 0.001), supplementary education (p = 0.006), and the availability of protocols on sexual care (p = 0.007). Main barriers towards discussing SD consisted of 'culture and religion' (51.9%), 'language and ethnicity' (49.4%), and 'presence of a third person' (45.6%). Sufficient knowledge of SD was present in 28% of respondents. The responsibility for discussion was 96% nephrologists and 81% social workers. This study provides evidence that a part of Dutch nephrology social workers do not provide sexual care regularly, due to insufficient experience and sexual knowledge, absence of privacy and protocols and barriers based on cultural diversity. According to the respondents the responsibility for this aspect of care should be multidisciplinary. Recommendations include a need for further education on the topic, private opportunities to discuss SD and multidisciplinary guidelines on sexual care. © 2017 European Dialysis and Transplant Nurses Association/European Renal Care Association.

  10. Fitness for work in health care workers from the prospective of ethics, science and good practices.

    PubMed

    Alessio, L; Arici, Cecilia; Franco, G

    2012-01-01

    Fitness for work (FFW) is the final task of both risk assessment and health surveillance, aimed at protecting workers' health and working capacity. There are numerous specific concerns regarding health care workers. In particular: i) the frequent difficulty in determining at pre-employment/pre-placement examinations the specific task that the individual worker will perform; ii) the prevalence of female workers and the contemporary presence of numerous occupational risk factors that are a potential cause of harmful effects on women's reproductive health; iii) the progressive aging of the staff especially nurses; iv) the risk to third parties, with particular reference to the issues of biological risk and substance abuse, also in relation to shift work, fatigue and occupational stress; v) the increasing number of immigrant workers among support staff In such cases the occupational physician, respecting both ethical principles and regulations and with an appropriate balance between scientific evidence and the precautionary principle, should express a FFW judgment that allows both the adaptation of work to the worker and vice versa, as recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the International Commission on Occupational Health (ICOH). Proper FFW judgment also permits the expected benefits to be achieved, not only for the workers but also for employers, companies and society.

  11. Safe injection practice among health-care workers in Gharbiya Governorate, Egypt.

    PubMed

    Ismail, N A; Aboul Ftouh, A M; El-Shoubary, W H; Mahaba, H

    2007-01-01

    We assessed safe injection practices among 1100 health-care workers in 25 health-care facilities in Gharbiya Governorate. Questionnaires were used to collect information and 278 injections were observed using a standardized checklist. There was a lack of infection control policies in all the facilities and a lack of many supplies needed for safe injection. Proper needle manipulation before disposal was observed in only 41% of injections, safe needle disposal in 47.5% and safe syringe disposal in 0%. Reuse of used syringes and needles was reported by 13.2% of the health-care workers and 66.2% had experienced a needle-stick injury. Only 11.3% had received a full course of hepatitis B vaccination.

  12. Does Work Contribute to Successful Aging Outcomes in Older Workers?

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Sanders, Martha J.; McCready, Jack W.

    2010-01-01

    Older workers are the fastest growing segment of the labor force, yet little is known about designing jobs for older workers that optimize their experiences relative to aging successfully. This study examined the contribution of workplace job design (opportunities for decision-making, skill variety, coworker support, supervisor support) to…

  13. Worker assessments of organizational practices and psychosocial work environment are associated with musculoskeletal injuries in hospital patient care workers.

    PubMed

    Reme, Silje Endresen; Shaw, William S; Boden, Leslie I; Tveito, Torill H; O'Day, Elizabeth Tucker; Dennerlein, Jack T; Sorensen, Glorian

    2014-07-01

    Hospital patient care (PC) workers have high rates of workplace injuries, particularly musculoskeletal injuries. Despite a wide spectrum of documented health hazards, little is known about the association between psychosocial factors at work and OSHA-recordable musculoskeletal injuries. PC-workers (n = 1,572, 79%) completed surveys assessing a number of organizational, psychosocial and psychological variables. Associations between the survey responses and injury records were tested using bivariate and multivariate analyses. A 5% of the PC-workers had at least one OSHA-recordable musculoskeletal injury over the year, and the injuries were significantly associated with: organizational factors (lower people-oriented culture), psychosocial factors (lower supervisor support), and structural factors (job title: being a patient care assistant). The results show support for a multifactorial understanding of musculoskeletal injuries in hospital PC-workers. An increased focus on the various dimensions associated with injury reports, particularly the organizational and psychosocial factors, could contribute to more efficient interventions and programs. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  14. Appraisal of primary health care services in Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, Nigeria: how committed are the health workers?

    PubMed Central

    Obembe, Taiwo Akinyode; Osungbade, Kayode Omoniyi; Ibrahim, Christianah

    2017-01-01

    Introduction The primary health care model was declared as the appropriate strategy for ensuring health-for-all. However up till date, very few studies have assessed the services provided by primary health centres in terms of its basic components. This study aimed to appraise health services provided and to estimate the commitment of the health workers in selected primary health care centres within Abuja Nigeria. Methods A cross sectional study was utilized to obtain information from 642 health workers across 6 area councils of the Federal Capital Territory, Nigeria. Data collection was performed using pre-tested, structured, interviewer-administered questionnaires and data were analyzed at 95% level of significance using SPSS version 17.0. Results Our study participants were largely females (58.6%), Christians (63.2%) and aged 30-39 years (40.0%). Health services offered in centres were adequate in all components of PHC except for mental health (23.7%) and care of the elderly (43.0%). Conduct of home visits was least practiced by health workers (83.8%) compared to the use of patient appointments (96.4%) and conducting staff outreach activities (94.9%). Commitment was three times more likely when service was related to health promotion and education (OR = 2.52; CI = 1.23-5.18); nutrition education (OR = 3.13; CI = 1.13-8.68). Conclusion Health workers in primary health centres of the federal capital territory still provide sub-optimal services with respect to mental health and care of elderly. Concerted efforts and unrelenting political will to strengthen mental and geriatric health components are recommended. PMID:29541284

  15. A Challenging Job: Physical and Sexual Violence towards Group Workers in Youth Residential Care

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Alink, Lenneke R. A.; Euser, Saskia; Bakermans-Kranenburg, Marian J.; van IJzendoorn, Marinus H.

    2014-01-01

    Background: Residential or group care social workers appear to be at increased risk for experiencing physical violence at work. However, little is known about "sexual harassment" in addition to physical victimization of social workers in "youth" residential or group care. Objective We investigated the prevalence of physical and…

  16. Work Life Improvements for Home Care Workers: Impact and Feasibility.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Feldman, Penny Hollander

    1993-01-01

    Evaluated four work life demonstration projects designed to upgrade home aide employment, reduce turnover, and increase continuity of care. Found that projects reduced worker turnover in experimental groups from 10 to 44 percentage points. Where it was measured, continuity of care also significantly improved. Local political, economic, and…

  17. Violence towards health care workers in a Public Health Care Facility in Italy: a repeated cross-sectional study

    PubMed Central

    2012-01-01

    Background Violence at work is one of the major concerns in health care activities. The aim of this study was to identify the prevalence of physical and non-physical violence in a general health care facility in Italy and to assess the relationship between violence and psychosocial factors, thereby providing a basis for appropriate intervention. Methods All health care workers from a public health care facility were invited to complete a questionnaire containing questions on workplace violence. Three questionnaire-based cross-sectional surveys were conducted. The response rate was 75 % in 2005, 71 % in 2007, and 94 % in 2009. The 2009 questionnaire contained the VIF (Violent Incident Form) for reporting violent incidents, the DCS (demand/control/support) model for job strain, the Colquitt 20 item questionnaire for perceived organizational justice, and the GHQ-12 General Health Questionnaire for the assessment of mental health. Results One out of ten workers reported physical assault, and one out of three exposure to non-physical violence in the workplace in the previous year. Nurses and physicians were the most exposed occupational categories, whereas the psychiatric and emergency departments were the services at greatest risk of violence. Workers exposed to non-physical violence were subject to high job strain, low support, low perceived organizational justice, and high psychological distress. Conclusion Our study shows that health care workers in an Italian local health care facility are exposed to violence. Workplace violence was associated with high demand and psychological disorders, while job control, social support and organizational justice were protective factors. PMID:22551645

  18. Occupational exposures to blood and body fluids among health care workers at university hospitals.

    PubMed

    Marković-Denić, Ljiljana; Branković, Milos; Maksimović, Natasa; Jovanović, Bojan; Petrović, Ivana; Simić, Marko; Lesić, Aleksandar

    2013-01-01

    Occupational exposure to blood and body fluids is a serious concern of health care workers and presents a major risk of transmission of infections such as human immuno-deficiency virus (HIV), hepatitis B virus (HBV), and hepatitis C virus (HCV). The aim of this study was to determine the frequency and circumstances of occupational blood and body fluid exposures among health care workers. Cross-sectional study was conducted in three university hospitals in Belgrade. Anonymous questionnaire was used containing data about demographic characteristics, self-reported blood and body fluid exposures and circumstances of percutaneous injuries. Questionnaire was filled in and returned by 216 health care workers (78.2% of nurses and 21.8% of doctors). 60.6% of participants-health care workers had sustained at least one needlestick injury during their professional practice; 25.9% of them in the last 12 months. Of occupational groups, nurses had higher risk to experience needlestick injuries than doctors (p = 0.05). The majority of the exposures occurred in the operating theatre (p = 0.001). Among factors contributing to the occurrence of needlestick injuries, recapping needles (p = 0.003) and decontamination/cleaning instruments after surgery (p = 0.001) were more frequent among nurses, while use of a needle before intervention was common among doctors (p = 0.004). Only 41.2% of health care workers had reported their injuries to a supervisor in order to obtain medical attention. 50.2% of health care workers were vaccinated with three doses of hepatitis B vaccine. There is a high rate of needlestick injuries in the daily hospital routine. Implementation of safety devices would lead to improvement in health and safety of medical staff.

  19. Changing roles in community health care: Delegation of insulin injections to health care support workers.

    PubMed

    Dutton, Julie; McCaskill, Kelly; Alton, Sarah; Levesley, Maria; Hemingway, Cath; Farndon, Lisa

    2018-01-02

    Diabetes is a common long-term condition affecting many people many of whom require support with their insulin injections at home. These injections are often carried out by community nurses if individuals are unable to self-manage their condition. This paper describes a pilot project where health care support workers were trained to administer insulin at home for suitable patients. Four patients took part in the pilot study and two support workers were trained to give the insulin injections. The project was evaluated well by all those who took part. It freed up 80 hours of nursing time while also providing the support workers with an extended scope of practice and associated increased in job satisfaction. No untoward medication errors were reported as a result of this initiative. This project will now be rolled out to the wider nursing teams with a staggered approach to the delivery of the training to ensure there is not a detrimental effect on patient care.

  20. Perceptions of health and risk management among home care workers in Sweden.

    PubMed

    Larsson, A; Karlqvist, L; Westerberg, M; Gard, G

    2013-10-01

    Municipal home care workers provide high-quality services to an increasing proportion of elderly people living in private homes. The work environments and working conditions of these workers vary to a great extent, implying rapid priority-making among both employers and employees to ensure that the work can be performed in a safe way. This study aims to examine home care workers' perceptions of health, risks, working conditions, and risk management within their organization. The study was based on cross-sectional data collected from home care service staff in a municipality in the north of Sweden. Nursing assistants and care aides ( n  = 133) replied to a self-administered questionnaire. Descriptive statistics and between-group differences were analysed. Home care work was perceived to require high levels of professional skill and ingenuity, a good psychosocial work situation, but required a high physical workload. The general health, the capacity and self-efficacy of the staff in relation to work were good. Difficulty in performing risk assessments and following safety regulations due to lack of time, equipment, and information were identified. There is a need to increase participation in risk assessments among the staff, improve management support, structures, and cooperation with other divisions of the social services and the medical care organizations.

  1. How decentralisation influences the retention of primary health care workers in rural Nigeria

    PubMed Central

    Abimbola, Seye; Olanipekun, Titilope; Igbokwe, Uchenna; Negin, Joel; Jan, Stephen; Martiniuk, Alexandra; Ihebuzor, Nnenna; Aina, Muyi

    2015-01-01

    Background In Nigeria, the shortage of health workers is worst at the primary health care (PHC) level, especially in rural communities. And the responsibility for PHC – usually the only form of formal health service available in rural communities – is shared among the three tiers of government (federal, state, and local governments). In addition, the responsibility for community engagement in PHC is delegated to community health committees. Objective This study examines how the decentralisation of health system governance influences retention of health workers in rural communities in Nigeria from the perspective of health managers, health workers, and people living in rural communities. Design The study adopted a qualitative approach, and data were collected using semi-structured in-depth interviews and focus group discussions. The multi-stakeholder data were analysed for themes related to health system decentralisation. Results The results showed that decentralisation influences the retention of rural health workers in two ways: 1) The salary of PHC workers is often delayed and irregular as a result of delays in transfer of funds from the national to sub-national governments and because one tier of government can blame failure on another tier of government. Further, the primary responsibility for PHC is often left to the weakest tier of government (local governments). And the result is that rural PHC workers are attracted to working at levels of care where salaries are higher and more regular – in secondary care (run by state governments) and tertiary care (run by the federal government), which are also usually in urban areas. 2) Through community health committees, rural communities influence the retention of health workers by working to increase the uptake of PHC services. Community efforts to retain health workers also include providing social, financial, and accommodation support to health workers. To encourage health workers to stay, communities also

  2. Efficacy of work-based training for direct care workers in assisted living.

    PubMed

    White, Diana L; Cadiz, David M

    2013-01-01

    This article reports on the efficacy of a work-based learning program for direct care workers in assisted living. The program goal was to improve skills and facilitate career development. The training program had positive impacts at both individual and organizational levels. Survey data found that workers felt more competent and self-confident about their abilities to work with residents. Furthermore, increasing satisfaction with the training program over time led to greater job satisfaction and a desire for additional education. Organizations have better outcomes when workers are well trained, feel empowered, and are satisfied with their work. Policy implications for assisted living settings and meeting the growing demand for a competent direct care workforce are discussed.

  3. Work-Life Differences and Outcomes for Agency and Consumer-Directed Home-Care Workers

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Benjamin, A.E.; Matthias, Ruth E.

    2004-01-01

    Purpose. Research on home-care outcomes has highlighted the promise of consumer-directed models that rely on recipients rather than agencies to arrange and direct services. However, there has been little research on workers employed directly by recipients. This study examined differences in work-life and worker outcomes between workers in…

  4. Mature-Aged Workers' Learning Needs and Motivations for Participation in Training Programs

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Meyers, Rebecca; Billett, Stephen; Kelly, Ann

    2010-01-01

    Issues arising from an ageing society, a low fertility rate and growing need for a skilled work force have seen increased government commitment to improving the participation rate of mature-aged workers. Education and training are seen as a principal strategy to increase the employability of these workers, yet participation in training is low and…

  5. Home Health Care for California's Injured Workers: Options for Implementing a Fee Schedule.

    PubMed

    Wynn, Barbara O; Boustead, Anne

    2015-07-15

    The California Department of Industrial Relations/Division of Worker's Compensation asked RAND to provide technical assistance in developing a fee schedule for home health services provided to injured workers. The fee schedule needs to address the full spectrum of home health services ranging from skilled nursing and therapy services to unskilled personal care or chore services that may be provided by family members. RAND researchers consulted with stakeholders in the California workers' compensation system to outline issues the fee schedule should address, reviewed home health fee schedules used by other payers, and conducted interviews with WC administrators from other jurisdictions to elicit their experiences. California stakeholders identified unskilled attendant services as most problematic in determining need and payment rates, particularly services furnished by family members. RAND researchers concentrated on fee schedule options that would result in a single fee schedule covering the full range of home health care services furnished to injured workers and made three sets of recommendations. The first set pertains to obtaining additional information that would highlight the policy issues likely to occur with the implementation of the fee schedule and alternatives for assessing an injured worker's home health care needs. Another approach conforms most closely with the Labor Code requirements. It would integrate the fee schedules used by Medicare, In-Home Health Supportive Services, and the federal Office of Workers' Compensation. The third approach would base the home health fee schedule on rules used by the federal Office of Workers' Compensation.

  6. Effects of Age Expectations on Oncology Social Workers' Clinical Judgment

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Conlon, Annemarie; Choi, Namkee G.

    2014-01-01

    Objective: This study examined the influence of oncology social workers' expectations regarding aging (ERA) and ERA with cancer (ERAC) on their clinical judgment. Methods: Oncology social workers (N = 322) were randomly assigned to one of four vignettes describing a patient with lung cancer. The vignettes were identical except for the patent's age…

  7. Gender, aging, and work: aging workers' strategies to confront the demands of production in maquiladora plants in nogales, Mexico.

    PubMed

    Adarga, Mireya Scarone; Becerril, Leonor Cedillo; Champion, Catalina Denman

    2010-01-01

    This work is part of a qualitative socio-cultural investigation with a group of men and women 40 years and older in the maquila export industry in Nogales, Sonora, Mexico. In 1994, as a result of the North American Free Trade Agreement, maquila plants combined traditional intensive work methods with new "just in time" production norms that impacted work and health conditions, particularly in older, or aging, workers. The workers that were interviewed for this study show a reduction in their functional ability to work starting at 40 years of age. Work organization demands, general health conditions, and a decrease in physical abilities brings these 40-year-old workers to prematurely construct an image of themselves as aging workers and to develop coping strategies that vary by gender.

  8. Depression and Retirement in Late Middle-Aged U.S. Workers

    PubMed Central

    Doshi, Jalpa A; Cen, Liyi; Polsky, Daniel

    2008-01-01

    Objective To determine whether late middle-aged U.S. workers with depression are at an increased risk for retirement. Data Source Six biennial waves (1992–2002) of the Health and Retirement Study, a nationally representative panel survey of noninstitutionalized 51–61-year-olds and their spouses started in 1992. Study Design Workers aged 53–58 years in 1994 were followed every 2 years thereafter, through 2002. Depression was coded as lagged time-dependent variables measuring active depression and severity of depression. The main outcome variable was a transition to retirement which was measured using two distinct definitions to capture different stages in the retirement process: (1) Retirement was defined as a transition out of the labor force in the sample of all labor force participants (N = 2,853); (2) In addition a transition out of full time work was used as the retirement definition in the subset of labor force participants who were full time workers (N = 2,288). Principal Findings In the sample of all labor force participants, the presence of active depression significantly increased the hazard of retirement in both late middle-aged men (adjusted OR: 1.37 [95 percent CI 1.05, 1.80]) and women (adjusted OR: 1.40 [95 percent CI 1.10, 1.78]). For women, subthreshold depression was also a significant predictor of retirement. In the sample of full time workers, the relationship between depression and retirement was considerably weaker for women yet remained strong for men. Conclusions Depression and depressive symptoms were significantly associated with retirement in late middle-aged U.S. workers. Policymakers must consider the potentially adverse impact of these labor market outcomes when estimating the cost of untreated depression and evaluating the value of interventions to improve the diagnosis and treatment of depression. PMID:18370974

  9. Prevalence and potential determinants of musculoskeletal disease symptoms among care workers in long-term care facilities in South Korea.

    PubMed

    Park, Myung-Sook; Yu, Mi; Yu, Su-Jeong; Kang, Kyung-Ja; Seo, Hyun-Mi

    2014-07-01

    The purpose of this study was to investigate the degree and influencing factors of musculoskeletal disease symptoms among care workers in long-term care facilities in South Korea. Participants in this cross-sectional study were 265 care workers in 15 long-term care facilities. Data were collected between 1 and 27 August 2011, using the Korea Occupational Safety and Health Agency (KOSHA) code H-30-2003 and analyzed using logistic regression with SPSS ver. 18.0. Of the care workers, 88.7% had pain in at least one of the six body parts. The highest prevalence of musculoskeletal disease symptoms was in the lower back and legs. Among the organizational factors, there were significant differences in neck pain by work shift and patient grade. Neck pain was more severe in the 8 h shift group than 12-24 h shift group. Care workers caring for patients who were classified in the first patient grade of long-term care insurance had 4.73 times more complaints of musculoskeletal symptoms in the neck, 9.54 times (95% confidence interval [CI] = 3.37-27.02) in the hand and wrist, 4.37 times (95% CI = 1.59-12.03) in the lower back, and 2.96 times (95% CI: 1.17-7.51) in the leg and foot. To prevent and manage musculoskeletal disease symptoms, activities and the intensity of work should be arranged systematically and planned, and the improvement of organizational factors such as appropriate assignment by patients' severity is considered. © 2014 The Authors. Japan Journal of Nursing Science © 2014 Japan Academy of Nursing Science.

  10. Violence against Primary Health Care Workers in Al-Hassa, Saudi Arabia

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    El-Gilany, Abdel-Hady; El-Wehady, Adel; Amr, Mostafa

    2010-01-01

    This self-report questionnaire study was carried out in Al-Hassa, Saudi Arabia to highlight the magnitude, predictors, and circumstances of workplace violence against primary health care (PHC) workers. A total of 1,091 workers completed a self-administered questionnaire. About 28% were exposed to at least one violent event during the past year.…

  11. Temporarily Disabled Workers Account For A Disproportionate Share Of Health Care Payments.

    PubMed

    Gifford, Brian

    2017-02-01

    About one in four employees in a cohort of 408,000 US workers took a temporary leave of absence from work because of illness or injury in the period 2008-12. They accounted for nearly 60 percent (about $6.5 billion) of total worker health care and disability payments. This finding underscores the importance of workplace care management, lifestyle management, and health and safety efforts to prevent disability leaves. Project HOPE—The People-to-People Health Foundation, Inc.

  12. Exploring the role of co-worker social support on health care utilization and sickness absence

    PubMed Central

    Tamers, Sara L.; Beresford, Shirley A.A.; Thompson, Beti; Zheng, Yingye; Cheadle, Allen D.

    2011-01-01

    Objectives To explore the association of baseline co-worker social support with follow-up measures of health care use and sickness absence. Methods Data were obtained on 1,240 employees from 33 worksites, through Promoting Activity and Changes in Eating, a group randomized weight maintenance trial. Co-worker social support, health care utilization, and absenteeism were assessed via a self-reported questionnaire. Generalized Estimating Equations were employed using STATA version 10. Results Higher baseline co-worker social support was significantly associated with a greater number of doctors’ visits (p = 0.015). Co-worker social support was unrelated to number of hospitalizations, emergency room visits, or absenteeism. Conclusions The relationship between co-worker social support and health care utilization and absenteeism is complex and uncertain. Future studies should measure more specific outcomes, incorporate important mediating variables, and distill how social networks influence these outcomes. PMID:21685798

  13. Perceived Barriers to Adherence to Tuberculosis Infection Control Measures among Health Care Workers in the Dominican Republic.

    PubMed

    Chapman, Helena J; Veras-Estévez, Bienvenido A; Pomeranz, Jamie L; Pérez-Then, Eddy N; Marcelino, Belkys; Lauzardo, Michael

    2017-01-01

    INTRODUCTION Health care workers have an increased risk of infection due to occupational Mycobacterium tuberculosis exposure, including multidrug-resistant strains. Health care workers' risk of developing tuberculosis is greater than that of the general population, whether in low-, intermediate- or high-incidence countries. Adherence to infection control measures (administrative controls, environmental controls, and personal respiratory protection) is essential to reduce risk of disease transmission between suspected tuberculosis patients and health care workers, but for different reasons, both objective and subjective, adherence is low. Identifying the causes of low adherence is a prerequisite to effective programming to reduce risk. OBJECTIVE Identify perceived barriers to adherence to tuberculosis infection control measures among health care workers in the Dominican Republic. METHODS During August 2014, a qualitative study was conducted in two tertiary-level hospitals in different regions of the Dominican Republic. A semi-structured interview guide of nine questions was developed, based on the scientific literature and with consensus of clinical experts. Nine semi-structured interviews were conducted with a purposive sample of seven physicians (five men, two women) and two baccalaureate nurses (both women) working in the emergency medicine, internal medicine or nursing departments of those institutions. Question topics included clinical experience of M. tuberculosis infection and disease; knowledge of disease transmission and preventive practices; clinical management strategies; and perceptions of effectiveness of directly observed treatment, short-course, and disease coping strategies. RESULTS Perceived barriers were described as: 1) sense of invincibility of health care workers; 2) personal beliefs of health care workers related to direct patient communication; 3) low provider-to-patient ratios in hospitals; 4) absence of tuberculosis isolation units for

  14. Community health workers and medicaid managed care in New Mexico.

    PubMed

    Johnson, Diane; Saavedra, Patricia; Sun, Eugene; Stageman, Ann; Grovet, Dodie; Alfero, Charles; Maynes, Carmen; Skipper, Betty; Powell, Wayne; Kaufman, Arthur

    2012-06-01

    We describe the impact of community health workers (CHWs) providing community-based support services to enrollees who are high consumers of health resources in a Medicaid managed care system. We conducted a retrospective study on a sample of 448 enrollees who were assigned to field-based CHWs in 11 of New Mexico's 33 counties. The CHWs provided patients education, advocacy and social support for a period up to 6 months. Data was collected on services provided, and community resources accessed. Utilization and payments in the emergency department, inpatient service, non-narcotic and narcotic prescriptions as well as outpatient primary care and specialty care were collected on each patient for a 6 month period before, for 6 months during and for 6 months after the intervention. For comparison, data was collected on another group of 448 enrollees who were also high consumers of health resources but who did not receive CHW intervention. For all measures, there was a significant reduction in both numbers of claims and payments after the community health worker intervention. Costs also declined in the non-CHW group on all measures, but to a more modest degree, with a greater reduction than in the CHW group in use of ambulatory services. The incorporation of field-based, community health workers as part of Medicaid managed care to provide supportive services to high resource-consuming enrollees can improve access to preventive and social services and may reduce resource utilization and cost.

  15. Relationship between age and promotion orientation depends on perceived older worker stereotypes.

    PubMed

    Bowen, Catherine E; Staudinger, Ursula M

    2013-01-01

    Research has consistently revealed a negative relationship between chronological age and promotion orientation, that is, the motivational orientation toward approaching possible gains. In addition, experimental research has demonstrated that activating positive self-relevant stereotypes (e.g., for men, the stereotype that men are good at math) can stimulate increases in promotion orientation. Integrating and applying this research to the work context, we hypothesized that the relationship between age and promotion orientation would depend on employees' perceptions of the stereotype of older workers in their work context, such that there would be no negative relationship between age and promotion orientation when individuals perceive a more positive older worker stereotype. We analyzed the relationships between age, perceived older worker stereotype (POWS), and promotion orientation using a sample of working adults (N = 337) aged 19-64 years. Results revealed a significant age by POWS interaction such that there was a negative relationship between age and promotion orientation when POWS was less positive. However, there was no relationship between age and promotion orientation when POWS was more positive. Results suggest that the negative relationship between age and promotion orientation depends on contextual factors such as POWS.

  16. Understanding Burnout in Child and Youth Care Workers

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Barford, Sean W.; Whelton, William J.

    2010-01-01

    Burnout is a major concern in human service occupations as it has been linked to turnover, absenteeism, a reduction in the quality of services, numerous physical and psychological disorders, and a disruption in interpersonal relations (Maslach et al. "2001"). Child and youth care workers are especially susceptible to burnout as the…

  17. Staff Development of Direct Care Workers in Pennsylvania: The Relationship between Organizational Structure and Culture and Best-Practices in Training

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Kemeny, M. Elizabeth

    2010-01-01

    Using the conceptual model of social structure and personality framework (House, 1981) as a theoretical guide, this cross sectional mixed-method design examined how organizational structure and culture relate to practices for training direct care workers in 328 aging and disability network service provider organizations in Pennsylvania. To…

  18. Risks to health care workers from nano-enabled medical products.

    PubMed

    Murashov, Vladimir; Howard, John

    2015-01-01

    Nanotechnology is rapidly expanding into the health care industry. However, occupational safety and health risks of nano-enabled medical products have not been thoroughly assessed. This manuscript highlights occupational risk mitigation practices for nano-enabled medical products throughout their life cycle for all major workplace settings including (1) medical research laboratories, (2) pharmaceutical manufacturing facilities, (3) clinical dispensing pharmacies, (4) health care delivery facilities, (5) home health care, (6) health care support, and (7) medical waste management. It further identifies critical research needs for ensuring worker protection in the health care industry.

  19. Caregiving in a patient's place of residence: turnover of direct care workers in home care and hospice agencies.

    PubMed

    Dill, Janette S; Cagle, John

    2010-09-01

    High turnover and staff shortages among home care and hospice workers may compromise the quality and availability of in-home care. This study explores turnover rates of direct care workers for home care and hospice agencies. OLS (ordinary least square) regression models are run using organizational data from 93 home care agencies and 29 hospice agencies in North Carolina. Home care agencies have higher total turnover rates than hospice agencies, but profit status may be an important covariate. Higher unemployment rates are associated with lower voluntary turnover. Agencies that do not offer health benefits experience higher involuntary turnover. Differences in turnover between hospice and home health agencies suggest that organizational characteristics of hospice care contribute to lower turnover rates. However, the variation in turnover rates is not fully explained by the proposed multivariate models. Future research should explore individual and structural-level variables that affect voluntary and involuntary turnover in these settings.

  20. The Task Approach to Child Care Competency: An Advanced Level Training Curriculum for Residential Child Care Workers.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Heckman, Iris; Rodwell, Mary K.

    The purpose of the project was to develop an advanced, competency-based training program for residential youth service/child care workers providing services to children and adolescents with severe mental health or emotional problems. The program was designed in response to problems common to these workers in rural areas such as Kansas, including…

  1. Characterization of sleep patterns and problems in healthcare workers in a tertiary care hospital.

    PubMed

    Buscemi, Dolores; Anvari, Rezza; Raj, Rishi; Nugent, Kenneth

    2014-01-01

    Restrictions in sleep can have important adverse effects on health and job performance. We collected information about sleep from US healthcare workers to determine whether they had sleep difficulties. We used an Internet-based survey to collect information on sleep patterns and sleep quality in healthcare workers at a tertiary care hospital. We classified these workers into short sleepers (<7 hours), normal sleepers (7-8 hours), and long sleepers (≥9 hours). We compared these three groups using simple descriptive statistics. We used logistic regression to identify factors associated with short sleep times. Of 3012 questionnaires distributed, 376 healthcare workers (12.5%) replied to this survey. The median age was 38 years, the median body mass index was 28 kg/m, and 76% were women. The median sleep duration on weekdays was 7 hours. Sixty-nine respondents (18.4%) were short sleepers, 269 of the respondents (71.5%) were normal sleepers, and 38 respondents (10.1%) were long sleepers. A total of 113 (30.1%) had sleep difficulties more than 50% of the time and 140 respondents (37.3%) were bothered by lack of energy from poor sleep. Short sleepers were less likely than other types of sleepers to have normal bedtimes and regular mealtimes. Eighty-four respondents (22.3%) went to bed between 2 AM and 2 PM. These workers were younger; slept less on the weekdays and weekends; and reported more difficulty with sleeping, feeling depressed, overconsumption of alcoholic beverages, and personal stressors. Most healthcare workers have healthy sleep patterns; however, many workers have poor sleep quality. Workers with "odd" bedtimes have abnormal sleep patterns and abnormal sleep quality; these workers need additional evaluation to understand the causes and consequences of their sleep patterns.

  2. Health care utilization and costs associated with adherence to clinical practice guidelines for early magnetic resonance imaging among workers with acute occupational low back pain.

    PubMed

    Graves, Janessa M; Fulton-Kehoe, Deborah; Jarvik, Jeffrey G; Franklin, Gary M

    2014-04-01

    To estimate health care utilization and costs associated with adherence to clinical practice guidelines for the use of early magnetic resonance imaging (MRI; within the first 6 weeks of injury) for acute occupational low back pain (LBP). Washington State Disability Risk Identification Study Cohort (D-RISC), consisting of administrative claims and patient interview data from workers' compensation claimants (2002-2004). In this prospective, population-based cohort study, we compared health care utilization and costs among workers whose imaging was adherent to guidelines (no early MRI) to workers whose imaging was not adherent to guidelines (early MRI in the absence of red flags). We identified workers (age>18) with work-related LBP using administrative claims. We obtained demographic, injury, health, and employment information through telephone interviews to adjust for baseline differences between groups. We ascertained health care utilization and costs from administrative claims for 1 year following injury. Of 1,770 workers, 336 (19.0 percent) were classified as nonadherent to guidelines. Outpatient and physical/occupational therapy utilization was 52-54 percent higher for workers whose imaging was not adherent to guidelines compared to workers with guideline-adherent imaging; utilization of chiropractic care was significantly lower (18 percent). Nonadherence to guidelines for early MRI was associated with increased likelihood of lumbosacral injections or surgery and higher costs for out-patient, inpatient, and nonmedical services, and disability compensation. © Health Research and Educational Trust.

  3. The occupational health status of African-American women health care workers.

    PubMed

    Arnold, C W

    1996-01-01

    Race, ethnicity, and gender are significant indicators of occupational status, general health status, and thus, occupational health status. Although African-American women constitute only 6.8% of the total U.S. labor force, they hold 20% of the jobs in the health care industry and are disproportionately represented in those jobs that have the highest levels of workplace exposure to hazards. As a result, they are therefore more likely to be at greater exposure and risk to the spectrum of occupational health problems. In order to gain insight into the effects of race and gender on the occupational health status of African-American women health care workers, this article uses three data sources that provide different but complementary sources of information on the demographic characteristics of workers, location of categories of occupations, working conditions of jobs, and other job and worker characteristics. Given the concentration of African-American women in health care positions where there exists a greater likelihood of being exposed to occupational hazards, it is therefore both logical and appropriate for primary care physicians, especially those engaged in office-based practices, to identify this target population for special services and to be more aware of the type of health issues with which these patients are more likely to present and to experience during their working lives. Health care providers have a responsibility to assess occupational factors related to a patient's health problems and to incorporate this information into their treatment protocols and into the design and explanation of each patient's care plan.

  4. Does age affect the relationship between control at work and sleep disturbance for shift workers?

    PubMed

    Loudoun, Rebecca Jane; Muurlink, Olav; Peetz, David; Murray, Georgina

    2014-12-01

    Among miners, shift work, aging and lack of control at work may be factors leading to increased sleep problems. Such risk factors may also operate in interaction, resulting in an even increased harm for sleep disruption. The present study aims at evaluating these relationships drawing on a sample of Australian mine and energy workers and their partners. The workers were mainly men. All performed shift work that included either nights (95%) or multiple shifts (92%), usually both (87%), while 36% were aged 50 years or above. The results show that low latitude over work activities is associated with higher sleep disturbances across the sample, though the effects are clearer amongst younger workers. By contrast, for younger workers, control over shift scheduling is not associated with sleep disturbances but for workers aged 50 or more, low control results in more sleep disturbance. Misalignment between shift workers and partner work schedules, and partner dissatisfaction with shift worker's employment and shift worker's work-life balance, are also associated with more sleep disturbances amongst shift workers.

  5. Job Satisfaction for Child and Youth Care Workers.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Krueger, Mark A.

    Job satisfaction, which can be defined as a feeling of fulfillment or pleasure associated with one's work, comes from many personal sources but can be nourished by supportive agency practices, daily interactions, and long-term goals. Job satisfaction is important for child and youth care workers because (1) job satisfaction and competence are…

  6. The social integration of healthcare agency workers in long-term care facilities: A cross-sectional study.

    PubMed

    Lapalme, Marie-Ève; Doucet, Olivier

    2018-06-01

    Patient care quality is a key concern for long-term care facilities and is directly related to effective collaboration between healthcare professionals. The use of agency staff in long-term care facilities creates important challenges in terms of coordination and communication within work units. The purpose of this study is to assess the mediating effect of common in-group identity in the relationship between permanent employees' perceptions regarding the use of agency workers -namely distributive justice, perceptions of threat, perceived similarities with agency workers, and leader inclusiveness toward agency staff- and the permanent employees' adoption of collaborative behaviours. Cross-sectional study. Three long-term care facilities. 290 regular healthcare employees (nurses and care attendants). Data were obtained through questionnaires filled out by employees. Hypotheses were tested using structural equation analyses. The results showed the indirect effects of perceived distributive justice, perceived similarity and leader inclusiveness toward agency workers on permanent employees' cooperation behaviours through common group identification. Perceptions of threat were not related to common group identification or collaborative behaviours. The results also showed that common in-group identification is related to cooperation behaviours only for employees without previous experience as agency workers. This study suggests that permanent healthcare employees who feel they are fairly compensated relative to agency workers, who consider these workers as similar to them, and who believe their supervisor appreciates agency workers' contributions tend to develop a common in-group identity, which fosters collaborative behaviours. Managers of long-term care facilities who wish to foster collaboration among their blended workforce should thus create an environment conducive of a more inclusive identity, particularly if their employees have no previous experience as agency

  7. Are healthcare workers immune to rubella?

    PubMed

    Borràs, Eva; Campins, Magda; Esteve, María; Urbiztondo, Luis; Broner, Sonia; Bayas, José María; Costa, Josep; Domínguez, Angela

    2014-01-01

    Healthcare workers (HCW) have high exposure to infectious diseases, some of which, such as rubella, are vaccine-preventable. The aim of this study was to determine the immunity of HCW against rubella. We performed a seroprevalence study using a self-administered survey and obtained blood samples to determine rubella Immunoglobulin G (IgG) antibody levels in HCW during preventive examinations by five Primary Care Basic Prevention Units and six tertiary hospitals in Catalonia. Informed consent was obtained. IgG was determined using an antibody capture microparticle direct chemiluminometric technique. The odss ratio (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) were calculated. Logistic regression was made to calculate adjusted OR. Of 642 HCW who participated (29.9% physician, 38.8% nurses, 13.3% other health workers and 18% non-health workers), 46.6% were primary care workers and 53.4% hospital workers. Of total, 97.2% had rubella antibodies. HCW aged 30-44 years had a higher prevalence of antibodies (98.4%) compared with HCW aged<30 years (adjusted OR 3.92; 95% CI 1.04-14.85). The prevalence was higher in nurses than in other HCW (adjusted OR: 5.57, 95% CI 1.21-25.59). Antibody prevalence did not differ between females and males (97.4% vs. 97.1%, P 0.89), type of center (97.7% vs. 96.8%, P 0.51) or according to history of vaccination (97.3% vs. 96.8%, P 0.82). Seroprevalence of rubella antibodies is high in HCW, but workers aged<30 years have a higher susceptibility (5.5%). Vaccination should be reinforced in HCW in this age group, due to the risk of nosocomial transmission and congenital rubella.

  8. The Womanly World of Long Term Care: The Plight of the Long Term Care Worker. Gray Paper.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Older Women's League, Washington, DC.

    Long-term care workers (those who are paid to provide custodial care for long-term patients in nursing homes or at home) must care for a growing number of increasingly disabled or dependent persons. They are working for agencies and institutions under growing pressure to increase productivity. They face new training and competency requirements,…

  9. Development of the Competency Assessment Tool-Mental Health, an instrument to assess core competencies for mental health care workers.

    PubMed

    Clasen, Carla; Meyer, Cheryl; Brun, Carl; Mase, William; Cauley, Kate

    2003-01-01

    As the focus on accountability in health care increases, there has been a corresponding emphasis on establishing core competencies for health care workers. This article discusses the development of an instrument to establish core competencies for workers in inpatient mental health settings. Twenty-six competencies were identified and rated by mental health care personnel on two subscales: the importance of the competency and how much behavioral health care workers could benefit from training on the competency. The reliability of the scale and its contributions to the training, retention and recruitment of direct care workers for behavioral health are discussed.

  10. We care don't we? Social workers, the profession and HIV/AIDS.

    PubMed

    Hall, Nigel

    2007-01-01

    The HIV/AIDS epidemic has impacted all levels of society from the individual to the macro-economic. The continuing spread of infection around the world means that traditional methods of care and support are put under extreme pressure and many families lose their capacity to cope. Social workers are involved in providing care, counseling and support to those affected, and in developing programmes and other interventions to prevent the spread of the disease. Prevention and behaviour change are vital, but access to treatment is an ethical imperative, particularly in developing countries where the epidemic is most prevalent. Social work is a profession uniquely situated to demonstrate leadership in multi-sectoral collaboration in responding to this pandemic. Consequently this paper briefly reviews the scale and current nature of the epidemic and then considers how social workers can help build more compassionate policies at an international level. Social workers can help to create awareness of the negative effects of poverty, tackle gender inequity, help build more effective coalitions and partnerships, and work with other concerned groups and organisations to end stigma and discrimination. Using case examples the paper considers how social workers can help develop caring strategies that improve the lives of those living with HIV and AIDS.

  11. [Guidelines for the prevention and control of tuberculosis in health care workers].

    PubMed

    Casas, Irma; Dominguez, Jose; Rodríguez, Soledad; Matllo, Joan; Altet, Neus

    2015-12-21

    Tuberculosis remains one of the communicable diseases that cause increased morbidity and mortality worldwide. With an incidence rate of 13,04 per 100,000 population, Spain ranks third among the most affected European countries. These data show a tendency to decrease meaning that it may go unnoticed with the potential to miss the appropriate preventive measures in a suspected case. In centers where patients are treated with tuberculosis, health care worker presents risk of transmission. This risk is higher in some areas or work units. The Occupational health physicians' services, which monitorize the health of health care workers, use different strategies in order to prevent and detect tuberculosis infection. The national guidelines include the tuberculin skin test as a screening test for tuberculosis infection with mention of new diagnostic tests based on the in vitro detection of gamma interferon (IGRA) for certain cases. The purpose of this guide is to establish common criteria for IGRA tests, as a supplementary aid to the tuberculin skin test in health care workers, from the evidence available today. Recommendations for its use have been adapted to the different situations faced by the professionals involved in monitoring the health of health workers. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.

  12. Trial Implementation of a Telerehabilitation Exercise System in Residential Aged Care.

    PubMed

    Hutchinson, Marie; Wendt, Neil; Smith, Stuart Trevor

    2018-01-01

    The 2011 Productivity Commission report, Caring for Older Australians, observed that as the number of older Australians rises and the demand for aged care services increases, there will be a commensurate increase in demand for a well-trained aged care workforce. One of the significant issues impacting upon the ability of the aged services sector to respond to a growing number of older adults is to attract and retain sufficient numbers of staff. A number of factors are acknowledged to contribute to a failure of the aged care sector to attract and retain workers including: poor sector reputation, poor working conditions, including high client-staff ratios, a lack of career paths and professional development opportunities and low rates of remuneration. Poor perceptions about working in the aged care sector (e.g. that aged care nursing is less glamorous than nursing in the acute care sector) appear to develop early, with many nursing students indicating that they do not view aged care as an attractive career choice. Undergraduate nursing students have often found clinical placements in aged care unsatisfactory and unsettling, dissuading them from considering aged care as an employment option on graduation. In the following we describe one way we have attempted to address this issue by training undergraduate health sciences students (occupational therapy, nursing) to deliver a physical activity program to residents of an aged care facility using a novel telerehabilitation technology that enables remote prescription and monitoring of exercise programs. The main purpose of this quality assurance trial was to explore the feasibility and safety of supervised use of a novel telerehabilitation exercise system with older adults living in residential aged care. Four residents were recruited into the study and all displayed limitations in mobility, balance, strength and endurance. None had any had previous experience with computer games or interactive technologies. Resident

  13. Nonwage losses associated with occupational injury among health care workers.

    PubMed

    Guzman, Jaime; Ibrahimova, Aybaniz; Tompa, Emile; Koehoorn, Mieke; Alamgir, Hasanat

    2013-08-01

    To examine nonwage losses after occupational injury among health care workers and the factors associated with the magnitude of these losses. Inception cohort of workers filing an occupational injury claim in a Canadian province. Worker self-reports were used to calculate (1) the nonwage economic losses in 2010 Canadian dollars, and (2) the number of quality-adjusted days of life lost on the basis of the EuroQOL Index. Most workers (84%; n = 123) had musculoskeletal injuries (MSIs). Each MSI resulted in nonwage economic losses of Can$3131 (95% confidence interval, Can$3035 to Can$3226), lost wages of Can$5286, and 7.9 quality-adjusted days of life lost within 12 weeks after injury. Losses varied with type of injury, region of the province, and occupation. Non-MSIs were associated with smaller losses. These estimates of nonwage losses should be considered in workers' injury compensation policies and in economic evaluation studies.

  14. Structural Violence in Health Care: Lived Experience of Street-Based Female Commercial Sex Workers in Kathmandu.

    PubMed

    Basnyat, Iccha

    2017-01-01

    Thirty-five in-depth, semi-structured interviews were conducted with female, street-based, commercial sex workers in Kathmandu, Nepal. The framework of structural violence guided this study in identifying the structural context that impacts the female sex workers' lives and may cause harm to their health. Structural violence in health care was revealed through thematic analysis as (a) discrimination, (b) forced choice, and (c) limitations to health information sources. Lived experiences highlight how the sex workers engaged with structural limitations in health care access, services, and utilization. Structural violence conveys a message about who is entitled to health care and what a society emphasizes and expects regarding acceptable health behavior. Examining the structural violence highlighted how the sex workers negotiated, understood, and engaged with structural limitations in health care access, services, and utilization. © The Author(s) 2015.

  15. Perceived benefits and proposed solutions for teen pregnancy: qualitative interviews with youth care workers.

    PubMed

    Boustani, Maya Mroué; Frazier, Stacy L; Hartley, Chelsey; Meinzer, Michael; Hedemann, Erin

    2015-01-01

    The purpose of this article is to examine youth care workers' perceptions of the specific and unique sexual health needs of youth at risk for foster care. Semistructured interviews were conducted with youth care workers (N = 10) at a shelter for youth in or at risk for foster care. Youth care workers perceive that youth have unique experiences and needs related to sexual health programming and pregnancy prevention. Reflecting a great deal of family dysfunction, 3 themes emerged that revealed perceived benefits of teen pregnancy: youths' effort to prove themselves as adults, opportunity to secure their relationship with a partner, and desire to create an emotional connection with a baby. Lack of knowledge and accumulation of risk factors were viewed as most problematic. Current pregnancy prevention programs assume teen pregnancies are unwanted and emphasize the costs of sexual risk taking. Current findings suggest that sexual health programming for youth in or at risk for foster care should account for 3 perceived benefits of teen pregnancy. New opportunities for improving the reach and effectiveness of intervention for youth in or at risk for foster care are discussed.

  16. A meta-ethnography of the acculturation and socialization experiences of migrant care workers.

    PubMed

    Ho, Ken H M; Chiang, Vico C L

    2015-02-01

    To report a meta-ethnography of qualitative research studies exploring the acculturation and socialization experiences of migrant care workers. Migrant care workers are increasingly participating in health and social care in developed countries. There is a need to understand this increasingly socioculturally diversified workforce. A comprehensive search through 12 databases and a manual search of journals related to transculture for studies on socialization and acculturation experiences (published 1993-2013) was completed. The inclusion criteria were peer-reviewed studies on the acculturation or socialization experiences of migrant care workers published in English in any country, using a qualitative or mixed-methods approach. This meta-ethnography employed the seven-phase Noblit and Hare method with reciprocal translation, refutational synthesis and lines-of-argument to synthesize qualitative studies. Three main themes were identified: (a) schema for the migration dream: optimism; (b) the reality of the migration dream: so close, yet so far; and (c) resilience: from chaos to order. A general framework of motivated psychosocial and behavioural adaptation was proposed. This meta-ethnography also revealed the vulnerabilities of migrant nurses in the process of acculturation and socialization. The general framework of behavioural and psychosocial adaptation revealed factors that impede and facilitate behavioural and psychosocial changes. Strategies to enrich external and internal resources should be targeted at encouraging multiculturalism and at improving the psychosocial resources of migrant care workers. It is suggested that research investigating the prominence of nursing vulnerabilities be conducted. © 2014 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  17. Discrepancies in assessing home care workers' working conditions in a Norwegian home care service: differing views of stakeholders at three organizational levels.

    PubMed

    Andersen, Gunn Robstad; Westgaard, Rolf H

    2015-07-25

    The present study is a follow-up study of factors contributing to an undesirable quality of work environment and sick leave rate in the home care services in a Norwegian municipality. The underlying assumption is that organizational discrepancies in the perceptions and appraisals of significant factors and processes in an organization have detrimental effects on the management of the organization and on work environment conditions. Thus, the study aim is to explore potential organizational discrepancies in the appraisals of factors relating to home care workers' working conditions. The study, using a mixed-methods design, comprised six home care units. It included survey responses of home care workers (80 respondents, response rate 54 %) and qualitative descriptions of stakeholders' appraisals of organizational issues gathered through semi-structured interviews (33 interviews with stakeholders at three organizational levels). Employees at different organizational levels in the home care services expressed divergent appraisals of factors related to the working conditions of home care workers, including impact of organizational measures (i.e. time pressure, work tasks, a new work program, organizational changes, budget model, budget allocation and coping strategies). Survey responses supported interview descriptions by home care workers. Results suggest that organizational discrepancy serve as an important barrier to a sustainable, well-functioning organization in general and to quality-enhancing changes to work procedures in particular. It is recommended to improve communication channels and facilitate the exchange of information across levels to ensure a common understanding of matters significant to the organization of the home care services and to the work environment of home care workers. The prevalence and impact of organizational discrepancy should be included in organization research, particularly when exploring explanatory factors of an unhealthy

  18. Ethics and safety in home care: perspectives on home support workers.

    PubMed

    Storch, Janet; Curry, Cherie Geering; Stevenson, Lynn; Macdonald, Marilyn; Lang, Ariella

    2014-03-01

    Home support workers (HSWs) encounter unique safety issues in their provision of home care. These issues raise ethical concerns, affecting the care workers provide to seniors and other recipients. This paper is derived from a subproject of a larger Canada-wide study, Safety at Home: A Pan-Canadian Home Care Safety Study, released in June 2013 by the Canadian Patient Safety Institute. Semi-structured, face-to-face, audiotaped interviews were conducted with providers, clients and informal caregivers in British Columbia, Manitoba and New Brunswick to better understand their perceptions of patient safety in home care. Using the BC data only, we then compared our findings to findings of other BC studies focusing on safety in home care that were conducted over the past decade. Through our interviews and comparative analyses it became clear that HSWs experienced significant inequities in providing home care. Utilizing a model depicting concerns of and for HSWs developed by Craven and colleagues (2012), we were able to illustrate the physical, spatial, interpersonal and temporal concerns set in the context of system design that emphasized the ethical dilemmas of HSWs in home care. Our data suggested the necessity of adding a fifth domain, organizational (system design). In this paper, we issue a call for stronger advocacy for home care and improved collaboration and resource equity between institutional care and community care.

  19. Effects of aging on morningness-eveningness and sleep habits in Korean and Japanese workers.

    PubMed

    Park, Y M; Matsumoto, K; Seo, Y J; Shinkoda, H; Park, K P

    1998-04-01

    The Morningness-Eveningness Questionnaire and Life Habits Inventory were given to Korean and Japanese workers. The distributions of scores on the questionnaire for these two groups were normal and its mean slightly moved to the Morning type with aging. It is noteworthy, however, that the mean scores of Korean workers was lower than those of the Japanese workers. The self-reported waking times and bedtimes for the two groups gradually became earlier with aging. From these results it could be said that aging was an factor that led to the difference of circadian phase.

  20. A Multidisciplinary Work-Related Low Back Pain Predictor Questionnaire: Psychometric Evaluation of Iranian Patient-Care Workers.

    PubMed

    Sarallah, Shojaei; Sadat, Tavafian Sedigheh; Jamshidi, Ahmad Reza; Joan, Wagner

    2016-06-01

    Psychometric evaluation design. Psychometric evaluation of a multidisciplinary work-related low back pain predictor questionnaire (MWRLBPPQ) of Iranians patient-care workers based on the social cognitive theory. Healthcare is one of the professions in which work-related musculoskeletal disorders are prevalent. The chronic low back pain experienced by patient caregivers can negatively impact their professional performance, and patient handling in a hospital is the main cause of low back pain in this population. This was a cross-sectional study carried out in Qom, Iran from July 2014 to November 2014. A MWRLBPPQ based on nine concepts of the social cognitive theory and existing literature regarding chronic low back pain was developed. Ten patient-care workers first completed the questionnaire as a pilot test, allowing the ambiguities of the instrument to be resolved. Exploratory factor analysis was used to confirm construct validity. This questionnaire was distributed among 452 patient-care workers in hospitals located in different geographically areas in Qom, Iran. Cronbach's Alpha was calculated to assess reliability. In all, 452 caregivers of patients with mean age of 37.71 (standard deviation=8.3) years participated in the study. An exploratory factor analysis loaded seven concepts of self-efficacy, knowledge, outcome perception, self-control, emotional coping, and self-efficacy in overcoming impediments and challenges in the environment. All concepts were jointly accounted for 50.08% of variance of behavior change. The Cronbach's alpha coefficient showed favorable internal consistency (alpha=0.83), and test-retest of the scale with 2-week intervals indicated an appropriate stability for the MWRLBPPQ. The MWRLBPPQ is a reliable and valid theory-based instrument that can be used to predict factors influencing work-related low back pain among workers who lift and transfer patients in hospitals.

  1. A Multidisciplinary Work-Related Low Back Pain Predictor Questionnaire: Psychometric Evaluation of Iranian Patient-Care Workers

    PubMed Central

    Sarallah, Shojaei; Jamshidi, Ahmad Reza; Joan, Wagner

    2016-01-01

    Study Design Psychometric evaluation design. Purpose Psychometric evaluation of a multidisciplinary work-related low back pain predictor questionnaire (MWRLBPPQ) of Iranians patient-care workers based on the social cognitive theory. Overview of Literature Healthcare is one of the professions in which work-related musculoskeletal disorders are prevalent. The chronic low back pain experienced by patient caregivers can negatively impact their professional performance, and patient handling in a hospital is the main cause of low back pain in this population. Methods This was a cross-sectional study carried out in Qom, Iran from July 2014 to November 2014. A MWRLBPPQ based on nine concepts of the social cognitive theory and existing literature regarding chronic low back pain was developed. Ten patient-care workers first completed the questionnaire as a pilot test, allowing the ambiguities of the instrument to be resolved. Exploratory factor analysis was used to confirm construct validity. This questionnaire was distributed among 452 patient-care workers in hospitals located in different geographically areas in Qom, Iran. Cronbach's Alpha was calculated to assess reliability. Results In all, 452 caregivers of patients with mean age of 37.71 (standard deviation=8.3) years participated in the study. An exploratory factor analysis loaded seven concepts of self-efficacy, knowledge, outcome perception, self-control, emotional coping, and self-efficacy in overcoming impediments and challenges in the environment. All concepts were jointly accounted for 50.08% of variance of behavior change. The Cronbach's alpha coefficient showed favorable internal consistency (alpha=0.83), and test-retest of the scale with 2-week intervals indicated an appropriate stability for the MWRLBPPQ. Conclusions The MWRLBPPQ is a reliable and valid theory-based instrument that can be used to predict factors influencing work-related low back pain among workers who lift and transfer patients in hospitals

  2. "Life Within the Person Comes to The Fore": Pastoral Workers' Practice Wisdom on Using Arts in Palliative Care.

    PubMed

    O'Callaghan, Clare; Byrne, Libby; Cokalis, Eleni; Glenister, David; Santilli, Margaret; Clark, Rose; McCarthy, Therese; Michael, Natasha

    2018-07-01

    Pastoral care (also chaplaincy, spiritual care) assists people to find meaning, personal resources, and connection with self, others, and/or a higher power. Although essential in palliative care, there remains limited examination of what pastoral workers do. This study examined how pastoral workers use and consider the usefulness of art-based modalities. Qualitative research was used to examine the practice wisdom (tacit practice knowledge) of pastoral workers experienced in using visual arts and music in palliative care. Two focus groups were conducted. Thematic analysis was informed by grounded theory. Six pastoral workers shared information. Three themes emerged. First, pastoral workers use arts as "another tool" to extend scope of practice by assisting patients and families to symbolically and more deeply contemplate what they find "sacred." Second, pastoral workers' art affinities inform their aims, assessments, and interactions. Third, pastoral workers perceive that art-based modalities can validate, enlighten, and transform patients and families through enabling them to "multisensorially" (through many senses) feel recognized, accepted, empowered, and/or close to God. Key elements involved in the work's transformative effects include enabling beauty, ritual, and the sense of "home" being heard, and legacy creation. Pastoral workers interpret that offering art-based modalities in palliative care can help patients and families to symbolically deal with painful memories and experiences, creatively engage with that deemed significant, and/or encounter a sense of transcendence. Training in generalist art-based care needs to be offered in pastoral education.

  3. Predictors of Ethical Stress, Moral Action and Job Satisfaction in Health Care Social Workers

    PubMed Central

    O'Donnell, Patricia; Farrar, Adrienne; BrintzenhofeSzoc, Karlynn; Conrad, Ann Patrick; Danis, Marion; Grady, Christine; Taylor, Carol; Ulrich, Connie M.

    2016-01-01

    Value conflicts can be a source of ethical stress for social workers in health care settings. That stress, unless mediated by the availability of ethical resource services, can lead to social workers' dissatisfaction with their positions and careers, and possibly result in needed professionals leaving the field. This study explored social workers' experiences in dealing with ethical issues in health care settings. Findings showed the inter-relationship between selected individual and organizational factors and overall ethical stress, the ability to take moral actions, the impact of ethical stress on job satisfaction, and the intent to leave position. PMID:18551828

  4. Transmission of Staphylococcus aureus between health-care workers, the environment, and patients in an intensive care unit: a longitudinal cohort study based on whole-genome sequencing.

    PubMed

    Price, James R; Cole, Kevin; Bexley, Andrew; Kostiou, Vasiliki; Eyre, David W; Golubchik, Tanya; Wilson, Daniel J; Crook, Derrick W; Walker, A Sarah; Peto, Timothy E A; Llewelyn, Martin J; Paul, John

    2017-02-01

    Health-care workers have been implicated in nosocomial outbreaks of Staphylococcus aureus, but the dearth of evidence from non-outbreak situations means that routine health-care worker screening and S aureus eradication are controversial. We aimed to determine how often S aureus is transmitted from health-care workers or the environment to patients in an intensive care unit (ICU) and a high-dependency unit (HDU) where standard infection control measures were in place. In this longitudinal cohort study, we systematically sampled health-care workers, the environment, and patients over 14 months at the ICU and HDU of the Royal Sussex County Hospital, Brighton, England. Nasal swabs were taken from health-care workers every 4 weeks, bed spaces were sampled monthly, and screening swabs were obtained from patients at admission to the ICU or HDU, weekly thereafter, and at discharge. Isolates were cultured and their whole genome sequenced, and we used the threshold of 40 single-nucleotide variants (SNVs) or fewer to define subtypes and infer recent transmission. Between Oct 31, 2011, and Dec 23, 2012, we sampled 198 health-care workers, 40 environmental locations, and 1854 patients; 1819 isolates were sequenced. Median nasal carriage rate of S aureus in health-care workers at 4-weekly timepoints was 36·9% (IQR 35·7-37·3), and 115 (58%) health-care workers had S aureus detected at least once during the study. S aureus was identified in 8-50% of environmental samples. 605 genetically distinct subtypes were identified (median SNV difference 273, IQR 162-399) at a rate of 38 (IQR 34-42) per 4-weekly cycle. Only 25 instances of transmission to patients (seven from health-care workers, two from the environment, and 16 from other patients) were detected. In the presence of standard infection control measures, health-care workers were infrequently sources of transmission to patients. S aureus epidemiology in the ICU and HDU is characterised by continuous ingress of distinct

  5. Health system challenges to integration of mental health delivery in primary care in Kenya--perspectives of primary care health workers.

    PubMed

    Jenkins, Rachel; Othieno, Caleb; Okeyo, Stephen; Aruwa, Julyan; Kingora, James; Jenkins, Ben

    2013-09-30

    Health system weaknesses in Africa are broadly well known, constraining progress on reducing the burden of both communicable and non-communicable disease (Afr Health Monitor, Special issue, 2011, 14-24), and the key challenges in leadership, governance, health workforce, medical products, vaccines and technologies, information, finance and service delivery have been well described (Int Arch Med, 2008, 1:27). This paper uses focus group methodology to explore health worker perspectives on the challenges posed to integration of mental health into primary care by generic health system weakness. Two ninety minute focus groups were conducted in Nyanza province, a poor agricultural region of Kenya, with 20 health workers drawn from a randomised controlled trial to evaluate the impact of a mental health training programme for primary care, 10 from the intervention group clinics where staff had received the training programme, and 10 health workers from the control group where staff had not received the training). These focus group discussions suggested that there are a number of generic health system weaknesses in Kenya which impact on the ability of health workers to care for clients with mental health problems and to implement new skills acquired during a mental health continuing professional development training programmes. These weaknesses include the medicine supply, health management information system, district level supervision to primary care clinics, the lack of attention to mental health in the national health sector targets, and especially its absence in district level targets, which results in the exclusion of mental health from such district level supervision as exists, and the lack of awareness in the district management team about mental health. The lack of mental health coverage included in HIV training courses experienced by the health workers was also striking, as was the intensive focus during district supervision on HIV to the detriment of other

  6. Self-reported reasons for hand hygiene in 3 groups of health care workers.

    PubMed

    McLaughlin, Anne Collins; Walsh, Fran

    2012-09-01

    The hands of health care workers continue to be the main vector for nosocomial infection in hospitals. The purpose of the current research was to capture the health beliefs and self-reported behaviors of US health care workers to better understand why workers avoid hand hygiene and what prompts them to wash. An online survey of health care workers assessed their reasons for washing their hands, reasons for not washing, and what cues prompted the decision to wash or not wash in a variety of locations. The findings were that hand hygiene could be cued by an external situation but tended to be motivated internally. Hand hygiene was avoided because of situational barriers. The reasons for performing hand hygiene can be situated in the internally motivated Theory of Planned Behavior; however, the reasons for not performing hand hygiene tend to be situational and affected by the environment. The results may be used to design programs, products, and systems that promote appropriate hand hygiene practices. Principles for design of these programs and products are provided. Copyright © 2012 Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology, Inc. Published by Mosby, Inc. All rights reserved.

  7. Building capacity and resilience in the dementia care workforce: a systematic review of interventions targeting worker and organizational outcomes.

    PubMed

    Elliott, Kate-Ellen J; Scott, Jennifer L; Stirling, Christine; Martin, Angela J; Robinson, Andrew

    2012-06-01

    Dementia increasingly impacts every health and social care system in the world. Preparing the dementia care workforce is therefore paramount, particularly in light of existing problems of staff retention and turnover. Training interventions will need to increase worker and organizational capacity to deliver effective patient care. It is not clear which training interventions best enhance workers' capacity. A review of the evidence for dementia care training interventions to enhance worker capacity and facilitate organizational change is presented. A systematic literature review was conducted. All selected randomized intervention studies aimed to enhance some aspect of dementia care worker or workforce capacity such as knowledge of dementia, psychological well-being, work performance, and organizational factors such as retention or service delivery in dementia care. Seventy-four relevant studies were identified, but only six met inclusion criteria for the review. The six studies selected focused on worker and organizational outcomes in dementia care. All interventions were multi-component with dementia education or instructional training most commonly adopted. No interventions were found for the community setting. Variable effects were found for intervention outcomes and methodological concerns are raised. The rigor of scientific research in training interventions that aim to build capacity of dementia care workers is poor and a strong need exists for evaluation and delivery of such interventions in the community sphere. Wider domains of interest such as worker psychological health and well-being need to be examined further, to understand capacity-building in the dementia care workforce.

  8. Effect of Shift Work on Sleep, Health, and Quality of Life of Health-care Workers.

    PubMed

    Nena, Evangelia; Katsaouni, Maria; Steiropoulos, Paschalis; Theodorou, Evangelos; Constantinidis, Theodoros C; Tripsianis, Grigorios

    2018-01-01

    Shift work is associated with sleep disruption, impaired quality of life, and is a risk factor for several health conditions. Aim of this study was to investigate the impact of shift work on sleep and quality of life of health-care workers (HCW). Tertiary University hospital in Greece. Cross-sectional study. Included were HCW, working either in an irregular shift system or exclusively in morning shifts. All participants answered the WHO-5 Well-Being Index (WHO-5) and a questionnaire on demographics and medical history. Shift workers filled the Shift Work Disorders Screening Questionnaire (SWDSQ). Descriptive statistics, Student's t -test, one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA), Pearson's r correlation coefficient, and multivariate stepwise linear regression analysis were applied. Included were 312 employees (87.9% females), 194 working in irregular shift system and 118 in morning shifts. Most shift-workers (58.2%) were somehow or totally dissatisfied with their sleep quality. Regression analysis revealed the following independent determinants for sleep impairment: parenthood ( P < 0.001), age 36-45 years ( P < 0.001), >3 night shifts/week ( P < 0.001), work >5 years in an irregular shift system ( P < 0.001). Diabetes mellitus was the most common medical condition reported by shift workers ( P = 0.008). Comparison between the two groups revealed a significantly impairment in WHO-5 total score, as well as in 4 of 5 of its items ( P < 0.001). Shift-work impairs quality of life, whereas its duration and frequency, along with age and family status of employees can have adverse effects on sleep.

  9. Knowledge and Perceptions Regarding Community-Acquired Staphylococcal Infections Among Health Care Workers in Hawai‘i

    PubMed Central

    Katz, Alan; Hurwitz, Eric; Tice, Alan

    2013-01-01

    Introduction Since the early 1990s, national rates of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) infections have increased dramatically. Initially identified in health care settings, community-acquired MRSA is now a major public health concern. With Hawai‘i's strikingly high incidence and prevalence of MRSA infections, a high level of knowledge and awareness among health care workers is essential to successfully controlling this evolving epidemic. Methods Health care and related workers were surveyed to assess their knowledge and perceptions about staphylococcal and MRSA infections. Knowledge was estimated by demonstrated ability to correctly identify risk factors including diabetes, obesity, pets, and seawater exposure as well as understanding the seriousness of antibiotic resistance. Perceptions were estimated by demonstrated awareness of the severity and elevated incidence and prevalence of S. aureus and MRSA infections. Results This study identified that occupation (advance clinical practitioner, nurse, public health professional, athletic trainers, and non-medical workers) as well as work location (community vs hospital) influence knowledge and perceptions regarding the epidemiology, severity, and risk factors of S. aureus and MRSA infections. Additionally, despite a well-documented global crisis with antibiotic resistance, Hawai‘i's community health care workers were less inclined to correctly identify the threat of antibiotic resistance as compared to their hospital-based colleagues. Conclusion Trends were observed in knowledge and perceptions with level of medical education. Differences were also noted according to work location. Overall, health care and related workers in the community were less likely to understand basic principles associated with S. aureus infections as well as misperceive this imminent threat. These findings provide compelling evidence for focused educational interventions targeting community health care and related workers

  10. A prospective study of factors associated with risk of turnover among care workers in group homes for elderly individuals with dementia.

    PubMed

    Suzumura, Miwa; Fushiki, Yasuhiro; Kobayashi, Kota; Oura, Asae; Suzumura, Shigeo; Yamashita, Masafumi; Mori, Mitsuru

    2013-01-01

    A prospective study was conducted to assess factors associated with risk of turnover among care workers in group homes (GHs) for elderly individuals with dementia. In January, 2010, 51 out of 238 GHs in Sapporo City responded to our request for participation in a survey. During February and March of 2010, 438 out of 700 care workers (62.6%) in the GHs returned a completed questionnaire to us. They were followed up with until March of 2012, and 395 subjects (90.1%) responded to our survey, which was conducted twice. Over the course of 2 years, 91 subjects left their jobs. Cox's proportional hazards model was used for analysis, adjusting for gender and age. Less provision of social support by supervisors, colleagues, family or friends was significantly associated with increased risk of turnover. Financial aids for off-the-job training was marginally significantly associated with reduced risk of turnover. Longer duration of working for frail elderly care was significantly associated with decreased risk of turnover. Habitual smoking was significantly associated with increased risk of turnover. Social support in the workplace may be important to reduce the risk of turnover in care workers at GHs. Further prospective studies are required in other areas in Japan.

  11. The effectiveness of vaccine day and educational interventions on influenza vaccine coverage among health care workers at long-term care facilities.

    PubMed

    Kimura, Akiko C; Nguyen, Christine N; Higa, Jeffrey I; Hurwitz, Eric L; Vugia, Duc J

    2007-04-01

    We examined barriers to influenza vaccination among long-term care facility (LTCF) health care workers in Southern California and developed simple, effective interventions to improve influenza vaccine coverage of these workers. In 2002, health care workers at LTCFs were surveyed regarding their knowledge and attitudes about influenza and the influenza vaccine. Results were used to develop 2 interventions, an educational campaign and Vaccine Day (a well-publicized day for free influenza vaccination of all employees at the worksite). Seventy facilities were recruited to participate in an intervention trial and randomly assigned to 4 study groups. The combination of Vaccine Day and an educational campaign was most effective in increasing vaccine coverage (53% coverage; prevalence ratio [PR]=1.45; 95% confidence interval [CI]=1.24, 1.71, compared with 27% coverage in the control group). Vaccine Day alone was also effective (46% coverage; PR= 1.41; 95% CI=1.17, 1.71). The educational campaign alone was not effective in improving coverage levels (34% coverage; PR=1.18; 95% CI=0.93, 1.50). Influenza vaccine coverage of LTCF health care workers can be improved by providing free vaccinations at the worksite with a well-publicized Vaccine Day.

  12. Health Care Utilization and Costs Associated with Adherence to Clinical Practice Guidelines for Early Magnetic Resonance Imaging among Workers with Acute Occupational Low Back Pain

    PubMed Central

    Graves, Janessa M; Fulton-Kehoe, Deborah; Jarvik, Jeffrey G; Franklin, Gary M

    2014-01-01

    Objective To estimate health care utilization and costs associated with adherence to clinical practice guidelines for the use of early magnetic resonance imaging (MRI; within the first 6 weeks of injury) for acute occupational low back pain (LBP). Data Sources Washington State Disability Risk Identification Study Cohort (D-RISC), consisting of administrative claims and patient interview data from workers’ compensation claimants (2002–2004). Study Design In this prospective, population-based cohort study, we compared health care utilization and costs among workers whose imaging was adherent to guidelines (no early MRI) to workers whose imaging was not adherent to guidelines (early MRI in the absence of red flags). Data Collection/Extraction Methods We identified workers (age >18) with work-related LBP using administrative claims. We obtained demographic, injury, health, and employment information through telephone interviews to adjust for baseline differences between groups. We ascertained health care utilization and costs from administrative claims for 1 year following injury. Principal Findings Of 1,770 workers, 336 (19.0 percent) were classified as nonadherent to guidelines. Outpatient and physical/occupational therapy utilization was 52–54 percent higher for workers whose imaging was not adherent to guidelines compared to workers with guideline-adherent imaging; utilization of chiropractic care was significantly lower (18 percent). Conclusions Nonadherence to guidelines for early MRI was associated with increased likelihood of lumbosacral injections or surgery and higher costs for out-patient, inpatient, and nonmedical services, and disability compensation. PMID:23910019

  13. Age in Relation to Worker Compensation Costs in the Construction Industry

    PubMed Central

    Schwatka, Natalie V.; Butler, Lesley M.; Rosecrance, John C.

    2015-01-01

    Background A better understanding of how workers’ compensation (WC) costs are affected by an aging US workforce is needed, especially for physically demanding industries, such as construction. Methods The relationship between age and injury type on claim costs was evaluated using a database of 107,064 Colorado WC claims filed between 1998 and 2008 among construction workers. Results Mean WC costs increased with increasing age for total cost (P < 0.0001), medical costs (P < 0.0001), and indemnity costs (P < 0.0001). For each one-year increase in age, indemnity, and medical costs increased by 3.5% and 1.1%, respectively. For specific injury types, such as strains and contusions, the association between age and indemnity costs was higher among claimants aged ≥65 compared to claimants aged 18–24. Conclusions Our findings suggest that specific injury types may be partially responsible for the higher indemnity costs among older construction workers, compared with their younger coworkers. PMID:22782837

  14. Disinfection of reusable elastomeric respirators by health care workers: a feasibility study and development of standard operating procedures.

    PubMed

    Bessesen, Mary T; Adams, Jill C; Radonovich, Lewis; Anderson, Judith

    2015-06-01

    This was a feasibility study in a Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center to develop a standard operating procedure (SOP) to be used by health care workers to disinfect reusable elastomeric respirators under pandemic conditions. Registered and licensed practical nurses, nurse practitioners, aides, clinical technicians, and physicians took part in the study. Health care worker volunteers were provided with manufacturers' cleaning and disinfection instructions and all necessary supplies. They were observed and filmed. SOPs were developed, based on these observations, and tested on naïve volunteer health care workers. Error rates using manufacturers' instructions and SOPs were compared. When using respirator manufacturers' cleaning and disinfection instructions, without specific training or supervision, all subjects made multiple errors. When using the SOPs developed in the study, without specific training or guidance, naïve health care workers disinfected respirators with zero errors. Reusable facial protective equipment may be disinfected by health care workers with minimal training using SOPs. Published by Elsevier Inc.

  15. Application of theory to family-centered care: a role for social workers.

    PubMed

    Miller, Gary

    2012-01-01

    Family-centered care is an emerging trend in health care settings today. An explanation, principles, and a definition of family-centered care are offered and discussed. A theoretical framework, Balance Theory of Coordination, which can be utilized by social workers to develop and enhance family-centered care practices, is explained and discussed. Various family-centered care practices are examined within the context of Balance Theory of Coordination as examples.

  16. A Survey of the Asthma Knowledge and Practices of Child Care Workers.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Ramm, John; And Others

    1994-01-01

    Investigated the asthma knowledge and practices of 247 child-care workers in southwestern Sydney. Two hundred and twelve (86 percent) correctly identified a persistent cough as the predominant symptom of childhood asthma, with wheezing (98 percent) being the response chosen most often. Nearly 50 percent of workers had used a nebulizer and/or a…

  17. Push, pull, and reverse: self-interest, responsibility, and the global health care worker shortage.

    PubMed

    Kirby, Katherine E; Siplon, Patricia

    2012-06-01

    The world is suffering from a dearth of health care workers, and sub-Saharan Africa, an area of great need, is experiencing the worst shortage. Developed countries are making the problem worse by luring health care workers away from the countries that need them most, while developing countries do not have the resources to stem the flow or even replace those lost. Postmodern philosopher Emmanuel Levinas offers a unique ethical framework that is helpful in assessing both the irresponsibility inherent in the current global health care situation and the responsibility and obligation held by the stakeholders involved in this global crisis. Drawing on Levinas' exploration of individual freedom and self-pursuit, infinite responsibility for the Other, and the potential emergence of a just community, we demonstrate its effectiveness in explaining the health care worker crisis, and we argue in favor of a variety of policy and development assistance measures that are grounded in an orientation of non-indifference toward Others.

  18. Home-Care-Aides Voices from the Field: Job Experiences of Personal Support Specialists—the Maine Home Care Worker Retention Study

    PubMed Central

    Ashley, Alison; Butler, Sandra S.; Fishwick, Nancy

    2010-01-01

    In response to a rapidly aging population that is living longer with more chronic health needs, increased recruitment and successful retention of home care aides is essential. Insight into the job experiences of Personal Support Specialists is provided through the qualitative findings from a mixed-method mail survey (n=131). Workers described reasons why they do their jobs (feeling rewarded, valuing helping and being energized by homecare work) as well as the challenges they face providing homecare (low wages; along with a lack of benefits, respect and recognition). Both short and longer term recommendations are formulated based on workers’ narrative responses. PMID:20592538

  19. Effects of knowledge and internal locus of control in groups of health care workers judging likelihood of pathogen transfer.

    PubMed

    McLaughlin, Anne Collins; Walsh, Fran; Bryant, Michelle

    2013-08-01

    A study was conducted to measure the effects of attitudes and beliefs on the risk judgments of health care workers. Lack of hand hygiene compliance is a worldwide issue in health care, contributing to infections, fatalities, and increased health care costs. Human factors methods are a promising solution to the problem of compliance, although thus far, the concentration has been on process and engineering methods, such as the design of no-touch sinks. Factors internal to the health care worker, such as their attitudes and beliefs about hand hygiene, have received less attention. For this study, three groups of health care workers completed measures of attitudes, control beliefs, and hand hygiene knowledge. They then provided risk judgments of touching various surfaces via a factorial survey. Attitudes, knowledge, control beliefs, and surface type all predicted the risk judgments of the sample of health care workers, with differences between professional groups. Health care workers perceive less risk when touching surfaces,which may explain historically low rates of hand hygiene compliance after surface contact. Although more research is needed to directly connect risk judgments to failures of hand hygiene, the current results can inform interventions targeting the internal attitudes and beliefs of health care workers.

  20. A role for social workers in improving care setting transitions: a case study.

    PubMed

    Barber, Ruth D; Coulourides Kogan, Alexis; Riffenburgh, Anne; Enguidanos, Susan

    2015-01-01

    High 30-day readmission rates are a major burden to the American medical system. Much attention is on transitional care to decrease financial costs and improve patient outcomes. Social workers may be uniquely qualified to improve care transitions and have not previously been used in this role. We present a case study of an older, dually eligible Latina woman who received a social work-driven transition intervention that included in-home and telephone contacts. The patient was not readmitted during the six-month study period, mitigated her high pain levels, and engaged in social outings once again. These findings suggest the value of a social worker in a transitional care role.

  1. Job Burnout, Job Satisfaction, and Related Factors among Health Care Workers in Golestan Province, Iran.

    PubMed

    Kabir, Mohammad Javad; Heidari, Alireza; Etemad, Koorosh; Gashti, Ashrafi Babazadeh; Jafari, Nahid; Honarvar, Mohammad Reza; Ariaee, Mohammad; Lotfi, Mansureh

    2016-09-01

    Burnout causes physical and emotional tireness, job dissatisfaction, resulting in reduced efficiency and a feeling of alienation from colleagues. Also, job satisfaction has a major impact on job-related behaviors, such as turnover intention, absenteeism, and job performance. The aim of this study was to determine job burnout, job satisfaction rate, and related factors among health care workers in Golestan Province in Iran. This cross-sectional study was conducted with 1,141 health workers in Golestan Province in northern Iran. Data were collected using a questionnaire that was comprised of four sections. It consisted of socio-economic characteristics, physical environment and facilities of health house (rural health clinic), Maslach burnout inventory, and a satisfaction questionnaire. Multi-nomial Logistic Regression was conducted to analyze the data using SPSS software, version 22. There were significant relationships between the intensity of job burnout and age (p < 0.001), years of experience (p < 0.001), low education level (p = 0.027), number of children (p = 0.002), dissatisfaction with income (p < 0.001), physical environment of health houses (p = 0.003), facilities of health houses (p = 0.025). There were significant relationships between the frequency of job burnout and age (p < 0.001), years of experience (p < 0.001), low education level (p = 0.016), number of children (p = 0.003), dissatisfaction with income (p < 0.001), and the physical environment of health houses (p = 0.008). There were significant relationships between job satisfaction and the satisfaction from income (p = 0.001), the physical environment of health houses (p = 0.001), and the facilities of health houses (p = 0.001). Burnout was average among health workers, and health workers job satisfaction rate was lower than the average level in health workers. Effective interventions are recommended with regards to the unfavorable condition of job satisfaction and its relationship with job

  2. Caring labour, intersectionality and worker satisfaction: an analysis of the National Nursing Assistant Study (NNAS).

    PubMed

    Rakovski, Carter C; Price-Glynn, Kim

    2010-03-01

    Caring labour in long-term care settings is increasingly important as the US population ages. Ethnographic research on nursing assistants (NAs) portrays nursing home care as routine and fast paced in facilities that emphasise life maintenance more than care. Recent interview-based and small quantitative studies describe a mix of positive and negative aspects of NA work, including the rewards of caring, despite shortcomings in working conditions and pay. The current study continues this research but, for the first time, using national data. The 2004 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's National Nursing Assistant Study (NNAS) provides survey data from 3,017 NAs working in long-term care facilities across the US. The NNAS results confirm the importance and centrality of caring to NAs' work. NAs motivated by caring for others were significantly more satisfied with their jobs than those motivated by other reasons, such as convenience or salary. Overall, NAs report surprisingly high job satisfaction, particularly with learning new skills, doing challenging work, and organisational support for caring labour. Areas of dissatisfaction were salary, time for reproductive labour, and turnover. Intersectional analysis revealed race and citizenship played a stronger role than gender in worker satisfaction.

  3. Are healthcare workers immune to rubella?

    PubMed Central

    Borràs, Eva; Campins, Magda; Esteve, María; Urbiztondo, Luis; Broner, Sonia; Bayas, José María; Costa, Josep; Domínguez, Angela; in Healthcare Workers, Working Group for the Study of the Immune Status

    2014-01-01

    Healthcare workers (HCW) have high exposure to infectious diseases, some of which, such as rubella, are vaccine-preventable. The aim of this study was to determine the immunity of HCW against rubella. We performed a seroprevalence study using a self-administered survey and obtained blood samples to determine rubella Immunoglobulin G (IgG) antibody levels in HCW during preventive examinations by five Primary Care Basic Prevention Units and six tertiary hospitals in Catalonia. Informed consent was obtained. IgG was determined using an antibody capture microparticle direct chemiluminometric technique. The odss ratio (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) were calculated. Logistic regression was made to calculate adjusted OR. Of 642 HCW who participated (29.9% physician, 38.8% nurses, 13.3% other health workers and 18% non-health workers), 46.6% were primary care workers and 53.4% hospital workers. Of total, 97.2% had rubella antibodies. HCW aged 30–44 years had a higher prevalence of antibodies (98.4%) compared with HCW aged <30 years (adjusted OR 3.92; 95% CI 1.04–14.85). The prevalence was higher in nurses than in other HCW (adjusted OR: 5.57, 95% CI 1.21–25.59). Antibody prevalence did not differ between females and males (97.4% vs. 97.1%, P 0.89), type of center (97.7% vs. 96.8%, P 0.51) or according to history of vaccination (97.3% vs. 96.8%, P 0.82). Seroprevalence of rubella antibodies is high in HCW, but workers aged <30 years have a higher susceptibility (5.5%). Vaccination should be reinforced in HCW in this age group, due to the risk of nosocomial transmission and congenital rubella. PMID:24356729

  4. Mammography Screening Uptake among Female Health Care Workers in Primary Health Care Centers in Palestine - Motivators and Barriers.

    PubMed

    Nazzal, Zaher; Sholi, Hisham; Sholi, Suha; Sholi, Mohammad; Lahaseh, Rawya

    2016-01-01

    Early detection remains the cornerstone of breast cancer control in terms of outcome and survival. Thus far the only breast cancer screening method proven effective is mammography. The awareness of female health care workers (HCW) about breast cancer prevention is of vital importance, as their beliefs and behavior may have a major impact on other women. This study was designed to assess mammography screening uptake among female healthcare workers at primary healthcare centers, and to identify the primary motivators and barriers that affect uptake results. A cross sectional study design was used to assess mammography screening by 299 female healthcare workers who completed a self-administered questionnaire that assessed demographics, screening uptake, motivators and barriers. The mean age was 46 years (within age of risk). The majority (95.1%) demonstrated adequate knowledge about breast cancer and mammography screening and 50% of the participants reported having at least one mammogram; however only 21% of them had regularly scheduled mammograms. The most frequent reported motivator was the perceived benefit that early detection of breast cancer is important for its management (89.6%), followed by the belief that mammography can detect breast cancer before its symptoms appear (84.4%). On the other hand, the most frequent barrier reported was being busy (46.7%), followed by the lack of perceived susceptibility (41.5%). Mammography screening was found to be sub-optimal in a population of HCW's with 50 % stating that they received a mammogram at least once, and a minority reported regular screening. There is a pressing need for educational programs aimed at removing the barriers that limit compliance with recommendations for mammography screening, and to emphasize the importance of early detection in breast cancer treatment. Ensuring the availability and accessibility of screening services, particularly for healthcare workers within their work settings are other

  5. Primary healthcare worker knowledge related to prenatal and immediate newborn care: a cross sectional study in Masindi, Uganda

    PubMed Central

    2014-01-01

    Background Global neonatal mortality remains unacceptably high. Health workers who attend to prenatal and postnatal mothers need to be knowledgeable in preventive and curative care for pregnant women and their newborn babies. This study aimed to determine the level of knowledge related to prenatal and immediate newborn care among primary healthcare workers in Masindi, Uganda. Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted. Interviews comprised of 25 multiple-choice questions were administered to health workers who were deployed to offer prenatal and postnatal care in Masindi in November 2011. Questions were related to four domains of knowledge: prenatal care, immediate newborn care, management of neonatal infections and identifying and stabilizing Low-Birth Weight (LBW) babies. Corresponding composite variables were derived; level of knowledge among health workers dichotomized as ‘adequate’ or ‘inadequate’. The chi-square statistic test was used to examine associations with independent variables including level of training (nursing assistant, general nurse or midwife), level of care (hospital/health centre level IV or health centre level III/II) and years of service (five years or less, six years or more). Results 183 health workers were interviewed: general nurses (39.3%), midwives (21.9%) and nursing assistants (38.8%). Respectively, 53.6%, 46.5%, 7.1% and 56.3% were considered to have adequate knowledge in prenatal care, newborn care, management of neonatal infections and identifying/stabilizing LBW babies. Being a general nurse was significantly associated with having adequate knowledge in identifying and stabilizing LBW babies (p < 0.001) compared to being a nursing assistant. Level of care being hospital/health centre level IV was not significantly associated with having adequate knowledge in prenatal or newborn care with reference to health centres of level III/II. Conclusion Knowledge regarding prenatal and newborn care among primary healthcare

  6. Universal Coverage without Universal Access: Institutional Barriers to Health Care among Women Sex Workers in Vancouver, Canada.

    PubMed

    Socías, M Eugenia; Shoveller, Jean; Bean, Chili; Nguyen, Paul; Montaner, Julio; Shannon, Kate

    2016-01-01

    Access to health care is a crucial determinant of health. Yet, even within settings that purport to provide universal health coverage (UHC), sex workers' experiences reveal systematic, institutionally ingrained barriers to appropriate quality health care. The aim of this study was to assess prevalence and correlates of institutional barriers to care among sex workers in a setting with UHC. Data was drawn from an ongoing community-based, prospective cohort of women sex workers in Vancouver, Canada (An Evaluation of Sex Workers' Health Access). Multivariable logistic regression analyses, using generalized estimating equations (GEE), were employed to longitudinally investigate correlates of institutional barriers to care over a 44-month follow-up period (January 2010-August 2013). In total, 723 sex workers were included, contributing to 2506 observations. Over the study period, 509 (70.4%) women reported one or more institutional barriers to care. The most commonly reported institutional barriers to care were long wait times (54.6%), limited hours of operation (36.5%), and perceived disrespect by health care providers (26.1%). In multivariable GEE analyses, recent partner- (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] = 1.46, % 95% Confidence Interval [CI] 1.10-1.94), workplace- (AOR = 1.31, 95% CI 1.05-1.63), and community-level violence (AOR = 1.41, 95% CI 1.04-1.92), as well as other markers of vulnerability, such as self-identification as a gender/sexual minority (AOR = 1.32, 95% CI 1.03-1.69), a mental illness diagnosis (AOR = 1.66, 95% CI 1.34-2.06), and lack of provincial health insurance card (AOR = 3.47, 95% CI 1.59-7.57) emerged as independent correlates of institutional barriers to health services. Despite Canada's UHC, women sex workers in Vancouver face high prevalence of institutional barriers to care, with highest burden among most marginalized women. These findings underscore the need to explore new models of care, alongside broader policy changes to fulfill sex workers

  7. Nasal Carriage Rate of Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus aureus among Health Care Workers at a Tertiary Care Hospital in Kathmandu, Nepal.

    PubMed

    Khatri, S; Pant, N D; Bhandari, R; Shrestha, K L; Shrestha, C D; Adhikari, N; Poudel, A

    2017-01-01

    Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus is one of the most common causes of nosocomial infections. Due to its multidrug resistant nature; infections due to Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus are often very difficult to treat. Colonized health care workers are the important sources of Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus. The objectives of this study were to determine the nasal carriage rate of Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus among health care workers at Kathmandu Medical College and Teaching Hospital, Nepal and to assess their antimicrobial susceptibility patterns. A cross sectional study was conducted among 252 health care workers from July to November 2013. Mannitol salt agar was used to culture the nasal swabs. Antimicrobial susceptibility testing was performed by Kirby-Bauer disc diffusion technique following Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute guidelines. Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus strains were confirmed by using cefoxitin disc and by determining the minimum inhibitory concentration of oxacillin by agar dilution method. Of 252 healthcare workers, 46(18.3%) were positive for Staphylococcus aureus among which 19(41.3%) were Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus carriers. Overall rate of nasal carriage of Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus was 7.5% (19/252).The higher percentages of lab personnel were nasal carriers of S. aureus (31.6%) and Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (10.5%).The percentages of nasal carriage of S. aureus (35.7%) and Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (14.3%) were highest in the health care workers from post operative department. Higher percentage of Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus were susceptible toward amikacin (100%) and vancomycin (100%) followed by cotrimoxazole (84.2%). High rates of nasal carriage of S. aureus and Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus were observed among the healthcare workers, which indicate the need of

  8. Development of the Child Care Worker Job Stress Inventory.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Curbow, Barbara; Spratt, Kai; Ungaretti, Antoinette; McDonnell, Karen; Breckler, Steven

    2000-01-01

    Examined psychometric characteristics of three 17-item measures of child care worker job demands, job control, and job resources. Found that job demands scale had lower reliability than job control or job resources. Demonstrated known groups validity through conceptually meaningful pattern of differences between family childcare providers and…

  9. Social workers in pediatric primary care: communication, gender, and scope of practice.

    PubMed

    Lynch, Sean

    2014-01-01

    While many child mental health issues manifest themselves in primary care, few pediatricians have received mental health training, and their communication with social workers may be limited due to unfamiliarity with mental health professions. The purpose of this study was to use ethnographic interviews to investigate factors affecting communication satisfaction between social workers and pediatricians. The study found that scope of practice issues were a communication barrier. This barrier is significant because health reform may lead social workers and pediatricians to collaborate more frequently in the future.

  10. Mobility for care workers: job changes and wages for nurse aides.

    PubMed

    Ribas, Vanesa; Dill, Janette S; Cohen, Philip N

    2012-12-01

    The long-term care industry in the United States faces serious recruitment and retention problems among nurse aides. At the same time, these low-wage workers may feel trapped in poorly-paid jobs from which they would do well to leave. Despite this tension, not enough is known about how workers fare when they leave (or stay in) such care work. Using longitudinal data from the Survey of Income and Program Participation for the years 1996-2003, we examine the relationship between different job and occupational mobility patterns and wage outcomes for nurse aides, focusing on which job transitions offer better opportunities to earn higher wages and on whether job transition patterns differ by race. Our results confirm high turnover among nurse aides, with 73 percent of the sample working in occupations other than nurse aide at some point during the survey time frame. About half of respondents that transition out of nurse aide work move into higher-paying occupations, although the percentage of transitions to higher paying occupations drops to 35 percent when nurse aides that become RNs are excluded. Among black workers especially, wage penalties for moving into other jobs in the low-wage labor market appear to be rather small, likely a factor in high turnover among nurse aides. The findings illustrate the importance of occupation-specific mobility trajectories and their outcomes for different groups of workers, and for understanding the constrained decisions these workers make. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  11. Supporting people with young onset dementia and their families: An evaluation of a training course for care workers.

    PubMed

    Smith, Raymond; Ooms, Ann; Greenwood, Nan

    2017-11-01

    This article reports the findings of an evaluation of a training course for care workers who care for people with dementia in the community. Twenty-four care workers participated in the training which took place in London and Surrey, United Kingdom. The training had a significant positive impact on participants' confidence in understanding the experiences and social care needs of people with young onset dementia (YOD) and their families. Participants also perceived that the training would help them improve their working practice by furthering their understanding of practical approaches to supporting and caring for people with dementia in general. Additionally, participants reported many ways in which they perceived being able to specifically support and empower people with YOD. It was concluded that the short training course improved knowledge and confidence for care workers on dementia care, and specifically in understanding how to support people with YOD and their families. Dementia specific training should be considered by service managers as a way of potentially increasing care worker job satisfaction. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  12. Does pain deteriorate working life expectancy in aging workers?

    PubMed

    Lee, Wanhyung; Hong, Kwanyoung; Lim, Sung-Shil; Yoon, Jin-Ha

    2016-11-29

    Many aging workers wish to continue working as long as they can for a better life in the future. However, symptoms of pain are a key obstacle in the continuation of work among older workers. The impact of pain on work is understudied. Thus, we investigated the relationship between pain characteristics (total site and severity) and aging workers' working life expectancy scale (WoLES) in Korea. We included 1,979 participants (1,175 men and 804 women) from a well-established survey of a nationally representative population: the Korean Longitudinal Study of Ageing. A self-questionnaire was used to assess pain characteristics and WoLES. Odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for the lower-WoLES group were calculated using multiple logistic regression models. Compared with the absence of pain, ORs and 95% CIs of the lower-WoLES group were increased, as follows: 1 pain site, 1.75 (1.20-2.55); 2 pain sites, 1.99 (1.32-3.03); 3 or more pain sites, 2.28 (1.51-3.42); mild pain, 1.74 (1.32-2.61); moderate pain, 2.02 (1.28-3.22); and severe pain, 2.12 (1.46-3.08). The statistical trend was significant in both total sites and severity of pain (p<0.001). There was a significant association between WoLES and both total pain sites and severity of pain, even after adjusting for potential confounding factors.

  13. Child Care Training Needs Assessment: A Report on the Training Needs of Child Care Workers in Seventeen Agencies in the SUNYA Catchment Area.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Armstrong, Mary; And Others

    An assessment study was conducted to compile a comprehensive view of the training needs of child care workers in eastern upstate New York. A Needs Assessment Questionnaire was distributed to 539 child care workers, and 65% were returned. The questionnaires concerned demographic, specific job-related, and training-related information. In addition,…

  14. Knowledge, attitudes and practice pertaining to depression among primary health care workers in Tanzania

    PubMed Central

    Mbatia, Joseph; Shah, Ajit; Jenkins, Rachel

    2009-01-01

    Background Examination of consultation data in a variety of primary care settings in Tanzania shows that, while psychoses are routinely diagnosed and treated at primary care level, depression is rarely recorded as a reason for consultation. Since, epidemiological studies elswhere show that depression is a much more common disorder than psychosis, a series of studies were undertaken to elucidate this apparent paradox in Tanzania and inform mental health policy; firstly, a household prevalence study to ascertain the prevalence of common mental disorders at community level in Tanzania; secondly, a study to ascertain the prevalence of common mental disorders in primary care attenders; and thirdly, a study to ascertain the current status of the knowledge, attitude and practice pertaining to depression among primary health care workers. This paper reports the findings of the latter study. Methods All the primary health care workers (N = 14) in four primary health care centres in Tanzania were asked to complete the Depression Attitude Questionnaire, which assesses the health worker's knowledge and attitude towards the causes, consequences and treatment of depression. Results The majority of respondents felt that rates of depression had increased in recent years, believed that life events were important in the aetiology of depression, and generally held positive views about pharmacological and psychological treatments of depression, prognosis and their own involvement in the treatment of depressed patients. However, the majority of respondents felt that becoming depressed is a way that people with poor stamina deal with life difficulties. Conclusion The findings suggest a need to strengthen the training of primary health care workers in Tanzania about the detection of depression, pharmacological and psychological treatments, and psychosocial interventions. PMID:19243596

  15. Quits and Job Changes among Home Care Workers in Maine: The Role of Wages, Hours, and Benefits

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Morris, Lisa

    2009-01-01

    Purpose: Figuring out how to make home care jobs more attractive has become a top policy priority. This study investigates the impact of wages, hours, and benefits on the retention of home care workers. Design and Methods: Using a 2-wave survey design and a sample of home care workers from Maine, the factors associated with turnover intentions,…

  16. Health disparities among health care workers.

    PubMed

    Mawn, Barbara; Siqueira, Eduardo; Koren, Ainat; Slatin, Craig; Devereaux Melillo, Karen; Pearce, Carole; Hoff, Lee Ann

    2010-01-01

    In this article we describe the process of an interdisciplinary case study that examined the social contexts of occupational and general health disparities among health care workers in two sets of New England hospitals and nursing homes. A political economy of the work environment framework guided the study, which incorporated dimensions related to market dynamics, technology, and political and economic power. The purpose of this article is to relate the challenges encountered in occupational health care settings and how these could have impacted the study results. An innovative data collection matrix that guided small-group analysis provided a firm foundation from which to make design modifications to address these challenges. Implications for policy and research include the use of a political and economic framework from which to frame future studies, and the need to maintain rigor while allowing flexibility in design to adapt to challenges in the field.

  17. Adverse drug reaction reporting among health care workers at Mulago National Referral and Teaching hospital in Uganda.

    PubMed

    Katusiime, Barbra; Semakula, Daniel; Lubinga, Solomon J

    2015-12-01

    Adverse Drug Reactions (ADRs) are an important contributor to patient morbidity and hospitalisation in Uganda. Under-reporting of ADRs may increase medicine-induced morbidity and mortality among patients. This study determined the extent of ADR reporting, and associated factors, among healthcare workers in Uganda. A quantitative, cross-sectional, study was conducted. Pretested, semi-structured questionnaires were administered to 289 randomly sampled healthcare workers over a three-month period in Mulago National Referral Hospital, Uganda. The primary outcome was the proportion of healthcare workers who had ever reported an ADR. Data was double-entered in Epidata version 3.0, cleaned and exported to STATA version 10.1 for analysis. The overall response rate was 77.2% (n=223). The majority of the respondents were females (139, 62.3%). The median age of all respondents was 32.6 years (min-23; max-65). Only about 16.6% (n=37) of healthcare workers had ever reported an ADR. Very few (n= 84, 37.7%) healthcare workers knew the tools used in ADR reporting. Less than a quarter (n=41, 18.4%) of the healthcare workers knew where to report ADRs. Lack of training was reported as the major (56.5%, 126) deterrent to reporting ADRs by healthcare workers. Adverse drug reactions are under-reported in Uganda, and healthcare workers have insufficient knowledge of existing pharmacovigilance systems, including ADR reporting systems. To address these challenges, there is need to sensitize and train healthcare workers in patient-centred aspects of medicine surveillance, so as to provide appropriate care while optimising patient safety.

  18. [Working conditions and common mental disorders among primary health care workers from Botucatu, São Paulo State].

    PubMed

    Braga, Ludmila Candida de; Carvalho, Lidia Raquel de; Binder, Maria Cecília Pereira

    2010-06-01

    Common mental disorders (CMD) present high prevalence among general populations and workers with important individual and social consequences. This cross-sectional and descriptive study explores the relationship between psychological job demands, job control degree and job support and prevalence of CMD among primary health care workers of Botucatu - SP. The data collection was carried out using an unidentified self-administered questionnaire, with emphasis on items relating to demand-control-support situation and occurrence of CMD (Self Reporting Questionnaire, SRQ-20). The data were stored using the software Excel / Office XP 2003, and the statistical analyses were performed in SAS system. It was evidenced that 42.6% of primary health care workers presented CMD. The observed association - high prevalence of CMD with high-strain job (Karasek model) and low prevalence of CMD with low-strain job - indicates that, in the studied city, primary health care work conditions are contributive factors to workers' illness. The survey reveals the need of interventions aiming at caring the workers and also gets better work conditions and increase social support at work.

  19. Work stress, sleep deficiency and predicted 10-year cardiometabolic risk in a female patient care worker population

    PubMed Central

    Jacobsen, Henrik Børsting; Reme, Silje Endresen; Sembajwe, Grace; Hopcia, Karen; Stiles, Tore C.; Sorensen, Glorian; Porter, James H.; Marino, Miguel; Buxton, Orfeu M.

    2014-01-01

    Objectives The aim of this study was to investigate the longitudinal effect of work-related stress, sleep deficiency and physical activity on 10-year cardiometabolic risk among an all-female worker population. Methods Data on patient care workers (n=99) was collected two years apart. Baseline measures included: job stress, physical activity, night work and sleep deficiency. Biomarkers and objective measurements were used to estimate 10-year cardiometabolic risk at follow-up. Significant associations (P<0.05) from baseline analyses were used to build a multivariable linear regression model. Results The participants were mostly white nurses with a mean age of 41 years. Adjusted linear regression showed that having sleep maintenance problems, a different occupation than nurse, and/or not exercising at recommended levels at baseline increased the 10-year cardiometabolic risk at follow-up. Conclusions In female workers prone to work-related stress and sleep deficiency, maintaining sleep and exercise patterns had a strong impact on modifiable 10-year cardiometabolic risk. PMID:24809311

  20. Work stress, sleep deficiency, and predicted 10-year cardiometabolic risk in a female patient care worker population.

    PubMed

    Jacobsen, Henrik B; Reme, Silje E; Sembajwe, Grace; Hopcia, Karen; Stiles, Tore C; Sorensen, Glorian; Porter, James H; Marino, Miguel; Buxton, Orfeu M

    2014-08-01

    The aim of this study was to investigate the longitudinal effect of work-related stress, sleep deficiency, and physical activity on 10-year cardiometabolic risk among an all-female worker population. Data on patient care workers (n=99) was collected 2 years apart. Baseline measures included: job stress, physical activity, night work, and sleep deficiency. Biomarkers and objective measurements were used to estimate 10-year cardiometabolic risk at follow-up. Significant associations (P<0.05) from baseline analyses were used to build a multivariable linear regression model. The participants were mostly white nurses with a mean age of 41 years. Adjusted linear regression showed that having sleep maintenance problems, a different occupation than nurse, and/or not exercising at recommended levels at baseline increased the 10-year cardiometabolic risk at follow-up. In female workers prone to work-related stress and sleep deficiency, maintaining sleep and exercise patterns had a strong impact on modifiable 10-year cardiometabolic risk. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  1. Overcoming Barriers to Eye Care: Patient Response to a Medical Social Worker in a Glaucoma Service.

    PubMed

    Fudemberg, Scott J; Amarasekera, Dilru C; Silverstein, Marlee H; Linder, Kathryn M; Heffner, Paul; Hark, Lisa A; Waisbourd, Michael

    2016-08-01

    This paper investigates the patient response to a medical social worker in a glaucoma clinic. The literature suggests that medical social workers are effective in a variety of health care settings, yet the efficacy of a medical social worker in an adult ophthalmic setting has not been studied. We present the results of a retrospective chart review of 50 patients with glaucoma referred to a medical social worker between January 5, 2015 and June 31, 2015 in an outpatient clinic of an urban eye hospital. Clinical and demographic data, as well as the data from a quality of care questionnaire, were collected for each patient. Patients rated their interaction with the medical social worker as highly positive (mean = 4.75, 5-point Likert scale), and nearly 90 % of patients expressed interest in future contact with the social worker. Additionally, most patients reported that the social worker resolved the issues they were facing (61.1 %), supported them in seeing their ophthalmologist (70.6 %), and helped them to manage their glaucoma (69.7 %). Reported barriers to glaucoma care were emotional distress; cost of office visits and medications; lack of medical insurance; transportation; poor medication adherence; impairment of daily activities; follow-up adherence; and language. As vision loss from glaucoma is irreversible, it is important to detect and treat patients at early stages of the disease. Therefore, it is imperative for patients to regularly visit their eye care providers and adhere to treatment and follow-up recommendations. This study suggests that a medical social worker could play a pivotal role in helping patients with glaucoma overcome barriers to treatment and facilitate disease management.

  2. Bacteriological assessment of stethoscopes used by healthcare workers in a tertiary care centre of Nepal.

    PubMed

    Thapa, Sangita; Sapkota, Lokendra Bahadur

    2017-07-28

    Stethoscope is a medical device universally used by health care workers. Stethoscope may transmit pathogens among patients and health care workers if it is not disinfected. The objective of this study was to, determine the level of stethoscope contamination used by health care workers, survey the practices of disinfecting the stethoscope, identify various microorganisms and assess their role as potential pathogens and determine the effectiveness of 70% ethanol as a disinfecting agent. This was a cross-sectional study conducted in the department of Microbiology, Chitwan Medical College, Bharatpur, Nepal. Stethoscopes of 122 health care workers from different departments were included in this study. Out of a total 122 diaphragms, 88 (72.1%) were colonized. Only 71 (58.1%) bells and 152 earpieces (66.2%) were contaminated. Micrococcus and coagulase negative staphylococci were predominantly isolated species. The contamination was lowest among stethoscopes cleaned after touching every patient (11.5%) and the difference is statistically significant (P < 0.0001). Significantly lower level of contamination (13.6%) were found on stethoscopes cleaned everyday (P < 0.0001). Only 8.5% stethoscope showed growth with decreased number of colonies after disinfecting the stethoscopes with 70% ethanol. Thus, demonstrating the effectiveness of disinfection.

  3. Health care workers in danger zones: a special report on safety and security in a changing environment.

    PubMed

    Redwood-Campbell, Lynda J; Sekhar, Sharonya N; Persaud, Christine R

    2014-10-01

    Violence against humanitarian health care workers and facilities in situations of armed conflict is a serious humanitarian problem. Targeting health care workers and destroying or looting medical facilities directly or indirectly impacts the delivery of emergency and life-saving medical assistance, often at a time when it is most needed. Attacks may be intentional or unintentional and can take a range of forms from road blockades and check points which delay or block transport, to the direct targeting of hospitals, attacks against medical personnel, suppliers, patients, and armed entry into health facilities. Lack of access to vital health care services weakens the entire health system and exacerbates existing vulnerabilities, particularly among communities of women, children, the elderly, and the disabled, or anyone else in need of urgent or chronic care. Health care workers, especially local workers, are often the target. This report reviews the work being spearheaded by the Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement on the Health Care in Danger initiative, which aims to strengthen the protections for health care workers and facilities in armed conflicts and ensure safe access for patients. This includes a review of internal reports generated from the expert workshops on a number of topics as well as a number of public sources documenting innovative coping mechanisms adopted by National Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies. The work of other organizations is also briefly examined. This is followed by a review of security mechanisms within the humanitarian sector to ensure the safety and security of health care personnel operating in armed conflicts. From the existing literature, a number of gaps have been identified with current security frameworks that need to be addressed to improve the safety of health care workers and ensure the protection and access of vulnerable populations requiring assistance. A way forward for policy, research, and practice is proposed for

  4. Prevalence and factors associated with percutaneous injuries and splash exposures among health-care workers in a provincial hospital, Kenya, 2010

    PubMed Central

    Mbaisi, Everline Muhonja; Ng'ang'a, Zipporah; Wanzala, Peter; Omolo, Jared

    2013-01-01

    Introduction Accidental occupational exposure of healthcare workers to blood and body fluids after skin injury or mucous membrane contact constitutes a risk for transmission of blood-borne pathogens. Such pathogens include Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV), Hepatitis B virus (HBV) and Hepatitis C virus (HCV). We conducted a study to determine the prevalence and associated factors for percutaneous injuries and splash exposures among health-care workers in Rift Valley provincial hospital. Methods A cross-sectional study was carried out from October to November 2010. Self reported incidents, circumstances surrounding occupational exposure and post-exposure management were sought by use of interviewer administered questionnaire. Descriptive, bivariate and multiple logistic regression (forward stepwise procedure) analyses were performed. The level of significance was set at 0.05. Results Twenty five percent of health-care workers interviewed (N = 305) reported having been exposed to blood and body fluids in the preceding 12 months. Percutaneous injuries were reported by 19% (n = 305) and splash to mucous membrane by 7.2%. Higher rates of percutaneous injuries were observed among nurses (50%), during stitching (30%), and in obstetric and gynecologic department (22%). Health workers aged below 40 years were more likely to experience percutaneous injuries (OR= 3.7; 95% CI = 1.08-9.13) while previous training in infection prevention was protective (OR= 0.52; 95% CI = 0.03-0.90). Forty eight percent (n = 83) reported the incidents with 20% (n = 83) taking PEP against HIV. Conclusion Percutaneous injuries and splashes are common in Rift Valley Provincial hospital. Preventive measures remain inadequate. Health institutions should have policies, institute surveillance for occupational risks and enhance training of health care workers. PMID:23504245

  5. Prevalence and factors associated with percutaneous injuries and splash exposures among health-care workers in a provincial hospital, Kenya, 2010.

    PubMed

    Mbaisi, Everline Muhonja; Ng'ang'a, Zipporah; Wanzala, Peter; Omolo, Jared

    2013-01-01

    Accidental occupational exposure of healthcare workers to blood and body fluids after skin injury or mucous membrane contact constitutes a risk for transmission of blood-borne pathogens. Such pathogens include Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV), Hepatitis B virus (HBV) and Hepatitis C virus (HCV). We conducted a study to determine the prevalence and associated factors for percutaneous injuries and splash exposures among health-care workers in Rift Valley provincial hospital. A cross-sectional study was carried out from October to November 2010. Self reported incidents, circumstances surrounding occupational exposure and post-exposure management were sought by use of interviewer administered questionnaire. Descriptive, bivariate and multiple logistic regression (forward stepwise procedure) analyses were performed. The level of significance was set at 0.05. Twenty five percent of health-care workers interviewed (N=305) reported having been exposed to blood and body fluids in the preceding 12 months. Percutaneous injuries were reported by 19% (n=305) and splash to mucous membrane by 7.2%. Higher rates of percutaneous injuries were observed among nurses (50%), during stitching (30%), and in obstetric and gynecologic department (22%). Health workers aged below 40 years were more likely to experience percutaneous injuries (OR=3.7; 95% CI=1.08-9.13) while previous training in infection prevention was protective (OR=0.52; 95% CI=0.03-0.90). Forty eight percent (n=83) reported the incidents with 20% (n=83) taking PEP against HIV. Percutaneous injuries and splashes are common in Rift Valley Provincial hospital. Preventive measures remain inadequate. Health institutions should have policies, institute surveillance for occupational risks and enhance training of health care workers.

  6. Injection safety among primary health care workers in Jazan Region, Saudi Arabia.

    PubMed

    Ismail, A A; Mahfouz, M S; Makeen, A

    2014-07-01

    Occupational exposure to percutaneous injuries is a substantial source of infections with blood-borne pathogens among health-care workers. Few studies evaluated injection safety practices in Saudi Arabia. To examine the structure and process of injection safety at primary health care level in Jazan health district, to evaluate knowledge, attitudes, and practices of primary health care physicians and nurses towards injection safety, and to determine the incidence of needle stick injuries among health care workers in Jazan region, Saudi Arabia. A cross-sectional study was conducted in Jazan primary health care centers (PHCCs), Saudi Arabia from September 2011 to March 2012. Data were collected using an observational checklist and data collection sheet. Jazan city health district was chosen at random from the 14 health sectors in Jazan region. All the 33 (10 urban, and 23 rural) PHCCs of Jazan city were included in this study to get the predetermined sample size of health care workers. 200 health care workers (HCWs) were recruited (29% physicians, and 71% nurses). Syringes in the PHCCs were disposable (100%), individually packed (92%), and available at all volumes (98%). Methods of safe disposal of needles and sharps were also operated through contracting with professional companies in 84.8% of instances. Urban PHCCs had more posts for injection safety promotion than rural centers (p=0.02). Continuous Medical Education (CME) programs on infection control were present in only 60% of PHCCs. At least 95% of HCWs in Jazan believed that sharp objects should be kept in a puncture-proof container, kept in a closed container, or disposed by a professional company. More than 80% of HCWs washed their hands by soap and water and cleaned them by alcohol before giving injection, and also got the three doses of hepatitis B vaccine.The rate of needle stick injury in the past year was 14%, without a significant difference between nurses and physicians (p=0.8). Jazan PHCCs have

  7. Adolescent Development: A Course for the Child Care Worker.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Shull, Jan

    This instructor's manual presents a course designed to help the child care worker gain a better understanding of normal adolescent development, by focusing on adolescent behavior and developmental tasks, and by exploring ways in which adolescents may accomplish these developmental tasks. The manual is divided into four sessions which may involve 1…

  8. Age and Workers' Perceptions of Workplace Safety: A Comparative Study

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Gyekye, Seth Ayim; Salminen, Simo

    2009-01-01

    The study examined the relationship between age and I) safety perception; ii) job satisfaction; iii) compliance with safety management policies; and (iv) accident frequency. Participants were Ghanaian industrial workers (N = 320) categorized into 4 age groups: 19-29 years; 30-39 years; 40-50 years; and 51 years and above. Workplace safety…

  9. Effect of end of life education on medical students' and health care workers' death attitude.

    PubMed

    Hegedus, K; Zana, A; Szabó, G

    2008-04-01

    One of the goals of education in end of life care is to make communication more open by exploring critical issues related to fear of dying and death in order to reduce anxiety and improve an individual's attitude to dying patients. The aim of our research was to evaluate the effects of courses for health care workers and medical students in care at the end of life. One hundred and twenty-seven health care professionals and 41 undergraduate medical students completed the Multidimensional Fear of Death Scale (MFODS) on the first and last day of the course. The most significant factors of fear of death are: Fear for Significant Others, Fear of the Dying Process and Fear of the Unknown. Overall fear of death scores were reduced as an effect of the courses. Changes in the components and level of fear of death are influenced by the participants' gender, age and profession. Improvement was evident in the attitudes to dying patients in both groups, which was related to an increase in knowledge of high-quality care of dying patients.

  10. Knowledge and Perceptions About Community-acquired Staphylococcal Infections Among Health Care Workers in Hawai‘i

    PubMed Central

    Tice, Alan D; Hurwitz, Eric L; Katz, Alan R

    2013-01-01

    Since the early 1990s, national rates of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) infections have increased dramatically.1,2 Initially identified in health care settings, community-acquired MRSA is now a major public health concern. With Hawai‘i's expanding S. aureus and MRSA epidemic closely approximating the national trend in inpatient and outpatient settings,7,8 a high level of knowledge and awareness among health care workers is essential to successfully control this evolving epidemic. Health care and related workers were surveyed to assess their knowledge and perceptions about staphylococcal and MRSA infections. Knowledge was estimated by demonstrated ability to correctly identify risk factors including diabetes and obesity, as well as to demonstrate awareness of a growing staphylococcal and MRSA epidemic.9,10 Perceptions were estimated by level of concern of antibiotic resistance as well as of the severity of the staphylococcal and MRSA epidemic. Variations in knowledge and perception concerning basic principles associated with S. aureus infections as well as characteristics of the evolving S. aureus and MRSA epidemic were observed among various occupations (advance clinical practitioners, nurses, public health professionals, athletic trainers, and non-medical workers) as well as work locations (hospital, community, and non-clinical community). Overall, health care and related workers in community settings demonstrated disparities in knowledge regarding S. aureus and MRSA infections. They were also more likely to misperceive this growing threat. These findings provide support for focused educational interventions targeting community health care and related workers to improve awareness of staphylococcal infections in order to successfully address and combat this evolving epidemic. PMID:24069572

  11. Post-exposure prophylaxis against Ebola virus disease with experimental antiviral agents: a case-series of health-care workers.

    PubMed

    Jacobs, Michael; Aarons, Emma; Bhagani, Sanjay; Buchanan, Ruaridh; Cropley, Ian; Hopkins, Susan; Lester, Rebecca; Martin, Daniel; Marshall, Neal; Mepham, Stephen; Warren, Simon; Rodger, Alison

    2015-11-01

    Although a few international health-care workers who have assisted in the current Ebola outbreak in west Africa have been medically evacuated for treatment of Ebola virus disease, more commonly they were evacuated after potential accidental exposure to Ebola virus. An urgent need exists for a consensus about the risk assessment of Ebola virus transmission after accidental exposure, and to investigate the use of post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP). Experimental vaccines have occasionally been used for Ebola PEP, but newly developed experimental antiviral agents have potential advantages. Here, we describe a new method for risk assessment and management of health-care workers potentially exposed to Ebola virus and report the use of experimental antiviral therapies for Ebola PEP in people. We devised a risk assessment and management algorithm for health-care workers potentially exposed to Ebola virus and applied this to eight consecutive individuals who were medically evacuated to the UK from west Africa between January, and March, 2015. PEP with antiviral agents was given to health-care workers assessed to have had substantial risk exposures to Ebola virus. Participants were followed up for 42 days after potential exposure. Four of eight health-care workers were classified as having had low risk exposures and managed by watchful waiting in the community. None of these health-care workers developed Ebola virus disease. The other four health-care workers had intermediate or maximum risk exposures and were given PEP with antiviral agents. PEP was well tolerated with no serious adverse effects. None of these four health-care workers, including two with maximum risk exposures from penetrating injuries with freshly used hollow-bore needles, developed Ebola virus disease. Standardised risk assessment should be adopted and consensus guidelines developed to systematically study the efficacy and safety of PEP with experimental agents. New experimental antiviral treatments are a

  12. Integrating Community Health Workers Within Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act Implementation

    PubMed Central

    Islam, Nadia; Nadkarni, Smiti Kapadia; Zahn, Deborah; Skillman, Megan; Kwon, Simona C.; Trinh-Shevrin, Chau

    2015-01-01

    Context The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act’s (PPACA) emphasis on community-based initiatives affords a unique opportunity to disseminate and scale up evidence-based community health worker (CHW) models that integrate CHWs within health care delivery teams and programs. Community health workers have unique access and local knowledge that can inform program development and evaluation, improve service delivery and care coordination, and expand health care access. As a member of the PPACA-defined health care workforce, CHWs have the potential to positively impact numerous programs and reduce costs. Objective This article discusses different strategies for integrating CHW models within PPACA implementation through facilitated enrollment strategies, patient-centered medical homes, coordination and expansion of health information technology (HIT) efforts, and also discusses payment options for such integration. Results Title V of the PPACA outlines a plan to improve access to and delivery of health care services for all individuals, particularly low-income, underserved, uninsured, minority, health disparity, and rural populations. Community health workers’ role as trusted community leaders can facilitate accurate data collection, program enrollment, and provision of culturally and linguistically appropriate, patient- and family-centered care. Because CHWs already support disease management and care coordination services, they will be critical to delivering and expanding patient-centered medical homes and Health Home services, especially for communities that suffer disproportionately from multiple chronic diseases. Community health workers’ unique expertise in conducting outreach make them well positioned to help enroll people in Medicaid or insurance offered by Health Benefit Exchanges. New payment models provide opportunities to fund and sustain CHWs. Conclusion Community health workers can support the effective implementation of PPACA if the capacity

  13. Musculoskeletal Symptoms and Risk of Burnout in Child Care Workers — A Cross-Sectional Study

    PubMed Central

    Koch, Peter; Stranzinger, Johanna; Nienhaus, Albert; Kozak, Agnessa

    2015-01-01

    Objectives German child care workers' job satisfaction is influenced by the consequences of unfavourable underlying conditions. Child care workers tend to suffer from psychosocial stress, as they feel that their work is undervalued. The objective of the present study is to investigate how the psychosocial factors of the effort-reward imbalance (ERI) model influence musculoskeletal symptoms (MS) and the risk of burnout. To our knowledge this is the first study investigating the association between the factors of the ERI model and MS in child care workers. Methods and Findings Data from 199 child care workers were examined in a cross-sectional study. Psychosocial factors were recorded with the ERI questionnaire. MS was recorded with the Nordic Questionnaire and risk of burnout with the Personal Burnout scale of the Copenhagen Burnout Inventory. Multivariate analysis was performed using linear and logistic regression models. The response rate was 57%. In most of the sample (65%), an effort-reward imbalance was observed. 56% of the child care workers were at risk of burnout and 58% reported MS. Factors associated with risk of burnout were subjective noise exposure (OR: 4.4, 95%CI: 1.55–12.29) and overcommitment (OR: 3.4; 95%CI: 1.46–7.75). There were statistically significant associations between MS and overcommitment (low back pain—OR: 2.2, 95%CI: 1.04–4.51), low control (overall MS OR: 3.8; 95%CI: 1.68–3.37) and risk of burnout (overall MS OR: 2.3, 95%CI: 1.01–5.28). For ERI no statistically significant associations were found with reference to risk of burnout or MS. Conclusion Overcommitment in child care workers is related to MS and risk of burnout. There is also evidence that low control is associated with MS and subjective noise exposure with risk of burnout. Effort-reward imbalance is not related to either outcome. This occupational health risk assessment identifies changeable working factors in different types of facilities. PMID:26488770

  14. Implementation considerations when expanding health worker roles to include safe abortion care: a five-country case study synthesis.

    PubMed

    Glenton, Claire; Sorhaindo, Annik M; Ganatra, Bela; Lewin, Simon

    2017-09-21

    Allowing a broader range of trained health workers to deliver services can be an important way of improving access to safe abortion care. However, the expansion of health worker roles may be challenging to implement. This study aimed to explore factors influencing the implementation of role expansion strategies for non-physician providers to include the delivery of abortion care. We conducted a multi-country case study synthesis in Bangladesh, Ethiopia, Nepal, South Africa and Uruguay, where the roles of non-physician providers have been formally expanded to include the provision of abortion care. We searched for documentation from each country related to non-physician providers, abortion care services and role expansion through general internet searches, Google Scholar and PubMed, and gathered feedback from 12 key informants. We carried out a thematic analysis of the data, drawing on categories from the SURE Framework of factors affecting the implementation of policy options. Several factors appeared to affect the successful implementation of including non-physician providers to provide abortion care services. These included health workers' knowledge about abortion legislation and services; and health workers' willingness to provide abortion care. Health workers' willingness appeared to be influenced by their personal views about abortion, the method of abortion and stage of pregnancy and their perceptions of their professional roles. While managers' and co-workers' attitudes towards the use of non-physician providers varied, the synthesis suggests that female clients focused less on the type of health worker and more on factors such as trust, privacy, cost, and closeness to home. Health systems factors also played a role, including workloads and incentives, training, supervision and support, supplies, referral systems, and monitoring and evaluation. Strategies used, with varying success, to address some of these issues in the study countries included values

  15. Primary health care reform, dilemmatic space and risk of burnout among health workers.

    PubMed

    Freeman, Toby; Baum, Fran; Labonté, Ronald; Javanparast, Sara; Lawless, Angela

    2018-05-01

    Health system changes may increase primary health care workers' dilemmatic space, created when reforms contravene professional values. Dilemmatic space may be a risk factor for burnout. This study partnered with six Australian primary health care services (in South Australia: four state government-managed services including one Aboriginal health team and one non-government organisation and in Northern Territory: one Aboriginal community-controlled service) during a period of change and examined workers' dilemmatic space and incidence of burnout. Dilemmatic space and burnout were assessed in a survey of 130 staff across the six services (58% response rate). Additionally, 63 interviews were conducted with practitioners, managers, regional executives and health department staff. Dilemmatic space occurred across all services and was associated with higher rates of self-reported burnout. Three conditions associated with dilemmatic space were (1) conditions inherent in comprehensive primary health care, (2) stemming from service provision for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and (3) changes wrought by reorientation to selective primary health care in South Australia. Responses to dilemmatic space included ignoring directives or doing work 'under the radar', undertaking alternative work congruent with primary health care values outside of hours, or leaving the organisation. The findings show that comprehensive primary health care was contested and political. Future health reform processes would benefit from considering alignment of changes with staff values to reduce negative effects of the reform and safeguard worker wellbeing.

  16. Effects of a training program for home health care workers on the provision of preventive activities and on the health-related behavior of their clients: A quasi-experimental study.

    PubMed

    Walters, Maaike E; Reijneveld, Sijmen A; van der Meulen, Anja; Dijkstra, Arie; de Winter, Andrea F

    2017-09-01

    Because home health care workers repeatedly visit the same older adults, they are in an excellent position to improve the health-related behavior of older adults, their clients, by providing preventive activities. The objective of this study was to determine the short- and medium term effects of an intervention to support workers in providing preventive activities for older adults. To do this, the number of activities undertaken by workers and the health-related behavior of their clients were assessed. A quasi-experimental study was performed with a pre-post design and inclusion of one control group. The study took place in a deprived, semi-rural area in The Netherlands (2011-2013). Data in three districts served by one home health care organization were gathered. The participants were home health care workers (registered nurses and nurse aides) and home health care clients aged 55 and over (community-dwelling, dependent older adults receiving home health care). 205 home health care workers participated in the study, 97 of them in the first effect measurement; and 83 of them in the second effect measurement. A total of 304 home health care clients participated, 214 of them in the first effect measurement; and 186 of them in the second effect measurement. Differences in change were determined in health-related behavior between groups of older adults as a result of training home health care workers in preventive activities RESULTS: In the control group of home health care professionals a significant increase was found regarding the provision of preventive activities for the domain 'weight' (partial eta squared: 0.05 and 0.08 at first and second effect measurements, respectively). We found preventive activities performed by home health care professionals to have no significant effects on older adult-reported health-related behavior, but observed in the intervention group a non-significant trend in improvement of physical activity of, respectively, 85 and 207min for

  17. HIV/AIDS knowledge and occupational risk in primary care health workers from Chile

    PubMed Central

    Valdés, Baltica Cabieses; Lagunas, Lilian Ferrer; Villarroel, Luis Antonio; Acosta, Rosina Cianelli; Miner, Sarah; Silva, Margarita Bernales

    2014-01-01

    Objective To explore the relationship between knowledge level and occupational risk exposure to HIV/AIDS in primary care health workers. Methodology Analytical cross-sectional study. 720 health workers from Santiago answered a survey about HIV/AIDS that included: knowledge level (appropriate, inappropriate), occupational risk (with or without risk), and control variables (age, gender, health center, education and marital status). Descriptive and association analysis were performed. Odds Ratio (OR) was estimated through simple and multiple regressions logistics. Results 58.7% of the participants reported HIV occupational risk. 63.8% of the participants from the exposed group reported an appropriate level of knowledge, versus 36.1% of the non-exposed group (Adjusted OR of 3.1, IC95%OR: 2.0-4.8, p<0.0001). Technicians and cleaning staff reported a lower proportion of appropriate level of knowledge compared to the employees with college education (p<0.0001). Conclusion The level of HIV/AID occupational risk is directly associated with the level of knowledge of the disease. PMID:25284913

  18. Responding to the Affordable Care Act: a leadership opportunity for social workers in employee assistance programs.

    PubMed

    Frauenholtz, Susan

    2014-08-01

    Until recently, estimates indicated that more than half of Americans obtain health insurance through their employers. Yet the employer-based system leaves many vulnerable populations, such as low-wage and part-time workers, without coverage. The changes authorized by the Affordable Care Act (2010), and in particular the Health Insurance Marketplace (also known as health insurance exchanges), which became operational in 2014, are projected to have a substantial impact on the provision of employer-based health care coverage. Because health insurance is so intricately woven with employment, social workers in employee assistance programs (EAPs) are positioned to assume an active leadership role in guiding and developing the needed changes to employer-based health care that will occur as the result of health care reform. This article describes the key features and functions of the Health Insurance Marketplace and proposes an innovative role for EAP social workers in implementing the exchanges within their respective workplaces and communities. How EAP social workers can act as educators, advocates, and brokers of the exchanges, and the challenges they may face in their new roles, are discussed, and the next steps EAP social workers can take to prepare for health reform-related workplace changes are delineated.

  19. Training "Expendable" Workers: Temporary Foreign Workers in Nursing

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Taylor, Alison; Foster, Jason; Cambre, Carolina

    2012-01-01

    The purpose of this article is to explore the experiences of Temporary Foreign Workers in health care in Alberta, Canada. In 2007-2008, one of the regional health authorities in the province responded to a shortage of workers by recruiting 510 health-care workers internationally; most were trained as Registered Nurses (RNs) in the Philippines.…

  20. [Development of a scale for work motivation of home care workers and influencing factors].

    PubMed

    Nakatani, Yasuhisa; Sugiura, Keiko; Mikami, Hiroshi

    2009-02-01

    To develop a scale for home care workers focusing on work motivation and to determine influential underlying factors. This study was an anonymous mailed survey of home care workers who provided home help services in July 2007. We collected information in the following areas: demographics of home care workers and care-recipients, burnout, stress, job satisfaction, life satisfaction, and self-esteem (SE). Hierarchical regression analysis was performed in order to identify factors related to work motivation. Construct validity was analyzed by factor analysis. Two subscales were obtained by the analysis and designated as "positive appraisal of the current state" (9 items) and "uplift of morale" (3 items). Content validity was analyzed by good-poor and item-total, and all correlations were strongly positive. Reliability was analyzed by internal consistency. Cronbach's ? values were 0.94 and 0.77, respectively. Concurrent validity was analyzed by correlation coefficient and a significant negative correlation was seen between the two subscales and burnout (r = -0.23--0.50), while positive correlations were noted for job or life satisfaction (r= 0.24-0.49). The positive influential factors on "positive appraisal of the current state" were satisfaction in 1) relation to care-recipients, 2) work environment for skill improvement and 3) the wages. The positive influential factors on "uplift of morale" were satisfaction with relation to care-recipients and their own life. This scale has sufficient reliability and validity. "Positive appraisal of the current state" and "uplift of morale" were confirmed as appropriate work motivation subscales for home care workers. Thus, support to augment job satisfaction with the work environment and wages appears to enhance "positive appraisal of the current state" and support to augment life satisfaction appears to enhance "uplift of morale".

  1. [Low colonization with MRSA among health-care workers in an Italian hospital].

    PubMed

    Orsi, G B; Marrone, R; Ferraro, F; Tavella, F; Colosi, A

    2008-01-01

    The Authors carried out a study on MRSA colonization rate among health-care workers (HCW) in a large roman hospital. Samples were obtained from staff members at the beginning of each work shift. Two-hundred HCW were included (78 physicians and 122 nurses), mean age 36.6 +/- 10.9 years. We identified 38 (19.0%) S. aureus carriers, prevalently nurses (21.3%) vs. physicians (15.4%). Results showed a RR 2,7; IC95% 1.47-4.86; p < 0.01 among men vs. women. Overall three (1.5%) MRSA strains were isolated among HCW (two nurses and one physician). None of them was a CA-MRSA. The study suggests that HCW act principally as cross transmission vectors and not as main sources of MRSA.

  2. Protecting workers in the home care industry: workers' experienced job demands, resource gaps, and benefits following a socially supportive intervention.

    PubMed

    Mabry, Linda; Parker, Kelsey N; Thompson, Sharon V; Bettencourt, Katrina M; Haque, Afsara; Luther Rhoten, Kristy; Wright, Rob R; Hess, Jennifer A; Olson, Ryan

    2018-05-02

    The Community of Practice and Safety Support (COMPASS) program is a peer-led group intervention for home care workers. In a randomized controlled trial, COMPASS significantly improved workers' professional support networks and safety and health behaviors. However, quantitative findings failed to capture workers' complex emotional, physical, and social experiences with job demands, resource limitations, and the intervention itself. Therefore, we conducted qualitative follow-up interviews with a sample of participants (n = 28) in the program. Results provided examples of unique physical and psychological demands, revealed stressful resource limitations (e.g., safety equipment access), and elucidated COMPASS's role as a valuable resource.

  3. Knowledge and Risk Perceptions of Occupational Infections Among Health-care Workers in Malaysia.

    PubMed

    Subramanian, Ganesh Chidambar; Arip, Masita; Saraswathy Subramaniam, T S

    2017-09-01

    Health-care workers are at risk of exposure to occupational infections with subsequent risk of contracting diseases, disability, and even death. A systematic collection of occupational disease data is useful for monitoring current trends in work situations and disease exposures; however, these data are usually limited due to under-reporting. The objective of this study was to review literature related to knowledge, risk perceptions, and practices regarding occupational exposures to infectious diseases in Malaysian health-care settings, in particular regarding blood-borne infections, universal precautions, use of personal protective equipment, and clinical waste management. The data are useful for determining improvements in knowledge and risk perceptions among health-care workers with developments of health policies and essential interventions for prevention and control of occupational diseases.

  4. The Impact of Stress and Support on Direct Care Workers' Job Satisfaction

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Ejaz, Farida K.; Noelker, Linda S.; Menne, Heather L.; Bagaka's, Joshua G.

    2008-01-01

    Purpose: This research applies a stress and support conceptual model to investigate the effects of background characteristics, personal and job-related stressors, and workplace support on direct care workers' (DCW) job satisfaction. Design and Methods: Researchers collected survey data from 644 DCWs in 49 long-term care (LTC) organizations. The…

  5. Communication Skills for OMRDD Direct Care Workers: Distance Learning Study Guide. Instructor's Manual.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Denny, Verna Haskins

    This instructor's manual provides an overview, directions, and answer keys for working with the study guide for direct care workers who are enrolled in a self-directed communication skills distance learning program for developmental disabilities workers. It begins with a list of the 12 theme areas and 105 units into which the theme areas are…

  6. Health Care Waste Segregation Behavior among Health Workers in Uganda: An Application of the Theory of Planned Behavior.

    PubMed

    Akulume, Martha; Kiwanuka, Suzanne N

    2016-01-01

    Objective . The goal of this study was to assess the appropriateness of the theory of planned behavior in predicting health care waste segregation behaviors and to examine the factors that influence waste segregation behaviors. Methodology . One hundred and sixty-three health workers completed a self-administered questionnaire in a cross-sectional survey that examined the theory of planned behavior constructs (attitudes, subjective norms, perceived behavioral control, and intention) and external variables (sociodemographic factors, personal characteristics, organizational characteristics, professional characteristics, and moral obligation). Results . For their most recent client 21.5% of the health workers reported that they most definitely segregated health care waste while 5.5% did not segregate. All the theory of planned behavior constructs were significant predictors of health workers' segregation behavior, but intention emerged as the strongest and most significant ( r = 0.524, P < 0.001). The theory of planned behavior model explained 52.5% of the variance in health workers' segregation behavior. When external variables were added, the new model explained 66.7% of the variance in behavior. Conclusion . Generally, health workers' health care waste segregation behavior was high. The theory of planned behavior significantly predicted health workers' health care waste segregation behaviors.

  7. The facilitators of communication with people with dementia in a care setting: an interview study with healthcare workers

    PubMed Central

    Stanyon, Miriam Ruth; Griffiths, Amanda; Thomas, Shirley A.; Gordon, Adam Lee

    2016-01-01

    Objectives: to describe the views of healthcare workers on the facilitators of communication with people with dementia in a care setting. Design: thematic analysis of semi-structured interviews. Setting: all participants were interviewed in their place of work. Participants: sixteen healthcare workers whose daily work involves interacting with people with dementia. Results: four overarching categories of themes were identified from the interviews that impact on communication: the attributes of a care worker, communication strategies used, organisational factors and the physical characteristics of the care environment. Conclusion: many strategies used by healthcare workers to facilitate communication have not yet been studied in the research literature. Participants' views on training should be incorporated into future dementia training programmes. PMID:26764403

  8. Why older workers work beyond the retirement age: a qualitative study.

    PubMed

    Sewdas, Ranu; de Wind, Astrid; van der Zwaan, Lennart G L; van der Borg, Wieke E; Steenbeek, Romy; van der Beek, Allard J; Boot, Cécile R L

    2017-08-22

    The aims of the present study were to: 1) gain insight into reasons for working beyond the statutory retirement age from older workers' perspectives, and 2) explore how the domains of the research framework Study on Transitions in Employment, Ability and Motivation (STREAM) can be applied to working beyond retirement age. A qualitative research design included individual interviews (n = 15) and three focus groups (n = 18 participants) conducted with older workers aged 65 years and older continuing in a paid job or self-employment. Interview participants were recruited from an existing STREAM cohort study. Focus group participants were recruited from companies and employment agencies. The data were subjected to thematic analysis. The most important motives for working beyond retirement age were maintaining daily routines and financial benefit. Good health and flexible work arrangements were mentioned as important preconditions. The themes emerging from the categorization of the motives and preconditions corresponded to the domains of health, work characteristics, skills and knowledge, and social and financial factors from the STREAM research framework. However, our analysis revealed one additional theme-purpose in life. This study offers important new insights into the various preconditions and motives that influence working beyond retirement age. In addition, the five domains of the STREAM research framework, including the additional domain of 'purpose in life', seem to be applicable to working beyond retirement age. This knowledge contributes to the development of work-related interventions that enhance older workers' motivation to prolong their working lives.

  9. A Typology of Social Workers in Long-Term Care Facilities in Israel.

    PubMed

    Lev, Sagit; Ayalon, Liat

    2018-04-01

    This article explores moral distress among long-term care facility (LTCF) social workers by examining the relationships between moral distress and environmental and personal features. Based on these features, authors identified a typology of LTCF social workers and how they handle moral distress. Such a typology can assist in the identification of social workers who are in a particular need for assistance. Overall, 216 LTCF social workers took part in the study. A two-step cluster analysis was conducted to identify a typology of LTCF social workers based on features such as ethical environment, support in workplace, mastery, and resilience. The variance of the identified clusters and their associations with moral distress were examined, and four clusters of LTCF social workers were identified. The clusters varied from each other in relation to their personal and environmental features and in relation to their experience of moral distress. The article concludes with a discussion of the importance of developing programs for LTCF social workers that provide support and enhancement of personal resources and an adequate and ethical environment for practice.

  10. Tuberculosis in health care workers in Belarus.

    PubMed

    Klimuk, D; Hurevich, H; Harries, A D; Babrukevich, A; Kremer, K; Van den Bergh, R; Acosta, C D; Astrauko, A; Skrahina, A

    2014-10-21

    Tuberculosis (TB), including drug-resistant TB, is a serious problem in Belarus. To determine the prevalence of TB among health care workers (HCWs) along with patient characteristics, treatment outcomes and drug resistance patterns between 2008 and 2012. A retrospective national record review. There were 116 HCWs with TB. Case notification rates were higher among HCWs than in the general population (349 vs. 40/100 000 in 2012). Most HCWs with TB were nurses (n = 46, 40%) or nurse assistants (n = 37, 32%), female (n = 100, 86%) and aged 25-44 years (n = 84, 72%). Most common places of work for HCWs with TB were multidrug-resistant (MDR-) and extensively drug-resistant (XDR-TB) wards (n = 23, 20%), general medical (n = 26, 22%) and non-medical (n = 34, 29%) departments. All HCWs had pulmonary TB, 107 (92%) had new TB and 103 (89%) had negative sputum smears. Of the 38 (33%) with culture and drug susceptibility testing (DST), 28 (74%) had MDR-/XDR-TB. In 109 HCWs evaluated for final treatment outcomes, 97 (89%) were successfully treated, and their results were not affected by DST status. This study highlights the high prevalence of recorded TB in HCWs in TB health facilities in Belarus: there is a need to better understand and rectify this problem.

  11. Smartphone text message service to foster hand hygiene compliance in health care workers.

    PubMed

    Kerbaj, Jad; Toure, Youssoupha; Soto Aladro, Alberto; Boudjema, Sophia; Giorgi, Roch; Dufour, Jean Charles; Brouqui, Philippe

    2017-03-01

    Health care-associated infections are a major worldwide public health issue. Hand hygiene is a major component in the prevention of pathogen transmission in hospitals, and hand hygiene adherence by health care workers is low in many studies. We report an intervention using text messages as reminders and feedback to improve hand hygiene adherence. The study is a historical comparison proof-of-concept study. Eighteen health care workers were monitored during 12 months by a radiofrequency identification system. Afterward we sent 2 types of text messages, congratulation or encouragement, and we studied the evolution of hand hygiene adherence. We recorded 15,723 hand hygiene opportunities, 8,973 before intervention and 6,750 during and after the intervention. Using a multilevel logistic regression analysis, we found a significant increase in hand hygiene adherence during the intervention (odds ratio, 1.68) compared with the historical period. Despite limitations due to the type of study, a text message encouraging personnel to be more vigilant is effective in increasing hand hygiene adherence in health care workers. Text message feedback should be incorporated into multimodal approaches for improving hand hygiene compliance. Copyright © 2017 Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology, Inc. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  12. The health care system for female workers and its current status in Japan.

    PubMed

    Nohara, M; Kagawa, J

    2000-11-01

    In this paper we describe female workers' health care, the women's and maternal protection system within the Japanese legal system, the current status of female workers in Japan, and problems regarding methods of advancing health care and the women's or maternal protection system. Motherhood is respected in the workplace in Japan, and in order to provide an environment in which women can work and still bear and rear children with a sense of security, laws concerning maternal protection of female workers, and revisions in terms of the system have been made, and a new system has been in effect since the fiscal year of 1998. Nevertheless, gender discrimination against women and the disparagement of women, rooted in gender role stereotypes concerning the division of labor, remain firmly planted in the social environment and in long-established custom.

  13. Maternity support workers and safety in maternity care in England.

    PubMed

    Lindsay, Pat

    2014-11-01

    Errors in health care may lead to poor outcomes or even death. In maternity care the issue is more acute as most women and babies are healthy--and mistakes can have devastating effects. In the last 20 years 'patient' safety in maternity care has received significant attention in terms of both policy and research. With few exceptions, the resultant publications have been aimed at health service managers or registered health professionals. However a substantial section of the workforce now consists of support workers who may receive minimal training. This article aims to serve as a reminder that everyone is responsible for the safety of maternity care, and the learning needs of unregistered care staff require attention to strengthen safety defences.

  14. Methicillin resistance of Staphylococcus species among health care and nonhealth care workers undergoing cataract surgery.

    PubMed

    Olson, Randall; Donnenfeld, Eric; Bucci, Frank A; Price, Francis W; Raizman, Michael; Solomon, Kerry; Devgan, Uday; Trattler, William; Dell, Steven; Wallace, R Bruce; Callegan, Michelle; Brown, Heather; McDonnell, Peter J; Conway, Taryn; Schiffman, Rhett M; Hollander, David A

    2010-12-10

    The purpose of this study is to characterize the bacterial flora of the ocular and periocular surface in cataract surgery patients and to determine the prevalence of methicillin resistance among staphylococcal isolates obtained from health care workers (HCWs) and non-HCWs. In this prospective, multicenter, case series study, eyelid and conjunctival cultures were obtained from the nonoperative eye of 399 consecutive cataract patients on the day of surgery prior to application of topical anesthetics, antibiotics, or antiseptics. Speciation and susceptibility testing were performed at the Dean A. McGee Eye Institute. Logistic regression was utilized to evaluate whether any factors were significant in predicting the presence of methicillin-resistant staphylococcal isolates. Staphylococcus epidermidis (62.9%), followed by S. aureus (14.0%), was the most frequently isolated organism. Methicillin-resistant S. epidermidis accounted for 47.1% (178/378) of S. epidermidis isolates, and methicillin-resistant S. aureus accounted for 29.5% (26/88) of S. aureus isolates. Methicillin-resistant staphylococcal isolates were found in 157 of 399 (39.3%) patients, the majority (89.2%) of whom were non-HCWs. The likelihood of being colonized with methicillin-resistant organisms increased with age (odds ratio [OR], 1.27; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.02-1.58; P = 0.04) but decreased with diabetes (OR, 0.51; 95% CI: 0.29-0.89; P = 0.02). Being a HCW (OR, 1.25; 95% CI: 0.61-2.58; P = 0.54) was not a risk factor for colonization with methicillin-resistant organisms. Patients without exposure to health care environments are as likely as HCWs to be colonized with methicillin-resistant organisms. Increasing methicillin resistance with age may partially explain the increased risk of endophthalmitis reported with older age.

  15. Methicillin resistance of Staphylococcus species among health care and nonhealth care workers undergoing cataract surgery

    PubMed Central

    Olson, Randall; Donnenfeld, Eric; Bucci, Frank A; Price, Francis W; Raizman, Michael; Solomon, Kerry; Devgan, Uday; Trattler, William; Dell, Steven; Wallace, R Bruce; Callegan, Michelle; Brown, Heather; McDonnell, Peter J; Conway, Taryn; Schiffman, Rhett M; Hollander, David A

    2010-01-01

    Purpose: The purpose of this study is to characterize the bacterial flora of the ocular and periocular surface in cataract surgery patients and to determine the prevalence of methicillin resistance among staphylococcal isolates obtained from health care workers (HCWs) and non-HCWs. Methods: In this prospective, multicenter, case series study, eyelid and conjunctival cultures were obtained from the nonoperative eye of 399 consecutive cataract patients on the day of surgery prior to application of topical anesthetics, antibiotics, or antiseptics. Speciation and susceptibility testing were performed at the Dean A. McGee Eye Institute. Logistic regression was utilized to evaluate whether any factors were significant in predicting the presence of methicillin-resistant staphylococcal isolates. Results: Staphylococcus epidermidis (62.9%), followed by S. aureus (14.0%), was the most frequently isolated organism. Methicillin-resistant S. epidermidis accounted for 47.1% (178/378) of S. epidermidis isolates, and methicillin-resistant S. aureus accounted for 29.5% (26/88) of S. aureus isolates. Methicillin-resistant staphylococcal isolates were found in 157 of 399 (39.3%) patients, the majority (89.2%) of whom were non-HCWs. The likelihood of being colonized with methicillin-resistant organisms increased with age (odds ratio [OR], 1.27; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.02–1.58; P = 0.04) but decreased with diabetes (OR, 0.51; 95% CI: 0.29–0.89; P = 0.02). Being a HCW (OR, 1.25; 95% CI: 0.61–2.58; P = 0.54) was not a risk factor for colonization with methicillin-resistant organisms. Conclusion: Patients without exposure to health care environments are as likely as HCWs to be colonized with methicillin-resistant organisms. Increasing methicillin resistance with age may partially explain the increased risk of endophthalmitis reported with older age. PMID:21191448

  16. The Relationship Between Sociodemographic Characteristics, Work Conditions, and Level of "Mobbing" of Health Workers in Primary Health Care.

    PubMed

    Picakciefe, Metin; Acar, Gulcihan; Colak, Zehra; Kilic, Ibrahim

    2015-06-19

    Mobbing is a type of violence which occurs in workplaces and is classified under the community violence subgroup of interpersonal violence. The aim of this study is to examine health care workers who work in primary health care in the city of Mugla and to determine whether there is a relationship between sociodemographic characteristics, work conditions, and their level of mobbing. A cross-sectional analysis has been conducted in which 130 primary health care workers were selected. Of the 130, 119 health workers participated, yielding a response rate of 91.5%; 83.2% of health workers are female, 42.9% are midwives, 27.7% are nurses, and 14.3% are doctors. In all, 31.1% of health workers have faced with "mobbing" in the last 1 year, and the frequency of experiencing "mobbing" of those 48.6% of them is 1 to 3 times per year. A total of 70.3% of those who apply "mobbing" are senior health workers, and 91.9% are female. The frequency of encountering with "mobbing" was found significantly in married health workers, in those 16 years and above according to examined total working time, in those who have psychosocial reactions, and in those who have counterproductive behaviors. It has been discovered that primary health care workers have high prevalence of "mobbing" exposure. To avoid "mobbing" at workplace, authorities and responsibilities of all employees have to be clearly determined. © The Author(s) 2015.

  17. Work-Family Conflict, Psychological Distress and Sleep Deficiency Among Patient Care Workers

    PubMed Central

    Jacobsen, Henrik Børsting; Reme, Silje Endresen; Sembajwe, Grace; Hopcia, Karen; Stoddard, Anne M.; Kenwood, Christopher; Stiles, Tore C.; Sorensen, Glorian; Buxton, Orfeu M.

    2015-01-01

    Objectives There is a well-established link between psychological distress, work-related stress and sleep. The aim of this study was to test the hypothesis that work-family conflict was associated with sleep deficiency both cross-sectionally and longitudinally while controlling for potential covariates. Methods In this two-phase study, a workplace health survey was collected from a cohort of patient care workers (n=1,572) at two large hospitals. Follow-up was collected nearly two years later in a subsample (n=102). Self-reported measures included work-family conflict, socio-demographics, workplace factors, psychological distress, and outcomes of sleep duration, sleep insufficiency, and sleep maintenance. Bivariate associations (P<0.2) from the baseline sample were used to build multivariable logistic regression models. Results The participants were 90 % women with a mean age of 41 (±11.7) years. At baseline, after adjusting for covariates, higher levels of work-family conflict were significantly associated with sleep deficiency, short sleep duration and perceived sleep insufficiency, but not with sleep maintenance problems. Higher levels of work-family conflict also predicted sleep insufficiency at follow-up nearly two years later. None of the other variables were associated with sleep outcomes longitudinally. Conclusion This is the first study to determine the predictive and cross-sectional associations of work-family conflict on sleep deficiency, also controlling for other measures of job stress and psychological distress. The results indicate that future interventions on sleep deficiency in patient care workers should include a specific focus on work-family conflict. PMID:25000547

  18. Challenges of Transcultural Caring Among Health Workers in Mashhad-Iran: A Qualitative Study

    PubMed Central

    Amiri, Rana; Heydari, Abbas; Dehghan-Nayeri, Nahid; Vedadhir, Abou Ali; Kareshki, Hosein

    2016-01-01

    Background: One of the consequences of migration is cultural diversity in various communities. This has created challenges for healthcare systems. Objectives: The aim of this study is to explore the health care staffs’ experience of caring for Immigrants in Mashhad- Iran. Setting: This study is done in Tollab area (wherein most immigrants live) of Mashhad. Clinics and hospitals that immigrants had more referral were selected. Participants: Data were collected through in-depth interviews with medical and nursing staffs. 15 participants (7 Doctors and 8 Nurses) who worked in the more referred immigrants’ clinics and hospitals were entered to the study. Design: This is a qualitative study with content analysis approach. Sampling method was purposive. The accuracy and consistency of data were confirmed. Interviews were conducted until no new data were emerged. Data were analyzed by using latent qualitative content analysis. Results: The data analysis consisted of four main categories; (1) communication barrier, (2) irregular follow- up, (3) lack of trust, (4) cultural- personal trait. Conclusion: Result revealed that health workers are confronting with some trans- cultural issues in caring of immigrants. Some of these issues are related to immigration status and some related to cultural difference between health workers and immigrants. These issues indicate that there is transcultural care challenges in care of immigrants among health workers. Due to the fact that Iran is the context of various cultures, it is necessary to consider the transcultural care in medical staffs. The study indicates that training and development in the area of cultural competence is necessary. PMID:26925887

  19. Community health workers and home-based care programs for HIV clients.

    PubMed Central

    Johnson, Becky A.; Khanna, Sunil K.

    2004-01-01

    In Nyanza Province, Kenya, estimated HIV prevalence is 22%. Given that more than 80% of the population resides in rural areas, the majority of individuals in Nyanza Province do not have access to medical facilities on a regular basis. In response to the growing demands the HIV epidemic has placed on the people and communities in this region, hundreds of lay individuals have been trained as community health workers to provide home-based care to sick or dying HIV/AIDS clients in rural areas. This paper discusses the role and impact of these community health workers in Nyanza Province, Kenya. It outlines the collaborative relationship between community health workers and the Ministry of Health, examining community health workers' use of extant biomedical structures at the district level to provide services that government-run health facilities lack the monetary resources or personnel to provide. Finally, it explores the role played by community health workers in providing HIV/AIDS education to individuals in an attempt to prevent further infections. PMID:15101670

  20. Health insurance for all long-term care workers: estimated costs and coverage impacts in Minnesota and recommendations for States.

    PubMed

    Wright, Bernadette; Gruman, Cindy; Alecxih, Lisa; Knatterud, Larhae

    2012-01-01

    A major barrier to building a strong workforce to meet the growing need for long-care is lack of affordable health benefits. This study projects impacts of funding health coverage for all long-term care workers in Minnesota. Under the most cost effective model plan design, enrollment in employer-sponsored coverage would increase 73% to 100% for individual coverage and 26% to 42% for family coverage. Total monthly costs would be $698/worker in the commercial market or $634/worker through a new dedicated risk pool. Based on our findings and past research, the authors present recommendations for structuring and implementing a long-term care worker health insurance initiative.

  1. Older Women Doing Home Care: Exploitation or Ideal Job?

    PubMed Central

    Butler, Sandra S.

    2013-01-01

    The increased need for both personal assistance workers and meaningful employment opportunities for older workers results in growing numbers of older home care aides. This study examined lifetime financial security and perceived advantages of older age in this field through interviews with 31 older home care aides. Study participants experienced high levels of financial insecurity and perceived older workers as particularly well suited to the home care job. The consequences of this low-wage, low-status work are explored along with implications for social workers to advocate for improved conditions for these workers providing essential care to frail elders. PMID:23600600

  2. Present principles of workers' health care organization in Poland and directions of future changes.

    PubMed

    Dawydzik, L; Izycki, J; Kopias, J

    1993-01-01

    The present-day legal regulations on workers' health care are far from satisfactory. The work on the modification of the occupational health service has been carried out for the last two years although the preparatory activities started much earlier. In May 1991, under the initiative of the Nofer Institute of Occupational Medicine in Lodz, the bill on the Labor Code has been amended so that it would regulate the employer's responsibilities with respect to providing health care for workers and to participating in respective costs. These activities have overrun the more general ones pertaining to the reform of the national health service in Poland. Under conditions of the growing free market economy the previously operated organizational system of health care for workers has become out-of-date and needs immediate modification to adjust it to the new economic situation. Evidently, the trends and rate of the policy in this respect have been considerably influenced by the more general activities to make Poland associated with the European Community and hence to develop an occupational health care system which would take into consideration the principles of the Charter of Social Rights of the EEC as well as of the ILO Conventions.

  3. Outsourcing Elderly Care to Migrant Workers: The Impact of Gender and Class on the Experience of Male Employers.

    PubMed

    Gallo, Ester; Scrinzi, Francesca

    2016-04-01

    This article, based on semi-structured interviews, addresses masculinity in the international division of reproductive labour through an analysis of the impact of gender and class on the outsourcing of elderly care services to migrant care workers. In the Italian context, characterised by a limited provision of long-term care services and by cash-for-care benefits, the strategies of men as employers of migrant care workers are shaped by class and gender. The outsourcing of care to migrant workers reproduces hegemonic masculinity in so far as male employers are able to withdraw from the 'dirty work'. At the same time, men engage with tasks which are, in principle, kept at a distance. The employers' family status, combined with their class background, are crucial factors in shaping the heterogeneity of men's experiences as employers and managers of care labour, and the ways in which they make sense of their masculinity.

  4. The facilitators of communication with people with dementia in a care setting: an interview study with healthcare workers.

    PubMed

    Stanyon, Miriam Ruth; Griffiths, Amanda; Thomas, Shirley A; Gordon, Adam Lee

    2016-01-01

    to describe the views of healthcare workers on the facilitators of communication with people with dementia in a care setting. thematic analysis of semi-structured interviews. all participants were interviewed in their place of work. sixteen healthcare workers whose daily work involves interacting with people with dementia. four overarching categories of themes were identified from the interviews that impact on communication: the attributes of a care worker, communication strategies used, organisational factors and the physical characteristics of the care environment. many strategies used by healthcare workers to facilitate communication have not yet been studied in the research literature. Participants' views on training should be incorporated into future dementia training programmes. © The Author 2016. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the British Geriatrics Society.

  5. Health care worker hand hygiene in the pediatric special care unit at Mulago National Referral Hospital in Uganda: a best practice implementation project.

    PubMed

    Muhumuza, Christine; Gomersall, Judith Streak; Fredrick, Makumbi E; Atuyambe, Lynn; Okiira, Christopher; Mukose, Aggrey; Ssempebwa, John

    2015-03-01

    The hands of a health care worker are a common vehicle of pathogen transmission in hospital settings. Health care worker hand hygiene is therefore critical for patients' well being. Whilst failure of health care workers to comply with the best hand hygiene practice is a problem in all health care settings, issues of lack of access to adequate cleaning equipment and in some cases even running water make practicing good hand hygiene particularly difficult in low-resource developing country settings. This study reports an audit and feedback project that focused on the hand hygiene of the health care worker in the pediatric special care unit of the Mulago National Referral Hospital, which is a low-resource setting in Uganda. To improve hand hygiene among health care workers in the pediatric special care unit and thereby contribute to reducing transmission of health care worker-associated pathogens. The Joanna Briggs Institute three-phase Practical Application of Clinical Evidence System audit and feedback tool for promoting evidence utilization and change in health care was used. In phase one of the project, stakeholders were engaged and seven evidence-based audit criteria were developed. A baseline audit was then conducted. In phase two, barriers underpinning areas of noncompliance found in the baseline audit were identified and three strategies - education, reminders and provision of hand cleaning equipment - were implemented to overcome them. In phase three, a follow-up audit was conducted. Compliance with best practice hygiene was found to be poor in the baseline audit for all but one of the audit criteria. Following the implementation of the strategies, hand hygiene improved. The compliance rate increased substantially across all criteria. Staff education achieved 100%, whilst criterion 4 increased to 70%. However, use of alcohol-based hand-rub for hand hygiene only improved to 66%, and for six of the seven audit criteria, compliance remained below 74%. The

  6. Clinical implications of aging with HIV infection: perspectives and the future medical care agenda.

    PubMed

    Guaraldi, Giovanni; Palella, Frank J

    2017-06-01

    : The increasing number of aging HIV-infected (HIV+) persons comprises a unique population at risk for illnesses and syndromes traditionally associated with the elderly. As a result, similar to the current need for primary care providers to manage chronic noninfectious comorbidities among aging persons with well controlled HIV infection, HIV clinical care will need to routinely involve geriatric medicine in a new HIV-geriatric discipline. The objective of this article is to provide a conceptual framework in which HIV and geriatric management considerations for healthcare professionals caring for HIV+ persons are integrated. The provision of contemporary HIV clinical care extends well beyond the achievement of HIV virologic suppression and antiretroviral therapy management and includes a need for careful characterization of geriatric syndromes based upon functional capacity and extent of disability. Screening for geriatric syndromes is both a multidisciplinary and multidimensional process, designed to evaluate an older person's functional ability, physical health, cognition, overall mental health, and socio-environmental circumstances. Although routine incorporation of geriatric assessment into clinical trials involving HIV+ persons is feasible, a current challenge is the availability of a consensus clinical definition of frailty or vulnerability. To maximize the efficiency, value, and convenience of outpatient care visits for older HIV+ persons, these visits should include encounters with multiple providers, including primary care clinicians, social workers, and geriatricians. Challenges may exist in the routine provision of these assessments to older HIV+ persons, but clearly such cross-disciplinary collaboration will not only markedly enhance the care of aging HIV+ persons but may also constitute a model of successful healthcare management that can be applied to all aging persons with changing healthcare needs.

  7. Job Burnout, Job Satisfaction, and Related Factors among Health Care Workers in Golestan Province, Iran

    PubMed Central

    Kabir, Mohammad Javad; Heidari, Alireza; Etemad, Koorosh; Gashti, Ashrafi Babazadeh; Jafari, Nahid; Honarvar, Mohammad Reza; Ariaee, Mohammad; Lotfi, Mansureh

    2016-01-01

    Introduction Burnout causes physical and emotional tireness, job dissatisfaction, resulting in reduced efficiency and a feeling of alienation from colleagues. Also, job satisfaction has a major impact on job-related behaviors, such as turnover intention, absenteeism, and job performance. The aim of this study was to determine job burnout, job satisfaction rate, and related factors among health care workers in Golestan Province in Iran. Methods This cross-sectional study was conducted with 1,141 health workers in Golestan Province in northern Iran. Data were collected using a questionnaire that was comprised of four sections. It consisted of socio-economic characteristics, physical environment and facilities of health house (rural health clinic), Maslach burnout inventory, and a satisfaction questionnaire. Multi-nomial Logistic Regression was conducted to analyze the data using SPSS software, version 22. Results There were significant relationships between the intensity of job burnout and age (p < 0.001), years of experience (p < 0.001), low education level (p = 0.027), number of children (p = 0.002), dissatisfaction with income (p < 0.001), physical environment of health houses (p = 0.003), facilities of health houses (p = 0.025). There were significant relationships between the frequency of job burnout and age (p < 0.001), years of experience (p < 0.001), low education level (p = 0.016), number of children (p = 0.003), dissatisfaction with income (p < 0.001), and the physical environment of health houses (p = 0.008). There were significant relationships between job satisfaction and the satisfaction from income (p = 0.001), the physical environment of health houses (p = 0.001), and the facilities of health houses (p = 0.001). Conclusion Burnout was average among health workers, and health workers job satisfaction rate was lower than the average level in health workers. Effective interventions are recommended with regards to the unfavorable condition of job

  8. Are informal carers and community care workers effective in managing malnutrition in the older adult community? A systematic review of current evidence.

    PubMed

    Marshall, S; Bauer, J; Capra, S; Isenring, E

    2013-01-01

    Enhancing the effectiveness of the community and aged care workforce to prevent malnutrition and functional decline is important in reducing hospital and aged care facility demand. To investigate the impact of nutrition-related interventions delivered to or by informal carers and non-clinical community care workers on malnutrition-related health outcomes of community-dwelling older adults (≥65 years). Intervention studies were searched for using six electronic databases for English-language publications from January 1980 to 30 May 2012. Nine studies were eligible for inclusion. The strength and quality of the evidence was moderate (six studies with level II intervention evidence, five with positive quality). Types of interventions used were highly varied. The majority of interventions were delivered to informal carers (6 studies), with three of these studies also involving older adult care recipients. Five interventions were targeted at identifying, preventing and/or treating malnutrition specifically (two positive quality, three neutral quality, n=2368). As a result of these interventions, nutritional status improved or stabilized (two positive quality, two neutral quality, n=2333). No study reported an improvement in functional status but two successfully prevented further decline in their participants (two neutral quality, n=1097). Interventions targeted at identifying, preventing and/or treating malnutrition were able to improve or prevent decline in nutritional and functional status, without increasing informal carer burden. The findings of this review support the involvement of non-clinical community care workers and informal carers as part of the nutritional care team for community-dwelling older adults.

  9. [Occupational injury risk in immigrant workers in Italy: differences in work characteristics and age].

    PubMed

    Bena, Antonella; Giraudo, Massimiliano

    2014-01-01

    to describe occupational injury risk, comparing regular foreign workers with Italians, by main work characteristics and age. analysis of incidence and risk of total and severe occupational injury by Country of birth, stratified by economic activity, skill level, geographical area of work, firm size and age. sample of 7% of workers registered in the Italian National Institute of Social Insurance (INPS) database. The workers considered were male private sector employees aged from 16 to 55 years old who worked between 2000 and 2005 as apprentice or blue collar. Two groups were distinguished: immigrants from high migratory pressure Countries (PFPM) and immigrants from high-income Countries (PSA; Italians comprised). The three main nationalities considered were the most relevant in Italy: Moroccans, Albanians, and Romanians. all occupational injuries; severe occupational injuries based on the type of damage. PFPM workers have a higher risk of injury compared to PSA both for total (Relative Risk - RR: 1.45) and severe ones (RR: 1.56), particularly in engineering (RR: 1.64) and trade (RR: 1.61). Moroccans have always the greatest risks (RR: 1.86); Romanians are protected on total injuries (RR: 0.80), but have excess of risk of severe injuries (RR: 1.31). Among young people there aren't differences by Country of birth, but the rate decreases as age increases in PSA, while in PFPM it increases as age increases. In this study, injury risk in regular foreign workers were measured more accurately than official statistics: Whip-Salute database can provide useful information for planning prevention programmes of immigrant work-related injuries.

  10. Influence of Teamwork on Health Care Workers' Perceptions About Care Delivery and Job Satisfaction.

    PubMed

    Dahlke, Sherry; Stahlke, Sarah; Coatsworth-Puspoky, Robin

    2018-04-01

    The aim of the current study was to examine the nature of teamwork in care facilities and its impact on the effectiveness of care delivery to older adults and job satisfaction among health care workers. A focused ethnography was conducted at two care facilities where older adults reside. Analysis of interviews with 22 participants revealed perceptions of teamwork and understandings about facilitators of and barriers to effective teamwork. Participants indicated that team relationships impacted care provided and job satisfaction. Participants also identified trust and reciprocity, communication, and sharing a common goal as critical factors in effective teamwork. In addition, participants identified the role of management as important in setting the tone for teamwork. Future research is needed to understand the complexity of supporting teamwork in residential settings given the challenges of culture, diversity, and individuals working multiple jobs. [Journal of Gerontological Nursing, 44(4), 37-44.]. Copyright 2018, SLACK Incorporated.

  11. Assessment of Anxiety Level of Emergency Health-care Workers by Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 Tool.

    PubMed

    Alharthy, Nesrin; Alrajeh, Osama Abdulrahman; Almutairi, Mohammed; Alhajri, Ahmed

    2017-01-01

    Dealing with emergency patients is considered to be a stressful situation to all health-care workers in the emergency department (ED). Prolonged stress predispose to physical and inconsequential psychiatric disturbances. Anxiety and depressive mode were found to be the most commonly experienced psychiatric manifestation among emergency health-care workers. The aim of this study is to screen and assess the severity of anxiety among health professionals working in ED. Cross-sectional study design was used. Generalized anxiety disorder (GAD)-7 screening tool was used to assess for anxiety symptoms. GAD-7 is a validated self-report tool that comprises seven questions where each question is rated on a 3-point scale. Demographic data were collected from the study sample. The study sample consists of emergency physician, nurses, and other emergency medical services workers. Data analysis was performed using SAS version 9.2 software. Descriptive statistics, nonparametric comparison, and correlation were performed as part of data analysis. A total of 135 participants completed the questionnaire, of which, 66% of the participants were males. Occupational status of the respondents indicated that majority (35.6%) were physicians followed by 27.4% of emergency medical, and 27% of nurses. The results of this study indicated that 48% of the subjects were observed without an anxiety disorder. However, moderate to mild degrees of anxiety disorder was identified among 20.7% and 23.7% of the subjects, respectively. Severe anxiety disorder was found among 7.6% of the respondents. Emergency medical services workers were reported to have the highest GAD-7 score followed by physicians and nurses P = 0.039. Gender and older age group among health professionals were statistically significant correlated with higher GAD-7 score P = 0.028 and 0.048, respectively. There is no significant difference in GAD-7 score among health professional dealing with adult versus pediatrics patient. From this

  12. Training needs of nurses and social workers in the end-of-life care for people with intellectual disabilities: a national survey.

    PubMed

    Bekkema, Nienke; de Veer, Anke J E; Albers, Gwenda; Hertogh, Cees M P M; Onwuteaka-Philipsen, Bregje D; Francke, Anneke L

    2014-04-01

    Nurses and social workers caring for people with intellectual disabilities are increasingly confronted with clients in need of end-of-life care. Previous studies, however, suggest that professionals in intellectual disability care services lack knowledge and experience concerning end-of-life care. Moreover, the proportion of nurses within the staff of intellectual disability services has declined in recent years, while the proportion of social workers has increased, which may have consequences for the quality of end-of-life care. To gain insight into the quality of end-of-life care, past vocational training, training needs and expert consultation opportunities of nurses and social workers working in intellectual disability care services. Survey questionnaire study conducted in the Netherlands. Intellectual disability care services. The study sample was recruited from an existing nationally representative research panel of care professionals. In 2011, all 181 nurses and social workers in the research panel who worked in intellectual disability care services were sent our survey questionnaire. Postal survey addressing education, views and needs regarding end-of-life care. The response was 71.8%. Respondents positively evaluated the quality of end-of-life care. However, most respondents felt inadequately trained in end-of-life care issues. Nurses had received more training in end-of-life care and had fewer training needs than social workers. Respondents wished for additional training, especially in supporting clients in dealing with the impending death and farewell process. Half of the respondents were unaware of the availability of external consultation facilities. This study shows that although nurses and social workers positively appraise the quality of end-of-life care for people with intellectual disabilities, the majority feel inadequately trained to provide good end-of-life care. As the number of people with intellectual disability in need of end-of-life care

  13. Health care of youth aging out of foster care.

    PubMed

    2012-12-01

    Youth transitioning out of foster care face significant medical and mental health care needs. Unfortunately, these youth rarely receive the services they need because of lack of health insurance. Through many policies and programs, the federal government has taken steps to support older youth in foster care and those aging out. The Fostering Connections to Success and Increasing Adoptions Act of 2008 (Pub L No. 110-354) requires states to work with youth to develop a transition plan that addresses issues such as health insurance. In addition, beginning in 2014, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010 (Pub L No. 111-148) makes youth aging out of foster care eligible for Medicaid coverage until age 26 years, regardless of income. Pediatricians can support youth aging out of foster care by working collaboratively with the child welfare agency in their state to ensure that the ongoing health needs of transitioning youth are met.

  14. When health care workers experience mental ill health: institutional practices of silence.

    PubMed

    Moll, Sandra; Eakin, Joan M; Franche, Renée-Louise; Strike, Carol

    2013-02-01

    Based on findings from an institutional ethnography in a large mental health organization, we explore how institutional forces shape the experiences of health care workers with mental health issues. We interviewed 20 employees about their personal experiences with mental health issues and work and 12 workplace stakeholders about their interactions with workers who had mental health issues. We also reviewed organizational texts related to health, illness, and productivity. In analyzing transcripts and texts, silence emerged as a core underlying process characterizing individual and organizational responses to employees with mental health issues. Silence was an active practice that took many forms; it was pervasive, complex, and at times, paradoxical. It served many functions for workers and the organization. We discuss the theoretical and practical implications of the findings for workers with mental health issues.

  15. Important exposure controls for protection against antineoplastic agents: Highlights for oncology health care workers.

    PubMed

    Alehashem, Maryam; Baniasadi, Shadi

    2018-01-01

    A great number of antineoplastic drugs (ANPDs) are used globally in cancer treatment. Due to their adverse health effects, occupational exposure to ANPDs is considered a potential health risk to health care workers. The current study aimed to evaluate safe-handling practices of ANPDs, exposure controls, and adverse health implications for health care providers exposed to ANDPs. Prevention measures, including engineering, administrative, and work practice controls, as well as personal protective equipment (PPE), were recorded daily through a questionnaire for six weeks. Acute adverse health effects experienced by health care workers were also documented. The implemented exposure controls for preparation, administration, cleaning, and waste disposal were not in accordance with the safe handling guidelines. Central nervous system disorders (26.33%) were the most frequent acute adverse effects reported by health care workers. A significant correlation was found between the number of experienced adverse effects and handling characteristics, including the number of preparations (r = 0.38, p < 0.05), dose, and the number of prepared drugs (r = 0.46, p < 0.01 and 0.39, p < 0.05), and working hours in different locations of oncology setting for six weeks (preparation room: r = 0.38, P < 0.05, treatment room: r = 0.46, P < 0.01, patient room: r = 0.63, P < 0.01, and station: r = 0.68, P < 0.01). Due to inadequate control measures, oncology health care workers were in danger of exposure to ANPDs and experienced acute adverse health effects. Implementation of appropriate exposure controls is required to prevent occupational exposure to ANPDs.

  16. Clients' and workers' perceptions on clients' functional ability and need for help: home care in municipalities.

    PubMed

    Hammar, Teija; Perälä, Marja-Leena; Rissanen, Pekka

    2009-03-01

    The aim of the study was to compare clients' and named home care (HC) workers' perceptions of clients' functional ability (FA) and need for help and to analyse which client- and municipality-related factors are associated with perceptions of client's FA. The total of 686 Finnish HC clients was interviewed in 2001. Further, the questionnaire was sent to 686 HC workers. FA was assessed by activities of daily living (ADL), which included both basic/physical (PADL) and instrumental (IADL) activities. The association between client's FA and municipality-related variables was analysed by using hierarchical logistic regression models. The findings indicated that clients' and HC-workers' perceptions about what the clients were able to do were similar in the PADL functions, but perceptions differed when it comes to the IADL functions for mobility and in climbing stairs. A smaller proportion of clients compared with HC workers assessed themselves to be in need of help in all ADL functions. Use of home help and bathing services increased the probability of belonging to the 'poor' FA class while living alone and small size of municipality decreased the probability. The study indicates that although clients and workers assessed client's FA fairly similarly, there were major differences in perceptions concerning clients' needs for help in ADL functions. Clients' and workers' shared view of need for help forms a basis for high-quality care. Therefore, the perception of both the clients and workers must be taken into account when planning care and services. There was also variation in clients' FA between municipalities, although only the size of municipality had some association with the variation. The probability that clients with a lower FA are cared for in HC is higher if the clients live in large- rather than small-sized municipalities. This may reflect a better mix of services and resources in large-sized municipalities.

  17. Developing and deploying a community healthcare worker-driven, digitally- enabled integrated care system for municipalities in rural Nepal.

    PubMed

    Citrin, David; Thapa, Poshan; Nirola, Isha; Pandey, Sachit; Kunwar, Lal Bahadur; Tenpa, Jasmine; Acharya, Bibhav; Rayamazi, Hari; Thapa, Aradhana; Maru, Sheela; Raut, Anant; Poudel, Sanjaya; Timilsina, Diwash; Dhungana, Santosh Kumar; Adhikari, Mukesh; Khanal, Mukti Nath; Pratap Kc, Naresh; Acharya, Bhim; Karki, Khem Bahadur; Singh, Dipendra Raman; Bangura, Alex Harsha; Wacksman, Jeremy; Storisteanu, Daniel; Halliday, Scott; Schwarz, Ryan; Schwarz, Dan; Choudhury, Nandini; Kumar, Anirudh; Wu, Wan-Ju; Kalaunee, S P; Chaudhari, Pushpa; Maru, Duncan

    2018-06-04

    Integrating care at the home and facility level is a critical yet neglected function of healthcare delivery systems. There are few examples in practice or in the academic literature of affordable, digitally-enabled integrated care approaches embedded within healthcare delivery systems in low- and middle-income countries. Simultaneous advances in affordable digital technologies and community healthcare workers offer an opportunity to address this challenge. We describe the development of an integrated care system involving community healthcare worker networks that utilize a home-to-facility electronic health record platform for rural municipalities in Nepal. Key aspects of our approach of relevance to a global audience include: community healthcare workers continuously engaging with populations through household visits every three months; community healthcare workers using digital tools during the routine course of clinical care; individual and population-level data generated routinely being utilized for program improvement; and being responsive to privacy, security, and human rights concerns. We discuss implementation, lessons learned, challenges, and opportunities for future directions in integrated care delivery systems. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  18. Socioeconomic Status, Occupational Characteristics, and Sleep Duration in African/Caribbean Immigrants and US White Health Care Workers

    PubMed Central

    Ertel, Karen A.; Berkman, Lisa F.; Buxton, Orfeu M.

    2011-01-01

    Study Objectives: o advance our understanding of the interplay of socioeconomic factors, occupational exposures, and race/ethnicity as they relate to sleep duration. We hypothesize that non Hispanic African/Caribbean immigrant employees in long term health care have shorter sleep duration than non Hispanic white employees, and that low education, low income, and occupational exposures including night work and job strain account for some of the African/Caribbean immigrant–white difference in sleep duration. Design: Cross sectional Setting: Four extended care facilities in Massachusetts, United States Participants: 340 employees in extended care facilities Measurements and Results: Sleep duration was assessed with wrist actigraphy for a mean of 6.3 days. In multivariable regression modeling controlling for gender and age, African/Caribbean immigrants slept 64.4 fewer minutes (95% CI: −81.0, −47.9) per night than white participants; additional control for education and income reduced the racial gap to 50.9 minutes (−69.2, −32.5); additional control for the occupational factors of hours worked per week and working the night shift reduced the racial gap to 37.7 minutes (−57.8, −17.6). Conclusions: his study provides support for the hypothesis that socioeconomic and occupational characteristics explain some of the African/ Caribbean immigrant–white difference in sleep duration in the United States, especially among health care workers. Citation: Ertel KA; Berkman LF; Buxton OM. Socioeconomic status, occupational characteristics, and sleep duration in African/Caribbean immi grants and US white health care workers. SLEEP 2011; 34(4):509-518. PMID:21461330

  19. Job Satisfaction of Primary-Care Workers Who Assist the Elderly.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Carter, Travis A.

    1988-01-01

    Used Job Descriptive Index to appraise level of job satisfaction of 111 primary-care employees. The results revealed that varied personality types chose occupations in the caregiving field; satisfaction tended to be independent of personality type. Issues such as pay, promotion, and relationships with supervisors and co-workers were important…

  20. Perceived challenges and opportunities arising from integration of mental health into primary care: a cross-sectional survey of primary health care workers in south-west Ethiopia

    PubMed Central

    2014-01-01

    Background The WHO’s mental health Gap Action Programme seeks to narrow the treatment gap for mental disorders by advocating integration of mental health into primary health care (PHC). This study aimed to assess the challenges and opportunities of this approach from the perspective of PHC workers in a sub-Saharan African country. Methods A facility-based cross-sectional survey of 151 PHC workers was conducted from 1st to 30th November 2011 in Jimma zone, south-west Ethiopia. A structured questionnaire was used to ask about past training and mental health experience, knowledge and attitudes towards mental disorders and provision of mental health care in PHC. Semi-structured interviews were carried out with 12 heads of health facilities for more in-depth understanding. Results Almost all PHC workers (96.0%) reported that mental health care was important in Ethiopia and the majority (66.9%) expressed interest in actually delivering mental health care. Higher levels of general health training (degree vs. diploma) and pre-service clinical exposure to mental health care were associated with more favourable attitudes. Knowledge about mental disorder diagnoses, symptoms and treatments was low. Almost half (45.0%) of PHC workers reported that supernatural factors were important causes of mental disorders. Health system and structural issues, such as poor medication supply, lack of rooms, time constraints, absence of specialist supervision and lack of treatment guidelines, were identified as challenges. Almost all PHC workers (96.7%) reported a need for more training, including a clinical attachment, in order to be able to deliver mental health care competently. Conclusions Despite acceptability to PHC workers, the feasibility of integrating mental health into PHC in this sub-Saharan African setting is limited by important gaps in PHC worker knowledge and expectations regarding mental health care, coupled with health system constraints. In addition to clinically

  1. Perceived challenges and opportunities arising from integration of mental health into primary care: a cross-sectional survey of primary health care workers in south-west Ethiopia.

    PubMed

    Abera, Mubarek; Tesfaye, Markos; Belachew, Tefera; Hanlon, Charlotte

    2014-03-06

    The WHO's mental health Gap Action Programme seeks to narrow the treatment gap for mental disorders by advocating integration of mental health into primary health care (PHC). This study aimed to assess the challenges and opportunities of this approach from the perspective of PHC workers in a sub-Saharan African country. A facility-based cross-sectional survey of 151 PHC workers was conducted from 1st to 30th November 2011 in Jimma zone, south-west Ethiopia. A structured questionnaire was used to ask about past training and mental health experience, knowledge and attitudes towards mental disorders and provision of mental health care in PHC. Semi-structured interviews were carried out with 12 heads of health facilities for more in-depth understanding. Almost all PHC workers (96.0%) reported that mental health care was important in Ethiopia and the majority (66.9%) expressed interest in actually delivering mental health care. Higher levels of general health training (degree vs. diploma) and pre-service clinical exposure to mental health care were associated with more favourable attitudes. Knowledge about mental disorder diagnoses, symptoms and treatments was low. Almost half (45.0%) of PHC workers reported that supernatural factors were important causes of mental disorders. Health system and structural issues, such as poor medication supply, lack of rooms, time constraints, absence of specialist supervision and lack of treatment guidelines, were identified as challenges. Almost all PHC workers (96.7%) reported a need for more training, including a clinical attachment, in order to be able to deliver mental health care competently. Despite acceptability to PHC workers, the feasibility of integrating mental health into PHC in this sub-Saharan African setting is limited by important gaps in PHC worker knowledge and expectations regarding mental health care, coupled with health system constraints. In addition to clinically-based refresher mental health training, expansion

  2. Outsourcing Elderly Care to Migrant Workers: The Impact of Gender and Class on the Experience of Male Employers

    PubMed Central

    Gallo, Ester; Scrinzi, Francesca

    2015-01-01

    This article, based on semi-structured interviews, addresses masculinity in the international division of reproductive labour through an analysis of the impact of gender and class on the outsourcing of elderly care services to migrant care workers. In the Italian context, characterised by a limited provision of long-term care services and by cash-for-care benefits, the strategies of men as employers of migrant care workers are shaped by class and gender. The outsourcing of care to migrant workers reproduces hegemonic masculinity in so far as male employers are able to withdraw from the ‘dirty work’. At the same time, men engage with tasks which are, in principle, kept at a distance. The employers’ family status, combined with their class background, are crucial factors in shaping the heterogeneity of men’s experiences as employers and managers of care labour, and the ways in which they make sense of their masculinity. PMID:27041775

  3. [Latex gloves dermatitis in health care workers].

    PubMed

    Mattei, O; Di Martino, T; Ferraro, P

    2007-01-01

    With regard to health care workers the irritative contact dermatitis represents about the 80% of all the dermopathies in sanitary staff whereas the allergic contact dermatitis covers approximately the 20% of the professional dermatoses. In our study 4 cases of allergy to latex in hospital nurses are presented; the clinical history is described for each of them as well as the resulting judgment of suitability to the specific work. In general population the allergy to latex is estimated to be approximately 1-6%; in sanitary staff it rises to 5-12%. We have to observe that not all the sensitive subjects show symptoms of allergy. Actually the 4 cases described represent less than 1% of the surveyed group. The sensitization is likely to be so reduced also thanks to the application of preventive guide-lines such as the one proposed by NIOSH. In Italy the criteria in preventing allergic reactions to latex are illustrated in a consensus document issued by a study-team from Italian Association of the Health Workers.

  4. Managing HIV/hepatitis positive patients: present approach of dental health care workers and students.

    PubMed

    Shinde, Nagesh; Baad, Rajendra; Nagpal, Deepak Kumar J; Prabhu, Prashant R; Surekha, L Chavan; Karande, Prasad

    2012-11-01

    People with HIV/HBsAg in India frequently encounter discrimination while seeking and receiving health care services. The knowledge and attitudes of health care workers (HCWs) influences the willingness and ability of people with HIV/HBsAg to access care, and the quality of the care they receive. The objective of this study was to asses HIV/HBsAg-related knowledge, attitudes and risk perception among students and dental HCWs. A cross-sectional survey was conducted on 250 students and 120 dental HCWs in the form of objective questionnaire. Information was gathered regarding demographic details (age, sex, duration of employment, job category); HIV/ HBsAg-related knowledge and attitudes; risk perception; and previous experience caring for HIV-positive patients. The HCWs in this study generally had a positive attitude to care for the people with HIV/HBsAg. However, this was tempered by substantial concerns about providing care, and the fear of occupational infection with HIV/HBsAg. A continuing dental education program was conducted to resolve all the queries found interfering to provide care to HIV/HBsAg patients. But even after the queries were resolved the care providing capability was not attained. These findings show that even with advanced knowledge and facilities the attitude of dental HCWs and students require more strategic training with regards to the ethics and moral stigma associated with the dreaded infectious diseases (HIV/HBsAg).

  5. [Usage survey of care equipment in care service facilities for the elderly].

    PubMed

    Iwakiri, Kazuyuki; Takahashi, Masaya; Sotoyama, Midori; Hirata, Mamoru; Hisanaga, Naomi

    2007-01-01

    Musculoskeletal disorders(MSD)have been increasing recently among care workers. Since providing care workers with appropriate equipment is effective for preventing MSD, we conducted a questionnaire survey in two nursing homes and a healthcare facility for the elderly to clarify equipment usage, problems and points for improvement. A total of 81 care workers(average age 32.2 yr; 63 females, 18 males)participated in the survey. The average number of residents and the average resident's care level were 70.0 and 3.6, respectively. Wheelchair and height adjustable beds were fully available and always used in all facilities. Portable lifts, ceiling lifts and transfer boards were, however, few in all 3 facilities and the proportion of use was 14.8%, 16.0%, and 23.5%, respectively. Participants reported that it is time consuming to move residents from place to place with lifts and there is a danger of dropping a resident. Although approximately 90% of care workers had received education and training on care techniques, the workload on the low back was found to be great. Therefore, we thought that care workers must consistently use care equipment. To achieve such increased usage, we must improve the usability of the equipment.

  6. [Physical activity in staff workers at Centers for Psychosocial Care in southern Brazil: temporal trends].

    PubMed

    Jerônimo, Jeferson Santos; Jardim, Vanda Maria da Rosa; Kantorski, Luciane Prado; Domingues, Marlos Rodrigues

    2014-12-01

    The aim of the study was to analyze temporal trends of physical activity among staff workers in Centers for Psychosocial Care and associated factors in southern Brazil from 2006 to 2011. This cross-sectional study was part of the Evaluation of Centers for Psychosocial Care in Southern Brazil/CAPSUL. Physical and mental health variables were collected using the Self-Report Questionnaire (SRQ-20), and physical activity was measured with the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ). Participation included 435 staff workers in 2006 and 546 in 2011. Total prevalence rates were: physical activity (≥ 150 minutes/week) 23.2% in 2006 and 17.6% in 2011 and minor psychiatric disorders 11% and 8.4%. There was no statistically significant difference in physical activity between men and women. In 2006, individuals with less schooling (p = 0.03) and lower income (p = 0.01) showed higher levels of physical activity. In 2011, staff workers in larger cities showed higher levels of physical activity (p = 0.02). Interventions are needed to promote physical activity in this population, especially among staff workers at Centers for Psychosocial Care in smaller municipalities.

  7. Effects of Training Programme on HIV/AIDS Prevention among Primary Health Care Workers in Oyo State, Nigeria

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Ajuwon, Ademola; Funmilayo, Fawole; Oladepo, Oladimeji; Osungbade, Kayode; Asuzu, Michael

    2008-01-01

    Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to train primary health care workers to be trainers and implementers of community-based AIDS prevention activities in Oyo State, Nigeria, by describing an evaluation of the project. Design/methodology/approach: A total of 148 primary health care workers recruited from the 33 local government areas (LGA) of the…

  8. Social care as first work experience in England: a secondary analysis of the profile of a national sample of migrant workers.

    PubMed

    Hussein, Shereen; Manthorpe, Jill; Stevens, Martin

    2011-01-01

    Migrant workers are increasingly important to the care sector in England as well as in other developed countries. The profile of migrants is likely to continue changing due to reforms in immigration policy and legislation limiting the range of jobs open to migrants from non-EU countries while facilitating migration from the new European Union accession countries. This article reports on detailed secondary analysis of newly available data on the characteristics of migrants working in the care sector as their first job. The analysis was undertaken in 2009 as part of research investigating the contribution made by migrant care workers in England. The sample was identified from the new National Minimum Data Set for Social Care (NMDSSC), which is completed by social care employers in England. Workers whose ethnicity was identified as not White British and who had their previous job abroad were used as a proxy of recent migrants. The analysis shows that this group of workers has a significantly different profile compared with other workers. Recent migrants in the care sector were significantly younger and held higher qualifications relevant to social care; however, there were no significant gender differences. They were also significantly concentrated in the private and voluntary sectors and in direct care work. There were variations between recent migrants' ethnicity and their job roles, with Asian workers more prevalent in senior care positions. These findings have a number of possible implications for social care workforce and providers, particularly within the current context of changing migration rules and social care reforms. © 2010 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

  9. Direct care worker's perceptions of job satisfaction following implementation of work-based learning.

    PubMed

    Lopez, Cynthia; White, Diana L; Carder, Paula C

    2014-02-01

    The purpose of this study was to understand the impact of a work-based learning program on the work lives of Direct Care Workers (DCWs) at assisted living (AL) residences. The research questions were addressed using focus group data collected as part of a larger evaluation of a work-based learning (WBL) program called Jobs to Careers. The theoretical perspective of symbolic interactionism was used to frame the qualitative data analysis. Results indicated that the WBL program impacted DCWs' job satisfaction through the program curriculum and design and through three primary categories: relational aspects of work, worker identity, and finding time. This article presents a conceptual model for understanding how these categories are interrelated and the implications for WBL programs. Job satisfaction is an important topic that has been linked to quality of care and reduced turnover in long-term care settings.

  10. Does self-assessed physical capacity predict development of low back pain among health care workers? A 2-year follow-up study.

    PubMed

    Rasmussen, Charlotte D N; Jørgensen, Marie B; Clausen, Thomas; Andersen, Lars L; Strøyer, Jesper; Holtermann, Andreas

    2013-02-01

    Prospective cohort study. To determine the prognostic value of self-assessed physical capacity for the development of low back pain (LBP) among female health care workers without LBP. High physical capacities in terms of strength, endurance, flexibility, and balance are assumed to prevent LBP among persons with high physical work demands. However, the few existing studies investigating this relationship show contrasting findings. Female health care workers answered a questionnaire about physical capacity in 2004, and days with LBP in 2005 and 2006. The odds ratios (ORs) for developing nonchronic (1-30 d of the past 12 mo) and persistent (>30 d of the past 12 mo) LBP in 2006 from self-assessed physical capacity were investigated with multiadjusted logistic regressions among female health care workers without LBP in 2005 (n = 1612). Health care workers with low and medium physical capacity had increased risk of developing nonchronic LBP (OR = 1.52 [CI = 1.05-2.20] and OR = 1.37 [CI = 1.01-1.84], respectively), and health care workers with low physical capacity had an increased risk of developing persistent LBP (OR = 2.13 [CI = 1.15-3.96]), referencing those with high physical capacity. Self-assessed low physical capacity is a strong predictor for developing nonchronic and persistent LBP among pain-free female health care workers. Future intervention studies should investigate whether increased physical capacity, for example, through exercise training prevents development of LBP among female health care workers.

  11. The effectiveness of a serious game to enhance empathy for care workers for people with disabilities: A parallel randomized controlled trial.

    PubMed

    Sterkenburg, P S; Vacaru, V S

    2018-04-04

    Empathic care is fundamental in healthcare settings and is associated to several positive outcomes for care workers (i.e. burnout, compassion satisfaction) and patients (i.e. therapeutic alliance, trust, wellbeing). Yet, studies showed a decrease in empathy in care workers, which is argued to be a product of personal distress. Thus, interventions should aim at enhancing empathy in care workers working for vulnerable populations to ensure optimal client-carer relationships. The current study investigates the effectiveness of the serious game "The world of EMPA" in enhancing empathy in care workers for people with disabilities, and tests the effect of personal distress on empathy change post intervention. We conducted a superiority parallel randomized controlled trial (RCT) and tested 224 participants in two conditions: the experimental group (n = 111) played a serious game and the control group (n = 113) read a digital information package about disabilities. Participants were assessed on empathy and personal distress prior to and after the intervention. Main results showed that the serious game did not significantly enhance empathy in care workers, whereas reading a digital information package yield a significant decrease in empathy. Exploratory analysis showed that the serious game decreased significantly personal distress in care-workers. This study showed that while the serious game "The world of EMPA" did not enhance empathy, it resulted in a decrease in personal distress in care workers for people with disabilities. Further evidence should corroborate these findings to unveil the mechanisms of this intervention and the long-term effects on personal distress. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  12. The COMmunity of Practice And Safety Support (COMPASS) Total Worker Health™ study among home care workers: study protocol for a randomized controlled trial.

    PubMed

    Olson, Ryan; Elliot, Diane; Hess, Jennifer; Thompson, Sharon; Luther, Kristy; Wipfli, Brad; Wright, Robert; Buckmaster, Annie Mancini

    2014-10-27

    Home care workers are a high-risk group for injury and illness. Their unique work structure presents challenges to delivering a program to enhance their health and safety. No randomized controlled trials have assessed the impact of a Total Worker Health™ program designed for their needs. The COMPASS (COMmunity of Practice And Safety Support) study is a cluster randomized trial being implemented among Oregon's unionized home care workers. Partnering with the Oregon Home Care Commission allowed recruiting 10 pairs of home care worker groups with 8 participants per group (n = 160) for balanced randomization of groups to intervention and control conditions. Physiologic and survey evaluation of all participants will be at enrollment, 6 months and 12 months. Primary outcomes are to increase health promoting (for example, healthy nutrition and regular physical activity) and health protecting (that is, safety) behaviors. In addition to assessing outcomes adjusted for the hierarchical design, mediation analyses will be used to deconstruct and confirm the program's theoretical underpinnings and intervention processes. Intervention groups will participate in a series of monthly 2-hour meetings designed as ritualized, scripted peer-led sessions to increase knowledge, practice skills and build support for healthy actions. Self-monitoring and individual and team level goals are included to augment change. Because generalizability, reach and achieving dissemination are priorities, following initial wave findings, a second wave of COMPASS groups will be recruited and enrolled with tailoring of the program to align with existing Home Care Commission educational offerings. Outcomes, process and mediation of those tailored groups will be compared with the original wave's findings. The COMPASS trial will assess a novel program to enhance the safety and health of a vulnerable, rapidly expanding group of isolated caregivers, whose critical work allows independent living of frail

  13. Understanding informal payments in health care: motivation of health workers in Tanzania

    PubMed Central

    Stringhini, Silvia; Thomas, Steve; Bidwell, Posy; Mtui, Tina; Mwisongo, Aziza

    2009-01-01

    Background There is growing evidence that informal payments for health care are fairly common in many low- and middle-income countries. Informal payments are reported to have a negative consequence on equity and quality of care; it has been suggested, however, that they may contribute to health worker motivation and retention. Given the significance of motivation and retention issues in human resources for health, a better understanding of the relationships between the two phenomena is needed. This study attempts to assess whether and in what ways informal payments occur in Kibaha, Tanzania. Moreover, it aims to assess how informal earnings might help boost health worker motivation and retention. Methods Nine focus groups were conducted in three health facilities of different levels in the health system. In total, 64 health workers participated in the focus group discussions (81% female, 19% male) and where possible, focus groups were divided by cadre. All data were processed and analysed by means of the NVivo software package. Results The use of informal payments in the study area was confirmed by this study. Furthermore, a negative relationship between informal payments and job satisfaction and better motivation is suggested. Participants mentioned that they felt enslaved by patients as a result of being bribed and this resulted in loss of self-esteem. Furthermore, fear of detection was a main demotivating factor. These factors seem to counterbalance the positive effect of financial incentives. Moreover, informal payments were not found to be related to retention of health workers in the public health system. Other factors such as job security seemed to be more relevant for retention. Conclusion This study suggests that the practice of informal payments contributes to the general demotivation of health workers and negatively affects access to health care services and quality of the health system. Policy action is needed that not only provides better financial

  14. Winter season, frequent hand washing, and irritant patch test reactions to detergents are associated with hand dermatitis in health care workers.

    PubMed

    Callahan, Adrienne; Baron, Elma; Fekedulegn, Desta; Kashon, Michael; Yucesoy, Berran; Johnson, Victor J; Domingo, Diana Santo; Kirkland, Brent; Luster, Michael I; Nedorost, Susan

    2013-01-01

    Irritant hand dermatitis (IHD) is common in health care workers. We studied endogenous irritant contact dermatitis threshold by patch testing and exogenous factors such as season and hand washing for their association with IHD in health care workers. Irritant patch testing with sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS), sodium hydroxide, and benzalkonium chloride at varying concentrations was measured in 113 health care workers. Examination for hand dermatitis occurred at 1-month intervals for a period of 6 months in the Midwestern United States. Positive patch testing to low-concentration SLS was associated with IHD (P = 0.0310) after adjusting for age, sex, ethnicity, season, history of childhood flexural dermatitis, mean indoor relative humidity, and glove and hand sanitizer usage. Subjects with a positive patch test to SLS were 78% more likely to have occurrence of IHD (incidence rate ratio [IRR] = 1.78; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.92-3.45). Hand washing frequency (≥10 times a day; IRR = 1.55; 95% CI, 1.01-2.39) and cold season (IRR = 2.76; 95% CI, 1.35-5.65) were associated with IHD. No association was found between history of childhood flexural dermatitis and IHD in this population. Both genetic and environmental factors are important in the etiology of IHD and should be considered in designing strategies to protect, educate, and treat susceptible individuals.

  15. Assault and abuse of health care workers in a large teaching hospital.

    PubMed Central

    Yassi, A

    1994-01-01

    OBJECTIVES: To determine the nature, extent and costs of injuries to health care workers caused by physical abuse. DESIGN: Retrospective study. SETTING: Large acute and tertiary care teaching hospital in Winnipeg. PARTICIPANTS: All health care workers at the hospital who filed reports of abuse-related injuries and of verbal abuse and threatening behaviour from Apr. 1, 1991, to Mar. 31, 1993. OUTCOME MEASURES: Frequency of physical and verbal abuse of hospital personnel according to job category, type of injury, hours of staff time lost and estimates of costs compensated for abuse-related injuries. RESULTS: Of the 242 reported abuse-related injuries 194 (80.2%) occurred among the nursing personnel. The nurses in the medical units filed most (33.1%) of the reports. Although the psychiatric nurses filed fewer reports (35 [14.5%]) they had the highest rate of injuries per 100,000 paid hours among the nursing staff. Not surprisingly, the security officers were at highest risk, 53.5% having reported an abuse-related injury for a rate of 16.8 such injuries per 100,000 paid hours. Male staff members had a higher injury rate than their female counterparts in all occupational groups. Bruising or crushing was the most frequent type of injury (in 126 cases); the next most frequent were cuts and lacerations (in 47) and human bites and exposures to blood or body fluids (in 23). However, the 36 sprains and strains resulted in the largest amount of time lost. In all, over 8000 hours were lost due to abuse-related injuries, and over $76,000 was paid in workers' compensation benefits. Concurrently, 646 incidents of verbal abuse and threatening behaviour were reported. Only three abuse-related injuries and two incidents of verbal abuse were reported by physicians. CONCLUSIONS: Abuse-related injuries to health care workers in an urban hospital are prevalent, serious and can be costly in terms of time off work and compensation. Underreporting is likely, especially among physicians

  16. Social workers' roles in addressing the complex end-of-life care needs of elders with advanced chronic disease.

    PubMed

    Kramer, Betty J

    2013-01-01

    This study examined social workers' roles in caring for low-income elders with advanced chronic disease in an innovative, community-based managed care program, from the perspective of elders, family, team members, and social workers. The results are drawn from a larger longitudinal, multimethod case study. Sources of data include survey reports of needs addressed by social workers for 120 deceased elders, five focus groups with interdisciplinary team members, and in-depth interviews with 14 elders and 10 of their family caregivers. A thematic conceptual matrix was developed to detail 32 distinctive social work roles that address divergent needs of elders, family, and team members. Distinctive perceptions of social workers' roles were identified for the different stakeholder groups (i.e., elders, family caregivers, team members, and social workers). Findings from this study may inform supervisors and educators regarding training needs of those preparing to enter the rapidly growing workforce of gerontological social workers who may be called upon to care for elders at the end of life. Training is particularly warranted to help social workers gain the skills needed to more successfully treat symptom management, depression, anxiety, agitation, grief, funeral planning, and spiritual needs that are common to the end of life.

  17. Improving the quality of workers' compensation health care delivery: the Washington State Occupational Health Services Project.

    PubMed

    Wickizer, T M; Franklin, G; Plaeger-Brockway, R; Mootz, R D

    2001-01-01

    This article has summarized research and policy activities undertaken in Washington State over the past several years to identify the key problems that result in poor quality and excessive disability among injured workers, and the types of system and delivery changes that could best address these problems in order to improve the quality of occupational health care provided through the workers' compensation system. Our investigations have consistently pointed to the lack of coordination and integration of occupational health services as having major adverse effects on quality and health outcomes for workers' compensation. The Managed Care Pilot Project, a delivery system intervention, focused on making changes in how care is organized and delivered to injured workers. That project demonstrated robust improvements in disability reduction; however, worker satisfaction suffered. Our current quality improvement initiative, developed through the Occupational Health Services Project, synthesizes what was learned from the MCP and other pilot studies to make delivery system improvements. This initiative seeks to develop provider incentives and clinical management processes that will improve outcomes and reduce the burden of disability on injured workers. Fundamental to this approach are simultaneously preserving workers' right to choose their own physician and maintaining flexibility in the provision of individualized care based on clinical need and progress. The OHS project then will be a "real world" test to determine if aligning provider incentives and giving physicians the tools they need to optimize occupational health delivery can demonstrate sustainable reduction in disability and improvements in patient and employer satisfaction. Critical to the success of this initiative will be our ability to: (1) enhance the occupational health care management skills and expertise of physicians who treat injured workers by establishing community-based Centers of Occupational

  18. Asian Care Certificate (ACC): a care quality assurance framework.

    PubMed

    Talaie, Tony

    2018-04-16

    Purpose Quality assuring elderly care through a viable and feasible standard framework is a major challenge for Asian governments. Although several attempts have been made to tackle foreign care worker (FCW) shortage, assuring the quality of the care they provide has been overlooked. The original framework allowed a better control over service quality to assure the elderly about their care according to the agreed standards. The paper aims to discuss these issues. Design/methodology/approach Through several Japanese Governmental meetings, a new Asian Care Certificate (ACC) program is discussed based on the Japanese Care Certificate (JCC). The governments' representatives adopted the JCC to form the ACC, which enables the ACC board to evaluate care workers and to intervene whenever the desired quality level is not achieved. Findings The author describes a new program. The findings of this paper will be confirmed when the ACC is implemented. Practical implications Using the ACC framework, the challenge in providing a high-quality care service using FCWs across Asia would be partly resolved. FCWs' quality of life might also gradually improve especially regarding to their human rights. Originality/value The ACC provides a new framework. Its value is recognized if one considers that many Asian populations are rapidly aging and many governments compromise quality by employing overseas workers to solve care worker shortages.

  19. Laughter therapy as an intervention to promote psychological well-being of volunteer community care workers working with HIV-affected families.

    PubMed

    Hatzipapas, Irene; Visser, Maretha J; Janse van Rensburg, Estie

    2017-12-01

    The study explores the experiences of volunteer community care workers working with HIV-affected families, participating in laughter therapy. Laughter therapy is being used as an intervention to positively influence individuals experiencing various forms of emotional distress. Community care workers play a vital role in the support of the HIV/AIDS-infected and -affected members in communities. The nature of this type of work and their limited training contributes to high levels of secondary trauma and emotional exhaustion. The purpose of the study was firstly, to explore the effects of working with orphans and vulnerable children (OVC) on the community care workers and secondly, to establish the impact that laughter therapy has to positively combat stresses of working within the care workers' environment. All the community care workers from a community-based organisation that provides care for HIV/AIDS-infected and -affected OVC and their families in the greater region of Soweto, South Africa, took part in daily laughter therapy sessions for one month. To assess the experiences of participants of laughter therapy, seven community care workers agreed to participate in a mixed method assessment. Interviews were conducted before and after the intervention using the Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis as framework. As supportive data, a stress and anxiety and depression scale were added in the interview. Participants reported more positive emotions, positive coping, improved interpersonal relationships and improvement in their care work after exposure to laughter therapy. Quantitative results on stress, anxiety and depression for each participant confirmed observed changes. Laughter therapy as a self-care technique has potential as a low-cost intervention strategy to reduce stress and counteract negative emotions among people working in highly emotional environments.

  20. Work-system risk factors for permanent work disability among home-care workers: a case-control study.

    PubMed

    Dellve, Lotta; Lagerström, Monica; Hagberg, Mats

    2003-04-01

    There is a growing need for home-care services in western societies. As home-care workers show high levels of absence related to poor health it is important that we broaden our knowledge about what factors in the work system contribute to this. The aim of this study was to explore and estimate the impact of the work system on permanent work disability and its relative importance compared with home-life risks among home-care workers. The cases (617 subjects) were all home-care workers in Sweden, whose disability pension was approved in 1997 or 1998. The controls (771 subjects) were home-care workers still working. We used a questionnaire to gain situation-specific information on working life and home life 5 and 15 years before disability pension entitlement. The most important risk factors in the work system were poor ergonomic/lifting conditions, time pressure and lack of professional caring technique. Fifteen years prior to disability pension entitlement, insufficient management (odds ratio (OR) 95%, CI 2.6[1.6;4.2]) and relational problems at work were also risk factors. Five years before disability pension entitlement, poor organisational support (4.1 [2.5;6.7]), opportunities for co-working and working climate (3.5 [2.4;5.2]) were also strongly related to a persisting work ability. The magnitude of exposure to a number of risk factors had an increased effect (highest 13.8 [5.6-33.8]). The strongest risk factor in home life was little opportunity to rest from work (4.9 [3.0;8.0]). The risk factors in working life were robust to the inclusion of the grouped risk factors of home life. The conclusion was that risk factors related to the work system are, alone, strongly related to permanent work disability among home-care workers. Also, exposure to several of the risk factors constitutes a notably strong risk for permanent work disability.

  1. The effects of age and past and present behavioral specialization on behavior of workers of the red wood ant Formica polyctena Först. during nestmate reunion tests.

    PubMed

    Korczyńska, Julita; Szczuka, Anna; Symonowicz, Beata; Wnuk, Andrzej; Anna, Gonzalez Szwacka; Mazurkiewicz, Paweł Jarosław; Studnicki, Marcin; Godzińska, Ewa Joanna

    2014-09-01

    Social insect workers usually participate first in intranidal tasks and then switch to extranidal ones. However, foragers may switch again to intranidal brood care. This process is called the behavioral reversion. We applied dyadic nestmate reunion tests to explore behavioral differences between five groups of workers of the red wood ant Formica polyctena: callows (newly eclosed workers), nurses, reverted nurses (foragers that switched back to intranidal brood care in response to exposure to brood in absence of nurses), and two groups of foragers. Inter-group differences between the tested ants were related both to age and past and present behavioral specialization. Callows were the least active and their behavior was characterized by the lowest tempo. Nurses usually behaved in a way intermediate in respect to behavior of callows and the ants that had already passed the transition to extranidal tasks. The behavior of reverted nurses showed both similarities and differences with respect to behavior of foragers. Some traits of behavior of reverted nurses were similar as in the case of nurses, or intermediate in respect to both nurses and foragers. Behavioral reversion of workers of F. polyctena has thus other behavioral correlates besides the reappearance of intranidal brood care. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  2. Compassion Fatigue and Compassion Satisfaction among Residential Child Care Workers: The Role of Personality Resources

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Zerach, Gadi

    2013-01-01

    This study assessed compassion fatigue (CF) and compassion satisfaction (CS) among Israeli residential child-care workers (RCWs) working in residential treatment facilities for children and youth at risk (N = 147) as compared to educational boarding schools workers (BSWs; N = 74). Furthermore, we assessed the relationship of potential…

  3. Characteristics of home care workers who leave their jobs: a cross-sectional study of job satisfaction and turnover in Washington State.

    PubMed

    Banijamali, Sahar; Jacoby, Daniel; Hagopian, Amy

    2014-01-01

    Attracting and retaining a stable and motivated home care workforce has become a top policy priority. We surveyed 402 former home care workers in Washington State. We compared these "leavers" to current home care workers recently surveyed. Those who left the profession were more highly educated, had higher household income, and were more likely to be White. Those newly employed have better benefits, wages, hours, and career mobility than in their home care jobs. The low status and poor pay of home care workers may result in the inability of the profession to retain those who face better prospects.

  4. Prevalence of Latent Tuberculosis among Health Care Workers in High Burden Countries: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

    PubMed

    Nasreen, Sharifa; Shokoohi, Mostafa; Malvankar-Mehta, Monali S

    2016-01-01

    Tuberculosis is one of the leading causes of death worldwide. Twenty-two high burden countries contributed to the majority of worldwide tuberculosis cases in 2015. Health care workers are at high risk of acquiring tuberculosis through occupational exposure. To estimate the prevalence of latent tuberculosis infection (LTBI) among health care workers in high burden countries. Databases including MEDLINE (Ovid), EMBASE (Ovid), CINAHL (Ovid) and ISI Web of Science (Thompson-Reuters), and grey literature were searched for English language records on relevant medical subject headings (MeSH) terms of LTBI and health care providers. Literature was systematically reviewed using EPPI-Reviewer4 software. Prevalence and incidence of LTBI and 95% confidence intervals (CI) were reported. Pooled prevalence of LTBI and 95% CI were calculated using random-effects meta-analysis models and heterogeneity was assessed using I2 statistics. Sub-group analysis was conducted to assess the cause of heterogeneity. A total of 990 records were identified. Of those, 18 studies from only 7 high burden countries representing 10,078 subjects were included. Tuberculin skin test results were available for 9,545 participants. The pooled prevalence of LTBI was 47% (95% CI 34% to 60%, I2 = 99.6%). In subgroup analyses according to the country of the study, the pooled prevalence of LTBI was lowest in Brazil (37%) and highest in South Africa (64%). The pooled prevalence of LTBI among medical and nursing students was 26% (95% CI 6% to 46%, I2 = 99.3%) while the prevalence among all types of health care workers was 57% (95% CI 44% to 70%, I2 = 99.1%). Incidence of LTBI was available for health care workers in four countries. The cumulative incidence ranged from 2.8% in Brazilian medical students to 38% among all types of health care workers in South Africa. The findings of this study suggest that there is a high burden of LTBI among health care workers in high burden countries. Adequate infection control

  5. Elder Care, Multiple Role Involvement, and Well-Being Among Middle-Aged Men and Women in Japan.

    PubMed

    Kikuzawa, Saeko

    2015-12-01

    Japan's population is aging at an unprecedented rate. Combined with the tradition of family responsibility for elder care, this rapid population aging has resulted in middle-aged Japanese people being much more likely today than in past decades to face the responsibility of caring for their elderly parents alongside their other major roles. Using nationally representative Japanese data, this study assessed the individual and combined implications of caregiving and other role involvements for the well-being of middle-aged men and women. Some evidence was found for deleterious psychological consequences of the caregiver role. However, in contrast to expectations, the interaction between the roles of caregiver and worker was positively associated with well-being among both men and women. The results suggest the importance of middle-aged adults being able to keep working when they have to care for their aging parents. Another important finding was significant gender differences in the psychological consequences of holding multiple family- and work-related roles and in combining these with the caregiver role. Further analysis showed that the spousal role was also negatively associated with depressive symptoms and positively associated with satisfaction for men but not for women. Gender differences in the findings appear to reflect the significant gender asymmetry in role experiences in Japan.

  6. Foster care history and HIV infection among drug-using African American female sex workers.

    PubMed

    Surratt, Hilary L; Kurtz, Steven P

    2012-05-01

    Foster care has been associated with increased HIV risk behaviors among youth, yet long-term association with HIV infection has not been examined. This study explored the associations between foster placement, victimization, mental health, onset of sex work and HIV infection among highly vulnerable female sex workers. 562 drug-involved African American women were enrolled into an intervention study to increase health services utilization and reduce HIV risk. Seventeen percent reported a history of foster placement. Foster history was associated with significantly lower educational attainment, higher victimization, and more severe mental health problems. Women with foster histories reported significantly earlier entry into paid sex work, with some 62% active in the sex trade before age 18. Multivariate analyses found that foster care was independently associated with HIV seropositivity, and that early sex work partially mediated this association. The potential long-term health vulnerabilities associated with foster placement are understudied and warrant additional research.

  7. Association between work-family conflict and musculoskeletal pain among hospital patient care workers.

    PubMed

    Kim, Seung-Sup; Okechukwu, Cassandra A; Buxton, Orfeu M; Dennerlein, Jack T; Boden, Leslie I; Hashimoto, Dean M; Sorensen, Glorian

    2013-04-01

    A growing body of evidence suggests that work-family conflict is an important risk factor for workers' health and well-being. The goal of this study is to examine association between work-family conflict and musculoskeletal pain among hospital patient care workers. We analyzed a cross-sectional survey of 1,119 hospital patient care workers in 105 units in two urban, academic hospitals. Work-family conflict was measured by 5-item Work-Family Conflict Scale questionnaire. Multilevel logistic regression was applied to examine associations between work-family conflict and self-reported musculoskeletal pain in the past 3 months, adjusting for covariates including work-related psychosocial factors and physical work factors. In fully adjusted models, high work-family conflict was strongly associated with neck or shoulder pain (OR: 2.34, 95% CI: 1.64-3.34), arm pain (OR: 2.79, 95% CI: 1.64-4.75), lower extremity pain (OR: 2.20, 95% CI: 1.54-3.15) and any musculoskeletal pain (OR: 2.45, 95% CI: 1.56-3.85), and a number of body areas in pain (OR: 2.47, 95% CI: 1.82-3.36) in the past 3 months. The association with low back pain was attenuated and became non-significant after adjusting for covariates. Given the consistent associations between work-family conflict and self-reported musculoskeletal pains, the results suggest that work-family conflict could be an important domain for health promotion and workplace policy development among hospital patient care workers. Copyright © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  8. Association between work-family conflict and musculoskeletal pain among hospital patient care workers

    PubMed Central

    Kim, Seung-Sup; Okechukwu, Cassandra; Buxton, Orfeu M.; Dennerlein, Jack T.; Boden, Leslie I.; Hashimoto, Dean M.; Sorensen, Glorian

    2014-01-01

    Background A growing body of evidence suggests that work-family conflict is an important risk factor for workers' health and well-being. The goal of this study is to examine association between work-family conflict and musculoskeletal pain among hospital patient care workers. Methods We analyzed a cross-sectional survey of 1119 hospital patient care workers in 105 units in two urban, academic hospitals. Work-family conflict was measured by 5-item Work-Family Conflict Scale questionnaire. Multilevel logistic regression was applied to examine associations between work-family conflict and self-reported musculoskeletal pain in the past 3 months, adjusting for confounders including work-related psychosocial factors and physical work factors. Results In fully adjusted models, high work-family conflict was strongly associated with neck or shoulder pain (OR: 2.34, 95% CI: 1.64 - 3.34), arm pain (OR: 2.79, 95% CI: 1.64 - 4.75), lower extremity pain (OR: 2.20, 95% CI: 1.54- 3.15) and any musculoskeletal pain (OR: 2.45, 95% CI: 1.56 - 3.85), and a number of body areas in pain (OR: 2.47, 95% CI: 1.82 - 3.36) in the past 3 months. The association with low back pain was attenuated and became non-significant after adjusting for confounders. Conclusions Given the consistent associations between work-family conflict and self-reported musculoskeletal pains, the results suggest that work-family conflict could be an important domain for health promotion and workplace policy development among hospital patient care workers. PMID:23019044

  9. Engagement with HIV prevention treatment and care among female sex workers in Zimbabwe: a respondent driven sampling survey.

    PubMed

    Cowan, Frances M; Mtetwa, Sibongile; Davey, Calum; Fearon, Elizabeth; Dirawo, Jeffrey; Wong-Gruenwald, Ramona; Ndikudze, Theresa; Chidiya, Samson; Benedikt, Clemens; Busza, Joanna; Hargreaves, James R

    2013-01-01

    To determine the HIV prevalence and extent of engagement with HIV prevention and care among a representative sample of Zimbabwean sex workers working in Victoria Falls, Hwange and Mutare. Respondent driven sampling (RDS) surveys conducted at each site. Sex workers were recruited using respondent driven sampling with each respondent limited to recruiting 2 peers. Participants completed an interviewer-administered questionnaire and provided a finger prick blood sample for HIV antibody testing. Statistical analysis took account of sampling method. 870 women were recruited from the three sites. HIV prevalence was between 50 and 70%. Around half of those confirmed HIV positive were aware of their HIV status and of those 50-70% reported being enrolled in HIV care programmes. Overall only 25-35% of those with laboratory-confirmed HIV were accessing antiretroviral therapy. Among those reporting they were HIV negative, 21-28% reported having an HIV test in the last 6 months. Of those tested HIV negative, most (65-82%) were unaware of their status. Around two-thirds of sex workers reported consistent condom use with their clients. As in other settings, sex workers reported high rates of gender based violence and police harassment. This survey suggests that prevalence of HIV is high among sex workers in Zimbabwe and that their engagement with prevention, treatment and care is sub-optimal. Intensifying prevention and care interventions for sex workers has the potential to markedly reduce HIV and social risks for sex workers, their clients and the general population in Zimbabwe and elsewhere in the region.

  10. Educational posters and leaflets on leprosy: raising awareness of leprosy for health-care workers in rural South Africa.

    PubMed

    Ukpe, Idongesit Sunday

    2008-01-01

    Leprosy is still occurring in the Republic of South Africa, but it has been eliminated as a public health problem. The country's leprosy care and control program is being provided as a primary health-care program within the general health-care services. Maintaining health workers' leprosy knowledge and awareness at the primary health-care level is one of the program's goals. In one of the country's rural areas, the availability of good-quality leprosy poster and leaflets at primary health-care facilities has been shown to contribute significantly to maintaining health workers' leprosy knowledge and awareness.

  11. Study of status of safe injection practice and knowledge regarding injection safety among primary health care workers in Baglung district, western Nepal.

    PubMed

    Gyawali, Sudesh; Rathore, Devendra S; Kc, Bhuvan; Shankar, P Ravi

    2013-01-03

    Unsafe injection practices and injection overuse are widespread in developing countries harming the patient and inviting risks to the health care workers. In Nepal, there is a dearth of documented information about injection practices so the present study was carried out: a) to determine whether the selected government health facilities satisfy the conditions for safe injections in terms of staff training, availability of sterile injectable equipment and their proper disposal after use and b) to assess knowledge and attitudes of healthcare workers in these health care facilities with regard to injection safety. A descriptive cross-sectional mixed type (qualitative and quantitative) survey was carried out from 18th May to 16th June 2012. In-depth interviews with the in-charges were conducted using a semi-structured questionnaire. Observation of the health facilities using a structured observation tool was done. The data were analysed manually by summarizing, tabulating and presenting in various formats. The in-charges (eight males, two females) who participated in the study ranged in age from 30 to 50 years with a mean age of 37.8 years. Severe infection followed by pain was the most important cause for injection use with injection Gentamicin being most commonly prescribed. New single use (disposable) injections and auto-disable syringes were used to inject curative drugs and vaccines respectively. Sufficient safety boxes were also supplied to dispose the used syringe. All health care workers had received full course of Hepatitis B vaccine and were knowledgeable about at least one pathogen transmitted through unsafe injection practices. Injection safety management policy and waste disposal guideline was not available for viewing in any of the facilities. The office staff who disposed the bio-medical wastes did so without taking any safety measures. Moreover, none of these staff had received any formal training in waste management. Certain safe injection

  12. Study of status of safe injection practice and knowledge regarding injection safety among primary health care workers in Baglung district, western Nepal

    PubMed Central

    2013-01-01

    Background Unsafe injection practices and injection overuse are widespread in developing countries harming the patient and inviting risks to the health care workers. In Nepal, there is a dearth of documented information about injection practices so the present study was carried out: a) to determine whether the selected government health facilities satisfy the conditions for safe injections in terms of staff training, availability of sterile injectable equipment and their proper disposal after use and b) to assess knowledge and attitudes of healthcare workers in these health care facilities with regard to injection safety. Methodology A descriptive cross-sectional mixed type (qualitative and quantitative) survey was carried out from 18th May to 16th June 2012. In-depth interviews with the in-charges were conducted using a semi-structured questionnaire. Observation of the health facilities using a structured observation tool was done. The data were analysed manually by summarizing, tabulating and presenting in various formats. Results The in-charges (eight males, two females) who participated in the study ranged in age from 30 to 50 years with a mean age of 37.8 years. Severe infection followed by pain was the most important cause for injection use with injection Gentamicin being most commonly prescribed. New single use (disposable) injections and auto-disable syringes were used to inject curative drugs and vaccines respectively. Sufficient safety boxes were also supplied to dispose the used syringe. All health care workers had received full course of Hepatitis B vaccine and were knowledgeable about at least one pathogen transmitted through unsafe injection practices. Injection safety management policy and waste disposal guideline was not available for viewing in any of the facilities. The office staff who disposed the bio-medical wastes did so without taking any safety measures. Moreover, none of these staff had received any formal training in waste management

  13. Psychosocial standards of care for children with cancer and their families: A national survey of pediatric oncology social workers.

    PubMed

    Jones, Barbara; Currin-Mcculloch, Jennifer; Pelletier, Wendy; Sardi-Brown, Vicki; Brown, Peter; Wiener, Lori

    2018-04-01

    In 2015, an interdisciplinary group of psychosocial experts developed The Standards of Psychosocial Care for Children with Cancer and Their Families. This paper presents data from a national survey of pediatric oncology social workers and their experiences in delivering psychosocial care to children and families. In total, 107 social workers from 81 cancer institutions participated in a 25-item online survey that mirrored the 15 Standards for Psychosocial Care. Both closed and open-ended questions were included. Social work participants reported that psychosocial support is being provided at most cancer centers surveyed, primarily by social workers and child life specialists, addressing adaptation to the cancer diagnosis, treatment, and transitions into survivorship or end-of-life care and bereavement. While social workers reported offering comprehensive services throughout the cancer trajectory, many of the 2015 Standards are not being systematically implemented. Areas for improvement include funding for psychosocial support staff and programs, incorporation of standardized assessment measures, assessment for financial burden throughout treatment and beyond, consistent access to psychology and psychiatry, integrated care for parents and siblings, and more inclusion of palliative care services from time of diagnosis.

  14. Bilingual Vocational Training for Health Care Workers: A Guide for Practitioners.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Career Resources Development Center, Inc., San Francisco, CA.

    A model for bilingual vocational training of health care workers, designed for immigrants and refugees with limited English skills, is presented. The model's seven components include: recruitment; intake assessment; adapted vocational instruction; Vocational English as a Second Language (VESL); counseling and support services; job development and…

  15. Barriers and motivators affecting tuberculosis infection control practices of Russian health care workers.

    PubMed

    Woith, W; Volchenkov, G; Larson, J

    2012-08-01

    Five in-patient and out-patient tuberculosis (TB) care facilities in two regions of Russia. To identify barriers and motivators to the use of infection control measures among Russian TB health care workers. In this qualitative study, a convenience sample of 96 health care workers (HCWs) was used to generate 15 homogeneous focus groups, consisting of physicians, nurses, and laboratory or support staff. Barriers and motivators related to knowledge, attitudes and beliefs, and practices were identified. The three main barriers were 1) knowledge deficits, including the belief that TB was transmitted by dust, linens and eating utensils; 2) negative attitudes related to the discomfort of respirators; and 3) practices with respect to quality and care of respirators. Education and training, fear of infecting loved ones, and fear of punishment were the main motivators. Our results point to the need for evaluation of current educational programs. Positive health promotion messages that appeal to fear might also be successful in promoting TB infection control. Individualized rewards based on personal motivators or group rewards that build on collectivist theory could be explored.

  16. Measuring worker turnover in long-term care: lessons from the better jobs better care demonstration.

    PubMed

    Barry, Theresa Teta; Kemper, Peter; Brannon, S Diane

    2008-06-01

    Turnover among direct-care workers (DCWs) continues to be a challenge in long-term care. Both policy makers and provider organizations recognize this issue as a major concern and are designing efforts to reduce turnover among these workers. However, there is currently no standardized method of measuring turnover to define the scope of the problem or to assess the effectiveness of interventions. This article draws on our experience of the Better Jobs Better Care Demonstration (BJBC) to explicate some important issues in measuring and interpreting turnover related to interventions designed to improve DCW jobs. We used turnover data from a selected group of BJBC providers (N = 9) to demonstrate some of the measurement issues we uncovered in developing a turnover tracking system for BJBC. We also illustrate how the data elements collected in the tracking system make it possible to construct measures that are useful at both policy and practice levels. Differences in definitions of turnover and the data elements used to construct the measure can have large effects on turn over rates, how they are used, and what they mean. Policy makers, researchers, and managers who need comparative turnover information to address the impending demand for DCWs should be aware that turnover measures differ, and they should take steps to ensure that measures they use have common definitions and data elements.

  17. Organizational factors related to the confidence of workers in working with residents with dementia or depression in aged care facilities.

    PubMed

    McCabe, Marita P; Mellor, David; Karantzas, Gery; Von Treuer, Kathryn; Davison, Tanya E; O'Connor, Daniel

    2017-05-01

    There has been limited research examining how organizational factors are associated with the level of confidence of residential aged care staff in managing both residents' depression and the behavioural and psychological symptoms of residents with dementia (BPSD). This study investigated this issue. A cross-sectional study design was employed. In total, 255 aged care staff (131 senior staff, 124 junior staff) from 21 residential care facilities participated in the study. All staff completed measures of self-efficacy in managing BPSD as well as confidence in working with older people with depression. They also completed measures of organizational climate (autonomy, cohesion, trust, pressure, support, recognition, fairness and encouragement of innovation) and measures of workplace experience (job role, number of years working in aged care facilities), job stress and satisfaction, and knowledge of depression. The results demonstrated that autonomy, trust, support, and job stress were associated with confidence in managing BPSD, while the factors related to confidence in managing depression were autonomy, support, job stress, job satisfaction, and knowledge of depression. These findings highlight that organizational climate factors need to be addressed in order to increase staff confidence in managing BPSD and depression. In particular, the findings demonstrate the importance of fostering organizational environments in which autonomy is promoted and there is support and cooperation among aged care staff. Attention to these factors is likely to increase the confidence of staff as they carry out their carer role.

  18. Family caregiving at the intersection of private care by migrant home care workers and public care by nursing staff.

    PubMed

    Ayalon, Liat; Halevy-Levin, Sara; Ben-Yizhak, Zvi; Friedman, Gideon

    2013-09-01

    This study evaluated private family caregiving at the intersection of private migrant home care and public nursing care on the hospitalization of an older patient. Seventy-three individuals were interviewed, including older hospitalized patients, their family members, accompanying migrant home care workers, and nursing personnel. There was no clear consensus concerning the role of family members. Although family members emphasized care management as their main role, the other three groups emphasized that the family members' mere physical presence was their main role. All four groups identified potential barriers to family caregiving, rather than motives for family caregiving, hence pointing to a potential discrepancy between expected and performed family caregiving roles. An indication of the lack of clarity concerning family caregiving roles stems from the finding that family members were frequently viewed as unengaged and neglectful, yet at times they were criticized for being overly involved in patient care. Implications for the care of hospitalized older adults are discussed.

  19. Electronic diagnostic algorithms to assist mid-level health care workers in Nepal: a mixed-method exploratory study.

    PubMed

    Knoble, Stephen J; Bhusal, Madhab R

    2015-05-01

    The use of mobile health applications for data collection and disease management by rural health care workers in developing countries has been shown to be accepted by patients and health care workers. However, the acceptances of diagnostic decision applications have not been studied. Moreover, verbal acceptance of these tools has not been shown to equate with actual usage by the health care workers when use is not compulsory. To measure the acceptance, usage and reasons for use or non-use of electronic diagnostic applications by health care workers to aid in clinical diagnosis. Eleven health care workers (HCW) from rural facilities were asked to use the e-algo application on an electronic tablet with patients over the age of five presenting with acute complaints. Use was compulsory for the first 30 working days and after that optional. Patients were asked by questionnaire about their preference and confidence between the traditional approach and that of the e-algo. HCW acceptance was measured by focus group discussions after the compulsory period. The HCW was then told to use the application as they desired. After two months of non-compulsory usage, reasons were explored for use or non-use through a focus group discussion and interviews. A total of 1410 out-patient encounters occurred in the first phase. Of this, the e-algo was used with 1177 encounters (83%). 496 patients were asked about their preference and confidence in the use of the e-algo. 325 preferred the e-algo over the traditional visit 65.8-25.1%. Patient confidence was higher in the e-algo 72.2-17.4%. In the second phase, three of the nine HCWs did not use the e-algo at all, the remaining six HCWs reported e-algo use dropped to approximately 15% of total OPD visits. E-algos were reported to be used primarily with more complicated or confusing cases. Reasons for non-use was primarily time related. We concluded that patients had confidence in and preferred the HCW using the e-algo in their patient care

  20. Exposure of health workers in primary health care to glutaraldehyde

    PubMed Central

    2013-01-01

    Background In order to avoid proliferation of microorganisms, cleaning, disinfection and sterilisation in health centres is of utmost importance hence reducing exposure of workers to biological agents and of clients that attend these health centres to potential infections. One of the most commonly-used chemical is glutaraldehyde. The effects of its exposure are well known in the hospital setting; however there is very little information available with regards to the primary health care domain. Objective To determine and measure the exposure of health workers in Primary Health Care Centres. Environmental to glutaraldehyde and staff concentration will be measured and compared with regulated Occupational Exposure Limits. Methods/Design Observational, cross-sectional and multi-centre study. The study population will be composed of any health professionals in contact with the chemical substance that work in the Primary Health Care Centres in the areas of Barcelonès Nord, Maresme, and Barcelona city belonging to the Catalan Institute of Health. Data will be collected from 1) Glutaraldhyde consumption from the previous 4 years in the health centres under study. 2) Semi-structured interviews and key informants to gather information related to glutaraldehyde exposure. 3) Sampling of the substance in the processes considered to be high exposure. Discussion Although glutaraldehyde is extensively used in health centres, scientific literature only deals with certain occupational hazards in the hospital setting. This study attempts to take an in-depth look into the risk factors and environmental conditions that exist in the primary care workplace with exposure to glutaraldehyde. PMID:24180250

  1. Investing in Low-Wage Workers: Lessons from Family Child Care in Rhode Island

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Roder, Anne; Seavey, Dorie

    2006-01-01

    While child care is one of the fastest growing occupations in the country, most employment in this field is precarious and low-wage. Investing in Low-Wage Workers profiles the Day Care Justice Co-op, a group of largely Latina and African American women living and working in some of Rhode Island's poorest communities. Determined to improve family…

  2. Satisfaction with the relationship from the perspectives of family caregivers, older adults and their home care workers.

    PubMed

    Ayalon, Liat; Roziner, Ilan

    2016-01-01

    Given the increasing reliance on both formal (paid) and informal (unpaid) assistance for the care of older adults and the close relationships which are often formed with home care workers, the present study evaluated satisfaction with the relationship from the perspectives of the three members that make up the home caregiving triad: older adults, their family members and their home care workers. We relied on a representative sample of 223 complete caregiving triads composed of an older adult, a family member and a home care worker. Each of the members rated his or her level of satisfaction with all other members in the unit, using a seven-item self-report satisfaction with the relationship scale (e.g., satisfaction with communication, intimacy). The Social Relations Model (SRM) was used to partial out the specific variance associated with each of the members as either an actor (i.e., the average satisfaction as a rater, unrelated to whom the person rates) or a partner (i.e., the unique satisfaction level elicited by a person, which is consistent across all ratings of this person). The structural equations model yielded acceptable results: χ²(3) = 6.94, p = .07. Our analysis revealed that the variability associated with the worker as partner was significantly greater than the variability associated with the older adult as partner (∆χ² [1] = 9.21, p = .002) or with the family member as partner (∆χ² [1] = 8.46, p = .004). The study highlights the importance of studying satisfaction with the relationship in the home care setting and calls for further examination of the entire caregiving triad. The home care worker plays a key role in ensuring the overall satisfaction in the caregiving triad.

  3. Training of trainers for community primary health care workers.

    PubMed

    Cernada, G P

    1983-01-01

    Training community-based health care workers in "developing" countries is essential to improving the quality of life in both rural and urban areas. Two major obstacles to such training are the tremendous social distance gap between these community workers and their more highly-educated and upper-class trainers (often medical officers) and the didactic, formal educational system. Bridging this gap demands a participant-centered, field-oriented approach which actively involves the trainee in the design, implementation and evaluation of the training program. A description of a philosophic learning approach based on self-initiated change, educational objectives related to planning, organizing, conducting and evaluating training, and specific learning methodologies utilizing participatory learning, non-formal educational techniques, field experience, continuing feedback and learner participation are reviewed. Included are: role playing, story telling, case studies, self-learning and simulation exercises, visuals, and Portapak videotape.

  4. The impact of the National HIV Health Care Worker Hotline on patient care in South Africa.

    PubMed

    Chisholm, Briony S; Cohen, Karen; Blockman, Marc; Kinkel, Hans-Friedemann; Kredo, Tamara J; Swart, Annoesjka M

    2011-01-26

    South Africa has a huge burden of illness due to HIV infection. Many health care workers managing HIV infected patients, particularly those in rural areas and primary care health facilities, have minimal access to information resources and to advice and support from experienced clinicians. The Medicines Information Centre, based in the Division of Clinical Pharmacology at the University of Cape Town, has been running the National HIV Health Care Worker (HCW) Hotline since 2008, providing free information for HIV treatment-related queries via telephone, fax and e-mail. A questionnaire-based study showed that 224 (44%) of the 511 calls that were received by the hotline during the 2-month study period were patient-specific. Ninety-four completed questionnaires were included in the analysis. Of these, 72 (77%) were from doctors, 13 (14%) from pharmacists and 9 (10%) from nurses. 96% of the callers surveyed took an action based on the advice received from the National HIV HCW Hotline. The majority of actions concerned the start, dose adaption, change, or discontinuation of medicines. Less frequent actions taken were adherence and lifestyle counselling, further investigations, referring or admission of patients. The information provided by the National HIV HCW Hotline on patient-specific requests has a direct impact on the management of patients.

  5. On aging and aged care in Serbia.

    PubMed

    Sevo, G; Davidovic, M; Erceg, P; Despotovic, N; Milosevic, D P; Tasic, M

    2015-06-01

    Serbia is a demographically old nation, with 17.4 % of its residents being aged 65 years and older in 2011. The previous two decades of turbulent history have significantly affected the demographic picture of this country, and their ramifications remain visible in Serbia's economic, political, cultural, and health spheres. Major demographic forces behind population aging in Serbia can be attributed to lower fertility rates, migrations, and declining mortality (reflecting improvements in overall health leading to a longer life expectancy). In Serbia, low fertility and migrations appear to play major roles, although the relative contribution of recent migrations cannot be measured with accuracy. Patterns of demographic aging vary considerably across different geographic, socioeconomic, and cultural settings. The common denominator throughout present day Serbia is extensive political and economic transition. One would expect that, given sufficient time, this process will result in improved population health, and yet, at this stage outcomes of major health care reform in Serbia are somewhat perplexing. For the second consecutive year, Serbia's health care system has been ranked at the very bottom of the scale among 34 European countries. It is then no surprise that the elderly represent particularly vulnerable population segment. This paper discusses some of the issues relevant to these demographic patterns of aging and aged care in contemporary Serbia, focusing on the period after 2000.

  6. Evaluation of an aged care nurse practitioner service: quality of care within a residential aged care facility hospital avoidance service.

    PubMed

    Dwyer, Trudy; Craswell, Alison; Rossi, Dolene; Holzberger, Darren

    2017-01-13

    Reducing avoidable hospitialisation of aged care facility (ACF) residents can improve the resident experience and their health outcomes. Consequently many variations of hospital avoidance (HA) programs continue to evolve. Nurse practitioners (NP) with expertise in aged care have the potential to make a unique contribution to hospital avoidance programs. However, little attention has been dedicated to service evaluation of this model and the quality of care provided. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the quality of an aged care NP model of care situated within a HA service in a regional area of Australia. Donabedian's structure, process and outcome framework was applied to evaluate the quality of the NP model of care. The Australian Nurse Practitioner Study standardised interview schedules for evaluating NP models of care guided the semi-structured interviews of nine health professionals (including ACF nurses, medical doctors and allied health professionals), four ACF residents and their families and two NPs. Theory driven coding consistent with the Donabedian framework guided analysis of interview data and presentation of findings. Structural dimensions identified included the 'in-reach' nature of the HA service, distance, limitations of professional regulation and the residential care model. These dimensions influenced the process of referring the resident to the NP, the NPs timely response and interactions with other professionals. The processes where the NPs take time connecting with residents, initiating collaborative care plans, up-skilling aged care staff and function as intra and interprofessional boundary spanners all contributed to quality outcomes. Quality outcomes in this study were about timely intervention, HA, timely return home, partnering with residents and family (knowing what they want) and resident and health professional satisfaction. This study provides valuable insights into the contribution of the NP model of care within an aged care

  7. How much do preexisting chronic conditions contribute to age differences in health care expenditures after a work-related musculoskeletal injury?

    PubMed

    Smith, Peter M; Bielecky, Amber; Ibrahim, Selahadin; Mustard, Cameron; Scott-Marshall, Heather; Saunders, Ron; Beaton, Dorcas

    2014-01-01

    To estimate the contribution of preexisting chronic conditions on age differences in health care expenditures for the management of work-related musculoskeletal injuries in British Columbia. A secondary analysis of workers' compensation claims submitted over the 5-year period between January 1, 2002 and December 31, 2006 (N = 55,827 claims among men and 32,141 claims among women). Path models examined the relationships between age and health care expenditures, and the extent to which age differences in health care expenditures were mediated by preexisting chronic conditions. Models were adjusted for individual, injury, occupational, and industrial covariates. The relationship between age and health care expenditures differed for men and women, with a stronger age gradient observed among men. Preexisting osteoarthritis and coronary heart disease were associated with elevated health care expenditures among men and women. Diabetes was associated with elevated health care expenditures among men only, and depression was associated with elevated health care expenditures among women only. The percentage of the age effect on health care expenditures that was mediated through preexisting chronic conditions increased from 12.4% among 25-34-year-old men (compared with 15-24 y) to 26.6% among 55+-year-old men; and 14.6% among 25-34-year-old women to 35.9% among women 55 and older. The results of this study demonstrate that differences in preexisting chronic conditions have an impact on the relationship between older age and greater health care expenditures after a work-related musculoskeletal injury. The differing prevalence of preexisting osteoarthritis, coronary heart disease, and to a lesser extent diabetes (among men) and depression (among women) across age groups explain a nontrivial proportion of the age effect in health care expenditures after injury. However, approximately two thirds or more of the age effect in health care expenditures remains unexplained.

  8. Transforming the Delivery of Care in the Post–Health Reform Era: What Role Will Community Health Workers Play?

    PubMed Central

    Ro, Marguerite; Villa, Normandy William; Powell, Wayne; Knickman, James R.

    2011-01-01

    The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) affords opportunities to sustain the role of community health workers (CHWs). Among myriad strategies encouraged by PPACA are prevention and care coordination, particularly for chronic diseases, chief drivers of increased health care costs. Prevention and care coordination are functions that have been performed by CHWs for decades, particularly among underserved populations. The two key delivery models promoted in the PPACA are accountable care organizations and health homes. Both stress the importance of interdisciplinary, interprofessional health care teams, the ideal context for integrating CHWs. Equally important, the payment structures encouraged by PPACA to support these delivery models offer the vehicles to sustain the role of these valued workers. PMID:22021289

  9. Development of an optimised key worker framework for people with dementia, their family and caring unit living in the community.

    PubMed

    Renehan, Emma; Goeman, Dianne; Koch, Susan

    2017-07-20

    In Australia, dementia is a national health priority. With the rising number of people living with dementia and shortage of formal and informal carers predicted in the near future, developing approaches to coordinating services in quality-focused ways is considered an urgent priority. Key worker support models are one approach that have been used to assist people living with dementia and their caring unit coordinate services and navigate service systems; however, there is limited literature outlining comprehensive frameworks for the implementation of community dementia key worker roles in practice. In this paper an optimised key worker framework for people with dementia, their family and caring unit living in the community is developed and presented. A number of processes were undertaken to inform the development of a co-designed optimised key worker framework: an expert working and reference group; a systematic review of the literature; and a qualitative evaluation of 14 dementia key worker models operating in Australia involving 14 interviews with organisation managers, 19 with key workers and 15 with people living with dementia and/or their caring unit. Data from the systematic review and evaluation of dementia key worker models were analysed by the researchers and the expert working and reference group using a constant comparative approach to define the essential components of the optimised framework. The developed framework consisted of four main components: overarching philosophies; organisational context; role definition; and key worker competencies. A number of more clearly defined sub-themes sat under each component. Reflected in the framework is the complexity of the dementia journey and the difficulty in trying to develop a 'one size fits all' approach. This co-designed study led to the development of an evidence based framework which outlines a comprehensive synthesis of components viewed as being essential to the implementation of a dementia key

  10. Direct Care Workers' Experiences of Grief and Needs for Support

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Gray, Jennifer A.; Kim, Jinsook

    2017-01-01

    Background: A paucity of information is available on direct care workers' (DCWs') experiences with loss when their clients (people with intellectual and developmental disabilities [I/DD]) die. This study explored DCWs' grief experiences, their coping methods and their needs for support. Methods: A thematic analysis approach was used to examine…

  11. Differences in Hospital Managers', Unit Managers', and Health Care Workers' Perceptions of the Safety Climate for Respiratory Protection.

    PubMed

    Peterson, Kristina; Rogers, Bonnie M E; Brosseau, Lisa M; Payne, Julianne; Cooney, Jennifer; Joe, Lauren; Novak, Debra

    2016-07-01

    This article compares hospital managers' (HM), unit managers' (UM), and health care workers' (HCW) perceptions of respiratory protection safety climate in acute care hospitals. The article is based on survey responses from 215 HMs, 245 UMs, and 1,105 HCWs employed by 98 acute care hospitals in six states. Ten survey questions assessed five of the key dimensions of safety climate commonly identified in the literature: managerial commitment to safety, management feedback on safety procedures, coworkers' safety norms, worker involvement, and worker safety training. Clinically and statistically significant differences were found across the three respondent types. HCWs had less positive perceptions of management commitment, worker involvement, and safety training aspects of safety climate than HMs and UMs. UMs had more positive perceptions of management's supervision of HCWs' respiratory protection practices. Implications for practice improvements indicate the need for frontline HCWs' inclusion in efforts to reduce safety climate barriers and better support effective respiratory protection programs and daily health protection practices. © 2016 The Author(s).

  12. Reducing barriers associated with delivering health care services to migratory agricultural workers.

    PubMed

    Schmalzried, Hans D; Fallon, L Fleming

    2012-01-01

    Between one and two million migratory agricultural workers (MAWs), primarily from Mexico and Central America, leave their homes each year to plant, cultivate, harvest and pack fruits, vegetables, and nuts in the USA. While in the USA, most lack health insurance, a permanent residence, and a regular healthcare provider. Publications over the past two decades in the USA have reported that a majority of MAWs encounter barriers to receiving medical services. Migratory agricultural workers experience high rates of occupational illness and injury. Poor access to medical care continues to exacerbate health problems among members of this population related to their working environments. In most studies concerning healthcare access issues for this population, researchers collected their information from healthcare service providers; rarely have they included input from migratory agricultural workers. This study was different in that opinions about healthcare access issues were collected directly from MAWs. The primary purpose of this study was to describe issues related to barriers associated with the delivery of healthcare services to migratory agricultural workers. A secondary purpose was to suggest strategies for reducing these barriers. In this study, data from focus group sessions were used to develop a survey questionnaire. Four certified bilingual interpreters were trained to administer the questionnaire. A total of 157 usable questionnaires were returned from MAWs living in employer-provided camps in Northwest Ohio. The statistical analyses were primarily descriptive. The most significant barriers hampering access to medical services among the 157 respondents were cost (n=113; 72.0%), crop demands (n=102; 65.0%), the lack of an interpreter (n=98; 62.4%), travel distance (n=88; 56.1%) and transportation (n=82; 52.2%). Approximately half (n=82; 52.2%) said that they had access to transportation for traveling to a medical clinic. As a group, respondents were willing to

  13. The international migration of nurses in long-term care.

    PubMed

    Redfoot, Donald L; Houser, Ari N

    2008-01-01

    This article describes five major factors that are affecting patterns of international migration among nurses who work in long-term care settings: DEMOGRAPHIC DRIVERS: The aging of the populations in developed countries and the low to negative growth in the working-age population will increase the demand for international workers to provide long-term care services. GENDER AND RACE: A dual labor market of long-term care workers, increasingly made up of women of color, is becoming internationalized by the employment of migrating nurses from developing countries. CREDENTIALING: The process of credentialing skilled workers creates barriers to entry for migrating nurses and leads to "decredentialing" where registered nurses work as licensed practical nurses or aides. COLONIAL HISTORY AND GEOGRAPHY: The colonial histories of many European countries and the United States have increased migration from former colonies in developing countries to former colonial powers. WORKER RECRUITMENT: Efforts to limit the recruitment of health care workers from some developing countries have had little effect on migration, in part because much of the recruitment comes through informal channels of family and friends.

  14. Expanding the Role of Nurse Practitioners: Effects on Rural Access to Care for Injured Workers

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Sears, Jeanne M.; Wickizer, Thomas M.; Franklin, Gary M.; Cheadle, Allen D.; Berkowitz, Bobbie

    2008-01-01

    Context: A 3-year pilot program to expand the role of nurse practitioners (NPs) in the Washington State workers' compensation system was implemented in 2004 (SHB 1691), amid concern about disparities in access to health care for injured workers in rural areas. SHB 1691 authorized NPs to independently perform most functions of an attending…

  15. Health-care workers' occupational exposures to body fluids in 21 countries in Africa: systematic review and meta-analysis.

    PubMed

    Auta, Asa; Adewuyi, Emmanuel O; Tor-Anyiin, Amom; Aziz, David; Ogbole, Esther; Ogbonna, Brian O; Adeloye, Davies

    2017-12-01

    To estimate the lifetime and 12-month prevalence of occupational exposure to body fluids among health-care workers in Africa. Embase®, PubMed® and CINAHL databases were systematically searched for studies published between January 2000 and August 2017 that reported the prevalence of occupational exposure to blood or other body fluids among health-care workers in Africa. The continent-wide prevalence of exposure was estimated using random-effects meta-analysis. Of the 904 articles identified, 65 studies from 21 African countries were included. The estimated pooled lifetime and 12-month prevalence of occupational exposure to body fluids were 65.7% (95% confidence interval, CI: 59.7-71.6) and 48.0% (95% CI: 40.7-55.3), respectively. Exposure was largely due to percutaneous injury, which had an estimated 12-month prevalence of 36.0% (95% CI: 31.2-40.8). The pooled 12-month prevalence of occupational exposure among medical doctors (excluding surgeons), nurses (including midwives and nursing assistants) and laboratory staff (including laboratory technicians) was 46.6% (95% CI: 33.5-59.7), 44.6% (95% CI: 34.1-55.0) and 34.3% (95% CI: 21.8-46.7), respectively. The risk of exposure was higher among health-care workers with no training on infection prevention and those who worked more than 40 hours per week. The evidence available suggests that almost one half of health-care workers in Africa were occupationally exposed to body fluids annually. However, a lack of data from some countries was a major limitation. National governments and health-care institutions across Africa should prioritize efforts to minimize occupational exposure among health-care workers.

  16. Violence in the emergency department: a survey of health care workers.

    PubMed

    Fernandes, C M; Bouthillette, F; Raboud, J M; Bullock, L; Moore, C F; Christenson, J M; Grafstein, E; Rae, S; Ouellet, L; Gillrie, C; Way, M

    1999-11-16

    Violence in the workplace is an ill-defined and underreported concern for health care workers. The objectives of this study were to examine perceived levels of violence in the emergency department, to obtain health care workers' definitions of violence, to determine the effect of violence on health care workers and to determine coping mechanisms and potential preventive strategies. A retrospective written survey of all 163 emergency department employees working in 1996 at an urban inner-city tertiary care centre in Vancouver. The survey elicited demographic information, personal definition of violence, severity of violence, degree of stress as a result of violence and estimate of the number of encounters with violence in the workplace in 1996. The authors examined the effects of violence on job performance and job satisfaction, and reviewed coping and potential preventive strategies. Of the 163 staff, 106 (65%) completed the survey. A total of 68% (70/103) reported an increased frequency of violence over time, and 60% (64/106) reported an increased severity. Most of the respondents felt that violence included witnessing verbal abuse (76%) and witnessing physical threats or assaults (86%). Sixty respondents (57%) were physically assaulted in 1996. Overall, 51 respondents (48%) reported impaired job performance for the rest of the shift or the rest of the week after an incident of violence. Seventy-seven respondents (73%) were afraid of patients as a result of violence, almost half (49%) hid their identities from patients, and 78 (74%) had reduced job satisfaction. Over one-fourth of the respondents (27/101) took days off because of violence. Of the 18 respondents no longer working in the emergency department, 12 (67%) reported that they had left the job at least partly owing to violence. Twenty-four-hour security and a workshop on violence prevention strategies were felt to be the most useful potential interventions. Physical exercise, sleep and the company of

  17. Age correction in monitoring audiometry: method to update OSHA age-correction tables to include older workers

    PubMed Central

    Dobie, Robert A; Wojcik, Nancy C

    2015-01-01

    Objectives The US Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) Noise Standard provides the option for employers to apply age corrections to employee audiograms to consider the contribution of ageing when determining whether a standard threshold shift has occurred. Current OSHA age-correction tables are based on 40-year-old data, with small samples and an upper age limit of 60 years. By comparison, recent data (1999–2006) show that hearing thresholds in the US population have improved. Because hearing thresholds have improved, and because older people are increasingly represented in noisy occupations, the OSHA tables no longer represent the current US workforce. This paper presents 2 options for updating the age-correction tables and extending values to age 75 years using recent population-based hearing survey data from the US National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES). Both options provide scientifically derived age-correction values that can be easily adopted by OSHA to expand their regulatory guidance to include older workers. Methods Regression analysis was used to derive new age-correction values using audiometric data from the 1999–2006 US NHANES. Using the NHANES median, better-ear thresholds fit to simple polynomial equations, new age-correction values were generated for both men and women for ages 20–75 years. Results The new age-correction values are presented as 2 options. The preferred option is to replace the current OSHA tables with the values derived from the NHANES median better-ear thresholds for ages 20–75 years. The alternative option is to retain the current OSHA age-correction values up to age 60 years and use the NHANES-based values for ages 61–75 years. Conclusions Recent NHANES data offer a simple solution to the need for updated, population-based, age-correction tables for OSHA. The options presented here provide scientifically valid and relevant age-correction values which can be easily adopted by

  18. Age-Differences in Work Motivation and Job Satisfaction. The Influence of Age on the Relationships between Work Characteristics and Workers' Outcomes

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Boumans, Nicolle P. G.; de Jong, Ad H. J.; Janssen, Sara M.

    2011-01-01

    This study investigated the influence of age on the relationship between work characteristics and workers' work motivation and job satisfaction. In total, 1036 workers of a Dutch division of a multinational organization participated. Data were collected by a digital questionnaire. Two interaction terms in the regression on work motivation were…

  19. Providing Health Care in the Shadow of Violence: Does Emotion Regulation Vary Among Hospital Workers From Different Professions?

    PubMed

    Goldblatt, Hadass; Freund, Anat; Drach-Zahavy, Anat; Enosh, Guy; Peterfreund, Ilana; Edlis, Neomi

    2017-03-01

    Research into violence against health care staff by patients and their families within the health care services shows a rising frequency of incidents. The potentially damaging effects on health care staff are extensive, including diverse negative psychological and physical symptoms. The aim of this qualitative study was to examine how hospital workers from different professions reacted to patients' and visitors' violence against them or their colleagues, and how they regulated their emotional reactions during those incidents. The research question was as follows: How do different types of hospital workers regulate the range of their emotional reactions during and after violent events? Participants were 34 hospital workers, representing several professional sectors. Data were collected through in-depth semistructured interviews, which were later transcribed and thematically content analyzed. Five themes were revealed, demonstrating several tactics that hospital workers used to regulate their emotions during incidents of violent outbursts by patients or visitors: (1) Inability to Manage Emotion Regulation, (2) Emotion Regulation by Distancing and Disengagement Tactics, (3) Emotion Regulation Using Rationalization and Splitting Tactics, (4) Emotion Regulation via the Use of Organizational Resources, and (5) Controlling Emotions by Suppression. Hospital workers who experienced dissonance between their professional expectations and their emotional reactions to patients' violence reported using various emotion regulation tactics, consequently managing to fulfill their duty competently. Workers who did not experience such dissonance felt in full control of their emotions and did not manifest responses of emotion regulation. Others, however, experienced intense emotional flooding and failed to regulate their emotions. We recommend developing health care staff's awareness of possible emotional implications of violent incidents, for themselves as people and for their intact

  20. Dementia care worker stress associations with unit type, resident, and work environment characteristics: a cross-sectional secondary data analysis of the Swiss Nursing Homes Human Resources Project (SHURP).

    PubMed

    Vogel, Barbara; De Geest, Sabina; Fierz, Katharina; Beckmann, Sonja; Zúñiga, Franziska

    2017-03-01

    Although caring for residents with dementia in nursing homes is associated with various stressors for care workers, the role of the unit type, and particularly the proportion of residents with dementia, remains unclear. This study aimed to explore associations between unit type and care worker stress, taking into account additional potential stressors. This cross-sectional study was a secondary data analysis in the Swiss Nursing Homes Human Resources Project, which included data from 3,922 care workers from 156 Swiss nursing homes. Care workers' stress was measured with a shortened version of the Health Professions Stress Inventory. Generalized estimating equation models were used to assess care worker stress and its relationships with three unit types (special care units and others with high or low proportions of residents with dementia), work environment factors, and aggressive resident behavior. After including all potential stressors in the models, no significant differences between the three unit types regarding care worker stress were found. However, increased care worker stress levels were significantly related to lower ratings of staffing and resources adequacy, the experience of verbal aggression, and the observation of verbal or physical aggression among residents. Although the unit type plays only a minor role regarding care worker stress, this study confirms that work environment and aggressive behavior of residents are important factors associated with work-related stress. To prevent increases of care worker stress, interventions to improve the work environment and strengthen care workers' ability to cope with aggressive behavior are suggested.

  1. Factors Associated With Care Workers' Intention to Leave Employment in Nursing Homes: A Secondary Data Analysis of the Swiss Nursing Homes Human Resources Project.

    PubMed

    Gaudenz, Clergia; De Geest, Sabina; Schwendimann, René; Zúñiga, Franziska

    2017-07-01

    The emerging care personnel shortage in Swiss nursing homes is aggravated by high turnover rates. As intention to leave is a predictor of turnover, awareness of its associated factors is essential. This study applied a secondary data analysis to evaluate the prevalence and variability of 3,984 nursing home care workers' intention to leave. Work environment factors and care worker outcomes were tested via multiple regression analysis. Although 56% of care workers reported intention to leave, prevalences varied widely between facilities. Overall, intention to leave showed strong inverse relationships with supportive leadership and affective organizational commitment and weaker positive relationships with stress due to workload, emotional exhaustion, and care worker health problems. The strong direct relationship of nursing home care workers' intention to leave with affective organizational commitment and perceptions of leadership quality suggest that multilevel interventions to improve these factors might reduce intention to leave.

  2. An investigation of predictors of successful aging in the workplace among Hong Kong Chinese older workers.

    PubMed

    Cheung, Francis; Wu, Anise M S

    2012-03-01

    We examined associations between successful aging in the workplace (adaptability and health, positive relationship, occupational growth, personal security, and continuous focus on goals) and two major factors of work stressors (work family conflict and discrimination against older workers) and coping resources (perceived organizational support, supportive human resource policies, and social support from friends and family) among Chinese older workers in Hong Kong. Furthermore, we also examined whether coping resources moderate the negative effect derived from work stressors on successful aging. A total of 242 Chinese full-time workers aged 40 years or above were recruited in a self-administered questionnaire survey study in Hong Kong. Hierarchical regression results showed that family-to-work conflict was significantly related to successful aging, except the dimension of personal security. Work-to-family conflict and discrimination, however, were not related to successful aging in the workplace. In terms of coping resources, perceived organizational support was related to all dimensions of successful aging in the workplace. We also found that training and development was a significant correlate of occupational growth. Social support from friends and family was positively related to three successful aging dimensions, including adaptability and health, personal security and continuous focus on goals. Finally, when facing discrimination in the workplace, support from organizations and from friends and family were particularly important for old-older workers (aged 55 years or above) to achieve better adaptability and health. Perceived organizational support and social support from friends and family were important correlates of successful aging in the workplace. Limitation and recommendations for organizational intervention were discussed.

  3. Information management for aged care provision in Australia: development of an aged care minimum dataset and strategies to improve quality and continuity of care.

    PubMed

    Davis, Jenny; Morgans, Amee; Burgess, Stephen

    2016-04-01

    Efficient information systems support the provision of multi-disciplinary aged care and a variety of organisational purposes, including quality, funding, communication and continuity of care. Agreed minimum data sets enable accurate communication across multiple care settings. However, in aged care multiple and poorly integrated data collection frameworks are commonly used for client assessment, government reporting and funding purposes. To determine key information needs in aged care settings to improve information quality, information transfer, safety, quality and continuity of care to meet the complex needs of aged care clients. Modified Delphi methods involving five stages were employed by one aged care provider in Victoria, Australia, to establish stakeholder consensus for a derived minimum data set and address barriers to data quality. Eleven different aged care programs were identified; with five related data dictionaries, three minimum data sets, five program standards or quality frameworks. The remaining data collection frameworks related to diseases classification, funding, service activity reporting, and statistical standards and classifications. A total of 170 different data items collected across seven internal information systems were consolidated to a derived set of 60 core data items and aligned with nationally consistent data collection frameworks. Barriers to data quality related to inconsistencies in data items, staff knowledge, workflow, system access and configuration. The development an internal aged care minimum data set highlighted the critical role of primary data quality in the upstream and downstream use of client information; and presents a platform to build national consistency across the sector.

  4. Work-family conflict, psychological distress, and sleep deficiency among patient care workers.

    PubMed

    Jacobsen, Henrik B; Reme, Silje Endresen; Sembajwe, Grace; Hopcia, Karen; Stoddard, Anne M; Kenwood, Christopher; Stiles, Tore C; Sorensen, Glorian; Buxton, Orfeu M

    2014-07-01

    This study examined whether work-family conflict was associated with sleep deficiencies, both cross-sectionally and longitudinally. In this two-phase study, a workplace health survey was completed by a cohort of patient care workers (n = 1,572). Additional data were collected 2 years later from a subsample of the original respondents (n = 102). Self-reported measures included work-family conflict, workplace factors, and sleep outcomes. The participants were 90% women, with a mean age of 41 ± 11.7 years. At baseline, after adjusting for covariates, higher levels of work-family conflict were significantly associated with sleep deficiency. Higher levels of work-family conflict also predicted sleep insufficiency nearly 2 years later. The first study to determine the predictive association between work-family conflict and sleep deficiency suggests that future sleep interventions should include a specific focus on work-family conflict. Copyright 2014, SLACK Incorporated.

  5. Retired and former asbestos workers in Hawaii

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Fournier-Massey, G.; Wong, G.; Hall, T.C.

    1984-01-01

    In 1979, a pilot survey defined respiratory status and unmet health care needs of retired and former male asbestos workers in Hawaii. Of 1,401 identified subjects, 741 were contacted and 411 were interviewed. Forty-five subjects were between 39 and 54 years of age; 208, between 55 and 64; and 158, age 65 or more. They represented the main ethnic groups--Caucasian, Chinese, Filipino, Hawaiian and part-Hawaiian, and Japanese--on Oahu. Most subjects had had significant exposure to asbestos in a shipyard, and 83% were current nonsmokers (160 had never smoked, and 111 were ex-smokers for ten years or more). Taking age andmore » ethnicity into account, our group had more chronic respiratory and gastrointestinal problems than the comparable male population of Oahu in 1979, but fewer such problems than active shipyard workers elsewhere. These problems related primarily to current smoking status and secondarily to the length of asbestos exposure. Health care was available, but former workers used it less than retirees, despite having more symptoms. Very few abnormalities were reported by the subjects on their chest X-rays, pulmonary function tests, and sputum cytology performed elsewhere. These findings are compared to those of other shipyards, and support the hypothesis that the biological effects of asbestos exposure are generally mild in Hawaii.« less

  6. Orientation Manual for Child Care Centres Involved in the Recognition of Overseas Trained Workers.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    l'Anson, Christine, Comp.; Harris, Liz, Comp.

    This manual has been primarily developed to assist child care center staff who are involved in the process of the recognition of the qualifications of overseas workers within the child care industry in Western Australia. The information and practical exercises provided aim to increase staff's level of awareness and acceptance of cultural…

  7. Varicella-zoster virus immunity among health care workers in Catalonia.

    PubMed

    Urbiztondo, L; Bayas, J M; Broner, S; Costa, J; Esteve, M; Campins, M; Borrás, E; Domínguez, A

    2014-10-14

    To determine varicella-zoster virus (VZV) immunity among healthcare workers (HCWs). Cross-sectional study. HCWs attending voluntary periodic health examinations between June 2008 and December 2010. Six public hospitals and five primary care areas in Catalonia, Spain. A self-administered questionnaire was given to eligible HCWs. Variables including age, sex, professional category, type of centre, history of varicella infection, and VZV vaccination were collected. The study was carried out using a convenience sample. The prevalence of antibodies and positive and negative predictive values (PPV and NPV) of the history of clinical VZV infection or vaccination were calculated. Crude and adjusted odds ratios (OR and ORa) and their 95% confidence intervals (CI) were calculated to determine the variables associated with antibody prevalence. Of 705 HCWs who agreed to participate, 644 were finally included. The overall prevalence of antibodies to varicella was 94.9% (95% CI: 92.9-96.4). Of the variables studied, only age was associated with serological susceptibility to VZV. HCWs aged 25-35 years had the highest serological susceptibility (8.1%, 95% CI: 4.6-13.0). The prevalence of antibodies was 96% in subjects reporting previous VZV infection or vaccination, compared with 93% in subjects who did not report these states or did not know. The high proportion of serologically-susceptible HCWs found in this study indicates the need to develop for screening and vaccination strategies in Catalonia. Due to the high capacity of propagation of the VZV in health settings and its consequences, VZV vaccination programmes in HCWs should be reinforced. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  8. Development and evaluation of an aged care specific Advance Care Plan.

    PubMed

    Silvester, William; Parslow, Ruth A; Lewis, Virginia J; Fullam, Rachael S; Sjanta, Rebekah; Jackson, Lynne; White, Vanessa; Hudson, Rosalie

    2013-06-01

    To report on the quality of advance care planning (ACP) documents in use in residential aged care facilities (RACF) in areas of Victoria Australia prior to a systematic intervention; to report on the development and performance of an aged care specific Advance Care Plan template used during the intervention. An audit of the quality of pre-existing documentation used to record resident treatment preferences and end-of-life wishes at participating RACFs; development and pilot of an aged care specific Advance Care Plan template; an audit of the completeness and quality of Advance Care Plans completed on the new template during a systematic ACP intervention. 19 selected RACFs (managed by 12 aged care organisations) in metropolitan and regional areas of Victoria. Documentation in use at facilities prior to the ACP intervention most commonly recorded preferences regarding hospital transfer, life prolonging treatment and personal/cultural/religious wishes. However, 7 of 12 document sets failed to adequately and clearly specify the resident's preferences as regards life prolonging medical treatment. The newly developed aged care specific Advance Care Plan template was met with approval by participating RACFs. Of 203 Advance Care Plans completed on the template throughout the project period, 49% included the appointment of a Medical Enduring Power of Attorney. Requests concerning medical treatment were specified in almost all completed documents (97%), with 73% nominating the option of refusal of life-prolonging treatment. Over 90% of plans included information concerning residents' values and beliefs, and future health situations that the resident would find to be unacceptable were specified in 78% of completed plans. Standardised procedures and documentation are needed to improve the quality of processes, documents and outcomes of ACP in the residential aged care sector.

  9. Physical work capacity in older adults: implications for the aging worker.

    PubMed

    Kenny, Glen P; Yardley, Jane E; Martineau, Lucie; Jay, Ollie

    2008-08-01

    In many developed countries, the workforce is rapidly aging. Occupational demands however, have not decreased despite the fact that workers see a decline in physical work capacity with age. The purpose of this review is to examine the physiological adaptations to aging, the impact of aging on performance and the benefits of physical fitness in improving functional work capacity in aging individuals. An extensive search of the scientific literature was performed, acquiring published articles which examined the physiological changes associated with age-related decrements in the physical work capacity of healthy aging adults. The databases accessed included AARP Ageline, AccessScience, Annual Reviews, CISTI, Cochrane Library, Clinical Evidence, Digital Dissertations (Proquest), Embase, HealthSTAR, Medline, PubMed, Scopus, and PASCAL and included relevant information sites obtained on the world wide web. While a great deal of variation exists, an average decline of 20% in physical work capacity has been reported between the ages of 40 and 60 years, due to decreases in aerobic and musculoskeletal capacity. These declines can contribute to decreased work capacity, and consequential increases in work-related injuries and illness. However, differences in habitual physical activity will greatly influence the variability seen in individual physical work capacity and its components. Well-organized, management-supported, work-site health interventions encouraging physical activity during work hours could potentially decrease the incidence of age-related injury and illness. Age-associated functional declines and the accompanying risk of work-related injury can be prevented or at least delayed by the practice of regular physical activity. Older workers could optimally pursue their careers until retirement if they continuously maintain their physical training.

  10. Screening of health-care workers for latent tuberculosis infection in a Tertiary Care Hospital.

    PubMed

    Janagond, Anand Bimari; Ganesan, Vithiya; Vijay Kumar, G S; Ramesh, Arunagiri; Anand, Prem; Mariappan, M

    2017-01-01

    Health-care workers (HCWs) are at increased risk of acquiring tuberculosis (TB) than the general population. While national-level data on the burden of TB in general population is available from reliable sources, nationally representative data on latent tuberculosis infection (LTBI) burden in HCWs in the high burden countries is lacking. A prospective study was carried out to assess the risk of TB infection among HCWs who directly engage in medical duties. HCWs were recruited between January 2014 and December 2015. A structured questionnaire was used for risk assessment of TB infection among HCWs, including sociodemographic characteristics (e.g., age, gender, period of professional work, and employed position), knowledge of TB prevention and control, and history of professional work. A single-step tuberculin skin test (TST) using 5 international units (IU; 0.1 ml) of tuberculin (purified protein derivative from Mycobacterium bovis Bacillus Calmette-Guérin [BCG]). TB infection was determined using a TST induration ≥10 mm as a cutoff point for TST positivity. TST-positive participants were further subjected to detailed clinical evaluation and chest radiography to rule out active TB. The associations between TB infection and the sociodemographic characteristics, duration of possible exposure to TB while on medical duties, BCG vaccination, and knowledge about TB were estimated using Chi-square test. A two-sided P < 0.05 indicated statistical significance. A total of 206 eligible HCWs signed the informed consent and completed the questionnaires between January 2014 and December 2015. The age of the participants ranged from 18 to 71 years, with a mean age of 27.13 years. TST induration size (mean 6.37 mm) the TST results suggested that 36.8% (76/206) were infected with TB using a TST induration ≥10 mm as a cut-off point. All 76 TST-positive HCWs showed no evidence of active TB in clinical evaluation and chest radiography. However, during the study, two HCWs

  11. Effectiveness of Integrative Restoration (iRest) Yoga Nidra on Mindfulness, Sleep, and Pain in Health Care Workers.

    PubMed

    Livingston, Eva; Collette-Merrill, Katreena

    This article examines the effectiveness of Integrative Restoration (iRest) Yoga Nidra meditation on mindfulness, sleep, and pain in health care workers. As health care workers provide emotional support to patients, it is not uncommon for workers to experience both physical and mental exhaustion. One holistic approach to support employees is mindfulness training. iRest Yoga Nidra is a complementary and integrative health therapy that increases mindfulness. A pre-/postinterveniton descriptive survey design was used. Before and after experiencing iRest meditation, participants completed a 51-item questionnaire consisting of demographics plus 3 validated instruments: the Five-Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire (FFMQ), the Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS), and Department of Defense/Veterans Administration (DoD/VA) Pain Supplemental Questions (PSQ). A total of 15 participants completed both questionnaires. Postintervention FFMQ scores were significantly higher than preintervention (z = -3.294, P = .001). The highest subscale scores were "acting with awareness" and "nonjudging of inner experience." There was a not a significant difference in the mean ESS scores at baseline and follow-up. However, there was a strong negative correlation between the mean ESS improvement score and the number of weeks attended (rs = -0.705, P = .003). There was a not a significant difference in the mean pain baseline and follow-up scores. This study showed significant improvement in mindfulness of health care workers following a guided 8-week iRest Yoga Nidra program. The results of this study may provide some insight into helping health care workers deal with the demands of their profession in a positive manner, thus leading to an improved workplace environment.

  12. Enhancing resilience in registered aged care nurses.

    PubMed

    Cameron, Fiona; Brownie, Sonya

    2010-06-01

    To identify the factors that impact the resilience of registered aged care nurses, that is their capacity to adapt to the physical, mental and emotional demands of working in aged care facilities. This study explored the lived experience of nine registered nurses working in residential aged care facilities on the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, who were asked to reflect on the phenomenon of resilience in the workplace. This study found that clinical expertise, a sense of purpose in a holistic care environment, a positive attitude and work-life balance are important determinants of resilience in aged care nurses. Resilience in nurses in residential aged care facilities is enhanced when they are able to maintain long-term, meaningful relationships with residents. Collegial support that provides opportunities to debrief and validate experiences as well as the use of humour to defuse stress promotes well-being and builds resilience in the workplace.

  13. Health care professionals' attitudes towards evidence-based medicine in the workers' compensation setting: a cohort study.

    PubMed

    Elbers, Nieke A; Chase, Robin; Craig, Ashley; Guy, Lyn; Harris, Ian A; Middleton, James W; Nicholas, Michael K; Rebbeck, Trudy; Walsh, John; Willcock, Simon; Lockwood, Keri; Cameron, Ian D

    2017-05-22

    Problems may arise during the approval process of treatment after a compensable work injury, which include excess paperwork, delays in approving services, disputes, and allegations of over-servicing. This is perceived as undesirable for injured people, health care professionals and claims managers, and costly to the health care system, compensation system, workplaces and society. Introducing an Evidence Based Medicine (EBM) decision tool in the workers' compensation system could provide a partial solution, by reducing uncertainty about effective treatment. The aim of this study was to investigate attitudes of health care professionals (HCP) to the potential implementation of an EBM tool in the workers' compensation setting. The study has a mixed methods design. The quantitative study consisted of an online questionnaire asking about self-reported knowledge, attitudes and behaviour to EBM in general. The qualitative study consisted of interviews about an EBM tool being applied in the workers' compensation process. Participants were health care practitioners from different clinical specialties. They were recruited through the investigators' clinical networks and the workers' compensation government regulator's website. Participants completing the questionnaire (n = 231) indicated they were knowledgeable about the evidence-base in their field, but perceived some difficulties when applying EBM. General practitioners reported having the greatest obstacles to applying EBM. Participants who were interviewed (n = 15) perceived that an EBM tool in the workers' compensation setting could potentially have some advantages, such as reducing inappropriate treatment, or over-servicing, and providing guidance for clinicians. However, participants expressed substantial concerns that the EBM tool would not adequately reflect the impact of psychosocial factors on recovery. They also highlighted a lack of timeliness in decision making and proper assessment, particularly in

  14. The Effects of Occupational Stress, Work-Centrality, Self-Efficacy, and Job Satisfaction on Intent to Quit Among Long-Term Care Workers in Korea.

    PubMed

    Park, Jeongkyu; Yoon, Seokwon; Moon, Sung Seek; Lee, Kyoung Hag; Park, Jueun

    2017-01-01

    A large and growing population of elderly Koreans with chronic conditions necessitates an increase in long-term care. This study is aimed at investigating the effects of occupational stress, work-centrality, self-efficacy, and job satisfaction on intent to leave among long-term care workers in Korea. We tested the hypothesized structural equation model predicting the intention to quit among long-term care workers in Korea. Survey data were collected from 532 long-term care workers in Seoul, Korea. Results showed that occupational stress was positively associated with intention to leave the job. The study also identified several possible mediators (self-efficacy, work-centrality, job satisfaction) in the relationship between stress and intent to quit. Evidence-based stress management interventions are suggested to help the workers better cope with stressors. Mentoring programs should also be considered for new workers.

  15. A review of natural-rubber latex allergy in health care workers.

    PubMed

    Ranta, Peter M; Ownby, Dennis R

    2004-01-15

    This brief review of natural-rubber latex (NRL) allergy in health care workers (HCWs) includes the definition of NRL allergy and data on its epidemiology, pathogenesis, diagnostic algorithm, management, long-term outcomes, economic impact, cost-effectiveness of changing facilities to a latex-free environment, and prevention. The data presented suggest that an individual with type I or type IV hypersensitivity to NRL should be able to continue to work in the workplace with careful evaluation and reasonable accommodations. Reducing exposure to latex is a safe and more economical alternative to complete removal of the individual from the place of employment. The use of low-allergen, nonpowdered NRL gloves substantially reduces airborne exposure to latex in most health care settings.

  16. The role of the bilingual/bicultural worker in dementia education, support and care.

    PubMed

    Boughtwood, Desiree; Shanley, Christopher; Adams, Jon; Santalucia, Yvonne; Kyriazopoulos, Helena; Rowland, Jeffrey; Pond, Dimity

    2013-01-01

    Members of minority populations often have difficulty knowing about and accessing dementia services. One of the strategies used to promote access is the employment of bilingual/bicultural workers (sometimes referred to as multicultural, link or outreach workers). This study involved interviews with 24 bilingual/bicultural workers in south western Sydney, Australia to gain a better understanding of their role within the dementia field. Seven themes emerged: importance of working with family; process of building trust when moving between two cultures; importance of understanding the culture; self-care and culture; flexibility of their role; linking community members; and linking communities to mainstream services. Bilingual/bicultural workers play a significant and complex role in supporting individuals and families within their community who are affected by dementia. The significance of their role needs to be more clearly acknowledged in the development of policy, further research and service provision within the dementia field.

  17. Fear of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) among Health Care Workers

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Ho, Samuel M. Y.; Kwong-Lo, Rosalie S. Y.; Mak, Christine W. Y.; Wong, Joe S.

    2005-01-01

    In this study, the authors examined fear related to severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) among 2 samples of hospital staff in Hong Kong. Sample 1 included health care workers (n = 82) and was assessed during the peak of the SARS epidemic. Sample 2 included hospital staff who recovered from SARS (n = 97). The results show that participants in…

  18. Laughter therapy as an intervention to promote psychological well-being of volunteer community care workers working with HIV-affected families

    PubMed Central

    Hatzipapas, Irene; Visser, Maretha J.; Janse van Rensburg, Estie

    2017-01-01

    Abstract The study explores the experiences of volunteer community care workers working with HIV-affected families, participating in laughter therapy. Laughter therapy is being used as an intervention to positively influence individuals experiencing various forms of emotional distress. Community care workers play a vital role in the support of the HIV/AIDS-infected and -affected members in communities. The nature of this type of work and their limited training contributes to high levels of secondary trauma and emotional exhaustion. The purpose of the study was firstly, to explore the effects of working with orphans and vulnerable children (OVC) on the community care workers and secondly, to establish the impact that laughter therapy has to positively combat stresses of working within the care workers’ environment. All the community care workers from a community-based organisation that provides care for HIV/AIDS-infected and -affected OVC and their families in the greater region of Soweto, South Africa, took part in daily laughter therapy sessions for one month. To assess the experiences of participants of laughter therapy, seven community care workers agreed to participate in a mixed method assessment. Interviews were conducted before and after the intervention using the Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis as framework. As supportive data, a stress and anxiety and depression scale were added in the interview. Participants reported more positive emotions, positive coping, improved interpersonal relationships and improvement in their care work after exposure to laughter therapy. Quantitative results on stress, anxiety and depression for each participant confirmed observed changes. Laughter therapy as a self-care technique has potential as a low-cost intervention strategy to reduce stress and counteract negative emotions among people working in highly emotional environments. PMID:29169302

  19. Universal Coverage without Universal Access: Institutional Barriers to Health Care among Women Sex Workers in Vancouver, Canada

    PubMed Central

    Socías, M. Eugenia; Shoveller, Jean; Bean, Chili; Nguyen, Paul; Montaner, Julio; Shannon, Kate

    2016-01-01

    Background Access to health care is a crucial determinant of health. Yet, even within settings that purport to provide universal health coverage (UHC), sex workers’ experiences reveal systematic, institutionally ingrained barriers to appropriate quality health care. The aim of this study was to assess prevalence and correlates of institutional barriers to care among sex workers in a setting with UHC. Methods Data was drawn from an ongoing community-based, prospective cohort of women sex workers in Vancouver, Canada (An Evaluation of Sex Workers’ Health Access). Multivariable logistic regression analyses, using generalized estimating equations (GEE), were employed to longitudinally investigate correlates of institutional barriers to care over a 44-month follow-up period (January 2010-August 2013). Results In total, 723 sex workers were included, contributing to 2506 observations. Over the study period, 509 (70.4%) women reported one or more institutional barriers to care. The most commonly reported institutional barriers to care were long wait times (54.6%), limited hours of operation (36.5%), and perceived disrespect by health care providers (26.1%). In multivariable GEE analyses, recent partner- (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] = 1.46, % 95% Confidence Interval [CI] 1.10–1.94), workplace- (AOR = 1.31, 95% CI 1.05–1.63), and community-level violence (AOR = 1.41, 95% CI 1.04–1.92), as well as other markers of vulnerability, such as self-identification as a gender/sexual minority (AOR = 1.32, 95% CI 1.03–1.69), a mental illness diagnosis (AOR = 1.66, 95% CI 1.34–2.06), and lack of provincial health insurance card (AOR = 3.47, 95% CI 1.59–7.57) emerged as independent correlates of institutional barriers to health services. Discussion Despite Canada’s UHC, women sex workers in Vancouver face high prevalence of institutional barriers to care, with highest burden among most marginalized women. These findings underscore the need to explore new models of care

  20. The High-risk Groups According to the Trends and Characteristics of Fatal Occupational Injuries in Korean Workers Aged 50 Years and Above.

    PubMed

    Yi, Kwan Hyung

    2018-06-01

    Due to an increasing number of workers aged 50 years and above, the number of those employed is also on the rise, and those workers aged 50 and over has exceeded 50% of the total fatal occupational injuries. Therefore, it is necessary to implement the selection and concentration by identifying the characteristics of high-risk groups necessary for an effective prevention against and reduction of fatal occupational injuries. This study analyzed the characteristics of high-risk groups and the occupational injury fatality rate per 10,000 workers among the workers aged 50 and over through a multi-dimensional analysis by sex, employment status of workers, industry and occupation by targeting 4,079 persons who died in fatal occupational injuries from January 2007 to December 12. The share of the workers aged 50 years and above is increasing every year in the total fatal occupational injuries occurrence, and the high-risk groups include 'male workers' by sex, 'daily workers' by worker's status, 'craft and related-trades workers' by occupation, and 'mining' by industry. The most frequent causal objects of fatal occupational injuries of the workers aged 50 years and above are found out to be 'installment and dismantlement of temporary equipment and material on work platforms including scaffold' in the construction industry and 'mobile crane, conveyor belt and fork lifts' in the manufacturing industry.

  1. Task-shifting point-of-care CD4+ testing to lay health workers in HIV care and treatment services in Namibia.

    PubMed

    Kaindjee-Tjituka, Francina; Sawadogo, Souleymane; Mutandi, Graham; Maher, Andrew D; Salomo, Natanael; Mbapaha, Claudia; Neo, Marytha; Beukes, Anita; Gweshe, Justice; Muadinohamba, Alexinah; Lowrance, David W

    2017-01-01

    Access to CD4+ testing remains a common barrier to early initiation of antiretroviral therapy among persons living with HIV/AIDS in low- and middle-income countries. The feasibility of task-shifting of point-of-care (POC) CD4+ testing to lay health workers in Namibia has not been evaluated. From July to August 2011, Pima CD4+ analysers were used to improve access to CD4+ testing at 10 selected public health facilities in Namibia. POC Pima CD4+ testing was performed by nurses or lay health workers. Venous blood samples were collected from 10% of patients and sent to centralised laboratories for CD4+ testing with standard methods. Outcomes for POC Pima CD4+ testing and patient receipt of results were compared between nurses and lay health workers and between the POC method and standard laboratory CD4+ testing methods. Overall, 1429 patients received a Pima CD4+ test; 500 (35.0%) tests were performed by nurses and 929 (65.0%) were performed by lay health workers. When Pima CD4+ testing was performed by a nurse or a lay health worker, 93.2% and 95.2% of results were valid ( p = 0.1); 95.6% and 98.1% of results were received by the patient ( p = 0.007); 96.2% and 94.0% of results were received by the patient on the same day ( p = 0.08). Overall, 97.2% of Pima CD4+ results were received by patients, compared to 55.4% of standard laboratory CD4+ results ( p < 0.001). POC CD4+ testing was feasible and effective when task-shifted to lay health workers. Rollout of POC CD4+ testing via task-shifting can improve access to CD4+ testing and retention in care between HIV diagnosis and antiretroviral therapy initiation in low- and middle-income countries.

  2. The personal value of being a palliative care Community Volunteer Worker in Uganda: a qualitative study.

    PubMed

    Jack, Barbara A; Kirton, Jennifer A; Birakurataki, Jerith; Merriman, Anne

    2012-07-01

    Volunteers in palliative care play a key role, particularly in the hospice setting. The expansion of palliative care into developing countries has been accompanied by the emergence of volunteer workers, who are providing a main source of support and care for patients, many of whom never see a health professional. The aim of this study was to evaluate the motivation for becoming a volunteer and the personal impact of being a palliative care Community Volunteer Worker in Uganda. A qualitative methodology using semi-structured individual and group digitally recorded interviews was adopted for the study. Data were analysed for emerging themes using thematic analysis. Forty-three interviews were undertaken, 32 with Community Volunteer Workers and 11 with the Hospice clinical teams, using semi-structured digitally recorded individual, group and focus group interviews at the Hospice Africa sites in Uganda. The results identified the cultural wish to help people as a key motivator in becoming a volunteer. Additionally, the volunteers reported having a sense of pride in their volunteering role, and this role had a positive impact on their perceived status in their local community. This model of volunteering is clearly having an impact on the volunteers, both personally and also in terms of how they are treated in their communities. Further research to explore the long-term personal benefits of being a palliative care volunteer is recommended.

  3. I strong administrative buy-in, firm mandates can push flu vaccination rates up to more than 99% among health care workers.

    PubMed

    2014-11-01

    While flu vaccination rates are inching up among health care workers, there is still room for improvement. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that slightly more than 75% of health care workers received the flu vaccination during the 2013-14 season--an increase of roughly 3% over the 2012-13 season. However, some hospitals have been able to achieve vaccination rates in excess of 99%. The apparent key to these efforts is a firm mandate that all personnel receive a flu shot as a condition of employment. There is always pushback to such policies, but hospitals report that most personnel eventually come around. While flu vaccination rates are on the increase among health, care personnel, data from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) note that rates vary widely from state to state. For example, the vaccination rate for health care workers in New Jersey stood at just 62% last year. In contrast, more than 95% of health care workers in Maryland received the shot during the 2013-14 flu season. Both Loyola University Medical Center and Henry Ford Hospital have been able to boost flu vaccination rates among their health care workers to more than 99% with the implementation of policies that require flu shots as a condition of employment. Experts say successful flu vaccination campaigns require strong administration buy-in and physician leadership.

  4. The Attitude of Psychiatric and Non-psychiatric Health-care Workers Toward Suicide in Malaysian Hospitals and Its Implications for Training.

    PubMed

    Siau, Ching Sin; Wee, Lei-Hum; Yacob, Sapini; Yeoh, Seen Heng; Binti Adnan, Tassha Hilda; Haniff, Jamaiyah; Perialathan, Komathi; Mahdi, Aziman; Rahman, Abu Bakar; Eu, Choon Leng; Binti Wahab, Suzaily

    2017-08-01

    This research is aimed to examine the attitude of health-care workers toward suicidal patients in Malaysian hospitals, comparing responses from psychiatric and non-psychiatric workers, and to identify specific needs in suicide prevention and management training. This is a multi-site cross-sectional study. The authors conducted a survey based on a translated self-administered questionnaire to participants from seven core hospital departments. While most health-care workers regardless of department and specialty took their duty to prevent suicide seriously, a large majority of them expressed negative attitudes such as finding suicidal behavior irritating, and more than half believed suicidal attempts were a way of making others sorry. However, psychiatric workers were less likely to have judgmental attitudes that included believing suicide attempters as being selfish or trying to get sympathy from others. As there were more similarities than differences in health-care workers' attitudes toward suicide, recommendations on basic and continuous suicide prevention and management training among hospital workers were made. The interventions focused on improving knowledge, affective, and skill-based areas that were aimed to correct the wrongful understanding of and to minimize the negative attitudes toward suicidal individuals indicated by the study results.

  5. Workplace Violence against Health Care Workers in North Chinese Hospitals: A Cross-Sectional Survey.

    PubMed

    Sun, Peihang; Zhang, Xue; Sun, Yihua; Ma, Hongkun; Jiao, Mingli; Xing, Kai; Kang, Zheng; Ning, Ning; Fu, Yapeng; Wu, Qunhong; Yin, Mei

    2017-01-19

    This research aimed to determine the prevalence of workplace violence (WPV) against healthcare workers, explore the frequency distribution of violence in different occupational groups, and determine which healthcare occupation suffers from WPV most frequently. Furthermore, the current study aimed to compare risk factors affecting different types of WPV in Chinese hospitals. A cross-sectional design was utilized. A total of 1899 healthcare workers from Heilongjiang, a province in Northeastern China, completed the questionnaire. Of the respondents, 83.3% reported exposure to workplace violence, and 68.9% reported non-physical violence. Gender, education, shift work, anxiety level, and occupation were significantly correlated with physical violence ( p < 0.05 for all correlations). Additionally, age, professional title, and occupation were correlated with non-physical violence, which critically affected doctors. Thus, gender, age, profession, anxiety, and shift work were predictive of workplace violence toward healthcare workers. Doctors appeared to experience non-physical workplace violence with particularly higher frequency when compared to nurses and other workers in hospitals. For healthcare workers, interventions aimed at WPV reduction should be enacted according to the types of violence, profession, and other factors underlying the various types of WPV in hospitals.

  6. Workplace Violence against Health Care Workers in North Chinese Hospitals: A Cross-Sectional Survey

    PubMed Central

    Sun, Peihang; Zhang, Xue; Sun, Yihua; Ma, Hongkun; Jiao, Mingli; Xing, Kai; Kang, Zheng; Ning, Ning; Fu, Yapeng; Wu, Qunhong; Yin, Mei

    2017-01-01

    This research aimed to determine the prevalence of workplace violence (WPV) against healthcare workers, explore the frequency distribution of violence in different occupational groups, and determine which healthcare occupation suffers from WPV most frequently. Furthermore, the current study aimed to compare risk factors affecting different types of WPV in Chinese hospitals. A cross-sectional design was utilized. A total of 1899 healthcare workers from Heilongjiang, a province in Northeastern China, completed the questionnaire. Of the respondents, 83.3% reported exposure to workplace violence, and 68.9% reported non-physical violence. Gender, education, shift work, anxiety level, and occupation were significantly correlated with physical violence (p < 0.05 for all correlations). Additionally, age, professional title, and occupation were correlated with non-physical violence, which critically affected doctors. Thus, gender, age, profession, anxiety, and shift work were predictive of workplace violence toward healthcare workers. Doctors appeared to experience non-physical workplace violence with particularly higher frequency when compared to nurses and other workers in hospitals. For healthcare workers, interventions aimed at WPV reduction should be enacted according to the types of violence, profession, and other factors underlying the various types of WPV in hospitals. PMID:28106851

  7. Qualitative study of perceived causes of tuberculosis treatment default among health care workers in Morocco.

    PubMed

    Kizub, D; Ghali, I; Sabouni, R; Bourkadi, J E; Bennani, K; El Aouad, R; Dooley, K E

    2012-09-01

    In Morocco, tuberculosis (TB) treatment default is increasing in some urban areas. To provide a detailed description of factors that contribute to patient default and solutions from the point of view of health care professionals who participate in TB care. In-depth interviews were conducted with 62 physicians and nurses at nine regional public pulmonary clinics and local health clinics. Participants had a median of 24 years of experience in health care. Treatment default was seen as a result of multilevel factors related to the patient (lack of means, being a migrant worker, distance to treatment site, poor understanding of treatment, drug use, mental illness), medical team (high patient load, low motivation, lack of resources for tracking defaulters), treatment organization (poor communication between treatment sites, no systematic strategy for patient education or tracking, incomplete record keeping), and health care system and society. Tailored recommendations for low- and higher-cost interventions are provided. Interventions to enhance TB treatment completion should take into account the local context and multilevel factors that contribute to default. Qualitative studies involving health care workers directly involved in TB care can be powerful tools to identify contributing factors and define strategies to help reduce treatment default.

  8. The roles of family members, health care workers, and others in decision-making processes about genetic testing among individuals at risk for Huntington disease.

    PubMed

    Klitzman, Robert; Thorne, Deborah; Williamson, Jennifer; Marder, Karen

    2007-06-01

    To understand how individuals at risk for Huntington disease view the roles of others, e.g., family members and health care workers, in decision making about genetic testing. Twenty-one individuals (eight mutation-positive, four mutation-negative, and nine not tested) were interviewed for approximately 2 hours each. Interviewees illuminated several key aspects of the roles of family members and health care workers (in genetics and other fields) in decision making about testing that have been underexplored. Family members often felt strongly about whether an individual should get tested. Health care workers provided information and assistance with decision making and mental health referrals that were often helpful. Yet health care workers varied in knowledge and sensitivity regarding testing issues, and the quality of counseling and testing experiences can range widely. At times, health care workers without specialized knowledge of Huntington disease offered opinions of whether to test. Input from families and health care workers could also conflict with each other and with an individual's own preferences. Larger institutional and geographic contexts shaped decisions as well. Decision-making theories applied to Huntington disease testing have frequently drawn on psychological models, yet the current data highlight the importance of social contexts and relationships in testing decisions. This report, the first to our knowledge to explore individuals' perceptions of social factors (particularly family and health care worker involvement) in Huntington disease testing decisions, has critical implications for practice, education, research, and policy.

  9. Meeting Community Health Worker Needs for Maternal Health Care Service Delivery Using Appropriate Mobile Technologies in Ethiopia

    PubMed Central

    Little, Alex; Medhanyie, Araya; Yebyo, Henock; Spigt, Mark; Dinant, Geert-Jan; Blanco, Roman

    2013-01-01

    Background Mobile health applications are complex interventions that essentially require changes to the behavior of health care professionals who will use them and changes to systems or processes in delivery of care. Our aim has been to meet the technical needs of Health Extension Workers (HEWs) and midwives for maternal health using appropriate mobile technologies tools. Methods We have developed and evaluated a set of appropriate smartphone health applications using open source components, including a local language adapted data collection tool, health worker and manager user-friendly dashboard analytics and maternal-newborn protocols. This is an eighteen month follow-up of an ongoing observational research study in the northern of Ethiopia involving two districts, twenty HEWs, and twelve midwives. Results Most health workers rapidly learned how to use and became comfortable with the touch screen devices so only limited technical support was needed. Unrestricted use of smartphones generated a strong sense of ownership and empowerment among the health workers. Ownership of the phones was a strong motivator for the health workers, who recognised the value and usefulness of the devices, so took care to look after them. A low level of smartphones breakage (8.3%,3 from 36) and loss (2.7%) were reported. Each health worker made an average of 160 mins of voice calls and downloaded 27Mb of data per month, however, we found very low usage of short message service (less than 3 per month). Conclusions Although it is too early to show a direct link between mobile technologies and health outcomes, mobile technologies allow health managers to more quickly and reliably have access to data which can help identify where there issues in the service delivery. Achieving a strong sense of ownership and empowerment among health workers is a prerequisite for a successful introduction of any mobile health program. PMID:24204872

  10. Collaboration among eldercare workers: barriers, facilitators and supporting processes.

    PubMed

    Jakobsen, Louise M; Albertsen, Karen; Jorgensen, Anette F B; Greiner, Birgit A; Rugulies, Reiner

    2018-05-03

    To retain qualified care workers and to ensure high-quality care for residents in eldercare homes, well-functioning collaboration among care workers is pivotal. This study aims to identify barriers and facilitators of collaboration among eldercare workers and to describe the processes leading to well-functioning collaboration. We collected focus group data from 33 eldercare workers from seven Danish eldercare homes. We found that collaboration was hampered by a number of formal and informal divisions among care workers. To ensure well-functioning collaboration, social and professional relations among care workers needed to be dealt with actively by care workers and by managers. The analysis showed that managers are essential for creating a well-functioning framework around the collaboration between care workers by providing guidelines and procedures for working across various divisions, by being attentive to care workers and taking decisive action when needed and by dealing with conflicts in the workgroups. © 2018 Nordic College of Caring Science.

  11. Age correction in monitoring audiometry: method to update OSHA age-correction tables to include older workers.

    PubMed

    Dobie, Robert A; Wojcik, Nancy C

    2015-07-13

    The US Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) Noise Standard provides the option for employers to apply age corrections to employee audiograms to consider the contribution of ageing when determining whether a standard threshold shift has occurred. Current OSHA age-correction tables are based on 40-year-old data, with small samples and an upper age limit of 60 years. By comparison, recent data (1999-2006) show that hearing thresholds in the US population have improved. Because hearing thresholds have improved, and because older people are increasingly represented in noisy occupations, the OSHA tables no longer represent the current US workforce. This paper presents 2 options for updating the age-correction tables and extending values to age 75 years using recent population-based hearing survey data from the US National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES). Both options provide scientifically derived age-correction values that can be easily adopted by OSHA to expand their regulatory guidance to include older workers. Regression analysis was used to derive new age-correction values using audiometric data from the 1999-2006 US NHANES. Using the NHANES median, better-ear thresholds fit to simple polynomial equations, new age-correction values were generated for both men and women for ages 20-75 years. The new age-correction values are presented as 2 options. The preferred option is to replace the current OSHA tables with the values derived from the NHANES median better-ear thresholds for ages 20-75 years. The alternative option is to retain the current OSHA age-correction values up to age 60 years and use the NHANES-based values for ages 61-75 years. Recent NHANES data offer a simple solution to the need for updated, population-based, age-correction tables for OSHA. The options presented here provide scientifically valid and relevant age-correction values which can be easily adopted by OSHA to expand their regulatory guidance to

  12. Health worker motivation in the context of HIV care and treatment challenges in Mbeya Region, Tanzania: A qualitative study

    PubMed Central

    2011-01-01

    Background Health worker motivation can potentially affect the provision of health services. The HIV pandemic has placed additional strain on health service provision through the extra burden of increased testing and counselling, treating opportunistic infections and providing antiretroviral treatment. The aim of this paper is to explore the challenges generated by HIV care and treatment and their impact on health worker motivation in Mbeya Region, Tanzania. Methods Thirty in-depth interviews were conducted with health workers across the range of health care professions in health facilities in two high HIV-prevalence districts of Mbeya Region, Tanzania. A qualitative framework analysis was adopted for data analysis. Results The negative impact of HIV-related challenges on health worker motivation was confirmed by this study. Training seminars and workshops related to HIV contributed to the shortage of health workers in the facilities. Lower status workers were frequently excluded from training and were more severely affected by the consequent increase in workload as seminars were usually attended by higher status professionals who controlled access. Constant and consistent complaints by clients have undermined health workers' expectations of trust and recognition. Health workers were forced to take responsibility for dealing with problems arising from organisational inefficiencies within the health system. Conclusion HIV-related challenges undermine motivation among health workers in Mbeya, Tanzania with the burden falling most heavily on lower status workers. Strained relations between health workers and the community they serve, further undermine motivation of health workers. PMID:21992700

  13. Measuring health care workers' perceptions of what constitutes a compassionate organisation culture and working environment: Findings from a quantitative feasibility survey.

    PubMed

    McSherry, Robert; Pearce, Paddy

    2018-03-01

    Health care organisation cultures and working environments are highly complex, dynamic and constantly evolving settings. They significantly influence both the delivery and outcomes of care. Phase 1 quantitative findings are presented from a larger three phase feasibility study designed to develop and test a Cultural Health Check toolkit to support health care workers, patients and organisations in the provision of safe, compassionate and dignified care. A mixed methods approach was applied. The Cultural Health Check Healthcare Workers Questionnaire was distributed across two National Health Service Hospitals in England, UK. Both hospitals allocated two wards comprising of older people and surgical specialities. The newly devised Cultural Health Check Staff Rating Scale Version 1 questionnaire was distributed to 223 health care workers. Ninety eight responses were returned giving a response rate of 44%. The Cultural Health Check Staff Rating Scale Version 1 has a significant Cronbach alpha of .775; this reliability scaling is reflected in all 16 items in the scale. Exploratory factor analysis identified two significant factors "Professional Practice and Support" and "Workforce and Service Delivery." These factors according to health care workers significantly impact on the organisation culture and quality of care delivered by staff. The Cultural Health Check Staff Rating Scale Version 1 questionnaire is a newly validated measurement tool that could be used and applied to gauge health care workers perceptions of an organisations level of compassion. Historically we have focused on identifying how caring and compassionate nurses, doctors and related allied health professionals are. This turns the attention on employers of nurses and other related organisations. The questionnaire can be used to gauge the level of compassion with a health care organisation culture and working environment. Nurse managers and leaders should focus attention regarding how these two factors

  14. General health problems of inner-city sex workers: a pilot study.

    PubMed

    Baker, Lynda M; Case, Patricia; Policicchio, Deena L

    2003-01-01

    A pilot study was designed to determine the general health problems of inner city sex workers. The researchers worked with an agency that provides outreach services to these sex workers. Through this agency, they had access to a purposive sample of sex workers in a large Midwest city. Nonparticipant observation was used to gather information about their health problems, the nature of information they may need, and the barriers to obtaining health care and health information. Sex workers (N = 75) ranged in age from nineteen to sixty-one years old. They identified a number of physical or psychological problems, such as rape, depression, and tuberculosis. HIV/AIDS was never mentioned. A major barrier to health care is a lack of information about where to go for treatment or how to obtain health insurance. More research needs to be done by library and information science professionals to determine the information needs of sex workers and the agencies that provide them with health and social services.

  15. Estimating Time Physicians and Other Health Care Workers Spend with Patients in an Intensive Care Unit Using a Sensor Network.

    PubMed

    Butler, Rachel; Monsalve, Mauricio; Thomas, Geb W; Herman, Ted; Segre, Alberto M; Polgreen, Philip M; Suneja, Manish

    2018-04-09

    Time and motion studies have been used to investigate how much time various health care professionals spend with patients as opposed to performing other tasks. However, the majority of such studies are done in outpatient settings, and rely on surveys (which are subject to recall bias) or human observers (which are subject to observation bias). Our goal was to accurately measure the time physicians, nurses, and critical support staff in a medical intensive care unit spend in direct patient contact, using a novel method that does not rely on self-report or human observers. We used a network of stationary and wearable mote-based sensors to electronically record location and contacts among health care workers and patients under their care in a 20-bed intensive care unit for a 10-day period covering both day and night shifts. Location and contact data were used to classify the type of task being performed by health care workers. For physicians, 14.73% (17.96%) of their time in the unit during the day shift (night shift) was spent in patient rooms, compared with 40.63% (30.09%) spent in the physician work room; the remaining 44.64% (51.95%) of their time was spent elsewhere. For nurses, 32.97% (32.85%) of their time on unit was spent in patient rooms, with an additional 11.34% (11.79%) spent just outside patient rooms. They spent 11.58% (13.16%) of their time at the nurses' station and 23.89% (24.34%) elsewhere in the unit. From a patient's perspective, we found that care times, defined as time with at least one health care worker of a designated type in their intensive care unit room, were distributed as follows: 13.11% (9.90%) with physicians, 86.14% (88.15%) with nurses, and 8.14% (7.52%) with critical support staff (eg, respiratory therapists, pharmacists). Physicians, nurses, and critical support staff spend very little of their time in direct patient contact in an intensive care unit setting, similar to reported observations in both outpatient and inpatient

  16. Successful Aging at Work: Annual Review, 1992-1996: The Older Worker and Transitions to Retirement.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hansson, Robert O.; DeKoekkoek, Paul D.; Neece, Wynell M.; Patterson, David W.

    1997-01-01

    A review of literature 1992-1996 examined aging, job performance, and occupational well-being; successful workplace aging; aging, health, and safety; careers; retirement; older women; and age discrimination. Four conclusions were: (1) research has begun to involve more disciplines; (2) older workers should be considered as individuals; (3)…

  17. Prevalence of Burnout Syndrome of Greek Child Care Workers and Kindergarten Teachers

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Rentzou, Konstantina

    2015-01-01

    The present study, employing the Maslach Burnout Inventory-Educators Survey, aims to compare and explore possible differences to the levels of burnout reported by the two main professional groups working in the early childhood education and care sector in Greece, that is kindergarten teachers and childcare workers. The correlation between the…

  18. Modeling Dental Health Care Workers' Risk of Occupational Infection from Bloodborne Pathogens.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Capilouto, Eli; And Others

    1990-01-01

    The brief paper offers a model which permits quantification of the dental health care workers' risk of occupationally acquiring infection from bloodborne pathogens such as human immunodeficiency virus and hepatitis B virus. The model incorporates five parameters such as the probability that any individual patient is infected and number of patients…

  19. Do Health Insurance and Pension Costs Reduce the Job Opportunities of Older Workers?

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Scott, Frank A.; And Others

    1995-01-01

    Current Population Survey data (1979, 1983, 1988, 1993) and a 1991 employer survey showed that the probability a newly hired worker was aged 55-65 was significantly lower in companies with health care plans and with relatively costly plans. Neither cost nor presence of pension plans significantly affected employment of older workers. (SK)

  20. Violence and unsafety in a major Italian hospital: experience and perceptions of health care workers.

    PubMed

    Terzoni, S; Ferrara, P; Cornelli, R; Ricci, C; Oggioni, Chiara; Destrebecq, Anne

    2015-11-22

    Workers' experience of violence and perceived unsafety can have a profound impact on job satisfaction, job performance, and workers' decision to leave. The aim of the study was to assess the prevalence of physical and non-physical violence among hospital workers, explore the complaints and reactions of victims, assess the relationship between violence and psychosocial/work factors and analyze the levels of perceived unsafety. A cross-sectional study was conducted, via a structured self-administered questionnaire given to all the employees of a major hospital in Italy. Cronbach's alpha coefficient was used to assess the internal consistency of the questionnaire. A logistic regression model was used for data analysis. 903 questionnaires out of 1853 (48.7%) were correctly returned; 11.5% had experience of physical violence and 40.2% had been victims of verbal violence in the previous 12 months. The most common consequences were fear, anger, frustration, and anxiety. Verbal violence was influenced by age, role, department, night/holiday shift work and experience in the current ward. Experiences of physical violence were related to gender, role, and department; 469 responders (51.9%) reported feelings of unsafety, which were related to their professional role, department, shift work, experience of physical or psychological violence, having seen episodes of violence and having received specific training. Our findings suggest that several factors are associated with workplace violence in health care settings and some of these also influenced the levels of perceived unsafety.

  1. Job Satisfaction: Insights from Home Support Care Workers in Three Canadian Jurisdictions.

    PubMed

    Panagiotoglou, Dimitra; Fancey, Pamela; Keefe, Janice; Martin-Matthews, Anne

    2017-03-01

    This mixed-methods study identified the personal and workplace characteristics that drive the job satisfaction of home support workers (HSWs) providing assistance to elderly clients. Data were based on a standardized measure of job satisfaction, along with in-depth qualitative interviews with 176 home support workers from three Canadian provincial jurisdictions (British Columbia, n = 108; Ontario, n = 28; Nova Scotia, n = 40). We anticipated that variability in demographic profiles between the three groups of workers and different job descriptions would be associated with differences in perceived job satisfaction. This was not the case. Results from the qualitative analysis highlight key areas that contributed to job satisfaction. These are job (scheduling, travel, and safety), economic (income security), and organizational (communication, support, and respect) factors. Given these findings, we recommend improvements to workplace communication, increased travel time allowance between clients, and wage parity with equivalent positions in long-term care facilities.

  2. The role of autonomy and social support in the relation between psychosocial safety climate and stress in health care workers.

    PubMed

    Havermans, Bo M; Boot, Cécile R L; Houtman, Irene L D; Brouwers, Evelien P M; Anema, Johannes R; van der Beek, Allard J

    2017-06-08

    Health care workers are exposed to psychosocial work factors. Autonomy and social support are psychosocial work factors that are related to stress, and are argued to largely result from the psychosocial safety climate within organisations. This study aimed to assess to what extent the relation between psychosocial safety climate and stress in health care workers can be explained by autonomy and social support. In a cross-sectional study, psychosocial safety climate, stress, autonomy, co-worker support, and supervisor support were assessed using questionnaires, in a sample of health care workers (N = 277). Linear mixed models analyses were performed to assess to what extent social support and autonomy explained the relation between psychosocial safety climate and stress. A lower psychosocial safety climate score was associated with significantly higher stress (B = -0.21, 95% CI = -0.27 - -0.14). Neither co-worker support, supervisor support, nor autonomy explained the relation between psychosocial safety climate and stress. Taken together, autonomy and both social support measures diminished the relation between psychosocial safety climate and stress by 12% (full model: B = -0.18, 95% CI = -0.25 - -0.11). Autonomy and social support together seemed to bring about a small decrease in the relation between psychosocial safety climate and stress in health care workers. Future research should discern whether other psychosocial work factors explain a larger portion of this relation. This study was registered in the Netherlands National Trial Register, trial code: NTR5527 .

  3. Motivational interviewing by peer outreach workers: a pilot randomized clinical trial to retain adolescents and young adults in HIV care.

    PubMed

    Naar-King, Sylvie; Outlaw, Angulique; Green-Jones, Monique; Wright, Kathryn; Parsons, Jeffrey T

    2009-07-01

    Youth living with HIV (YLH) are at particularly high risk for poor retention in HIV primary care. This study utilized Motivational Interviewing (MI) to improve youth retention in primary care and compared the fidelity and outcomes of peer outreach workers (POW) to masters level staff (MLS). Eighty-seven YLH were randomized to receive two MI sessions from POW or MLS. YLH were aged 16-29 and 92% were African American. Thirty-seven audiotaped sessions were coded with the Motivational Interviewing Treatment Integrity (MITI) coding system. Retention in care was assessed by review of medical records. POW had higher fidelity on two MITI scales, and did not differ from MLS on remaining three scales. While both groups improved the regularity of primary care appointments, the effect size for POW on retention in care and intervention dose was larger than that of MLS. The results suggest that POW can provide MI with quality comparable to MLS with adequate training and supervision. MI provided by POW to improve retention in health care services may increase the cost-effectiveness of evidence-based practices in urban settings.

  4. Tuberculosis infection control practices and associated factors among health care workers in health centers of West Gojjam zone, Northwest Ethiopia: a cross-sectional study.

    PubMed

    Tamir, Kassahun; Wasie, Belaynew; Azage, Muluken

    2016-08-08

    Tuberculosis (TB) remains a major global health problem. The emerging epidemic of multi- and extensively drug-resistant (M/XDR) TB further imperils health workers, patients and public health. Health facilities with inadequate infection control are risky environments for the emergence and transmission of TB. There was no study that presented data on infection control practices of health care workers. This study aimed to assess tuberculosis infection control practices and associated factors among health care workers in West Gojjam Zone, Northwest Ethiopia. Institution based quantitative cross-sectional study triangulated with qualitative observation and key informant interview was conducted. Six hundred sixty two health care workers were selected by multistage random sampling method. Self-administered structured questionnaire was used to collect quantitative data. Observation checklists and key informant interview guides were used to collect qualitative data. Quantitative data were entered in to Epi Info version 3.5.3 and analyzed using SPSS version 20. Odds ratio with 95 % confidence interval was used to identify factors associated with TB infection control practice of health care workers. Qualitative data were translated, transcribed, analyzed and triangulated with the quantitative findings. The proportion of proper TB infection control (TBIC) practices was 38 %. Qualitative data showed that administrative, environmental and personal respiratory protection control measures were not practiced well. Knowledge on the presence of TBIC plan [AOR = 4.25, 95 % CI: 2.46 - 7.35], knowledge on the presence of national guideline [AOR = 8.95, 95 % CI: 4.35 - 18.40] and working department of the health care workers were independent predictors of TBIC practices. The proportion of proper TBIC practices of health care workers was low. TBIC practices were determined by knowing the presence of TBIC plan and national guideline and working department. Hence, supportive

  5. Bridging education and training in ageing and disability: the European Care Certificate (ECC)

    PubMed Central

    Churchill, James; Gyorki, Eva

    2009-01-01

    Introduction There has been significant movement of workers between EU countries seeking work in the social care sector, causing problems for workers and employers who cannot easily evaluate the worth of qualifications gained abroad. The European Care Certificate (ECC) helps workers start work in the social care sector by defining basic knowledge and offering recognition for their learning. Development of product A LEONARDO project involving six countries (BE, UK, AT, DE, RO, PO) established a set of learning outcomes—the BESCLO (Basic European Social Care Learning Outcomes) covering eight key areas of knowledge (not competence). Existing awards and courses become ‘ECC compliant’ by demonstrating coverage of all the BESCLO. Students pass a multi-choice exam to gain the Certificate. There is a developing system of Lead and Delivery Partners spreading the ECC across Europe. Conclusion The BESCLO covers essential knowledge with a common set of values in social care. The ECC fits within existing training courses, is cheap and easy to operate, is at entry level, covers all client groups, can be made available in any language and is equally useful in recruitment, workplace induction training, or more formal college/university courses as an early achievement marker. Website: http://www.eclicence.eu

  6. Emerging ICT implementation issues in aged care.

    PubMed

    Kapadia, Vasvi; Ariani, Arni; Li, Junhua; Ray, Pradeep K

    2015-11-01

    Demand for aged care services continues to soar as a result of an aging population. This increasing demand requires more residential aged care facilities and healthcare workforce. One recommended solution is to keep older people in their homes longer and support their independent life through the use of information and communication technologies (ICT). However, the aged care sector is still in the early stages of adopting ICT. The aim of this study was to identify the key issues that affect the adoption of ICT in the aged care sector. A systematic literature review was undertaken and involved four steps. The first two steps aimed to identify and select relevant articles. Data was then extracted from the selected articles and identified issues were analyzed and grouped into three major categories. ICT adoption issues were categorized into different perspectives, representing older people, health professionals and management. Our findings showed that all three groups were mostly concerned with issues around behavior, cost and lack of technical skills. Findings reported in this study will help decision makers at aged care settings to systematically understand issues related to ICT adoption and thus proactively introduce interventions to improve use of ICT in this sector. On the basis of our findings, we suggest future research focus on the examination of aged care workflow and assessment of return on ICT investment. Copyright © 2015. Published by Elsevier Ireland Ltd.

  7. Primary care clinician expectations regarding aging.

    PubMed

    Davis, Melinda M; Bond, Lynne A; Howard, Alan; Sarkisian, Catherine A

    2011-12-01

    Expectations regarding aging (ERA) in community-dwelling older adults are associated with personal health behaviors and health resource usage. Clinicians' age expectations likely influence patients' expectations and care delivery patterns; yet, limited research has explored clinicians' age expectations. The Expectations Regarding Aging Survey (ERA-12) was used to assess (a) age expectations in a sample of primary care clinicians practicing in the United States and (b) clinician characteristics associated with ERA-12 scores.  This study was a cross-sectional survey of primary care clinicians affiliated with 5 practice-based research networks, October 2008 to June 2009. A total of 374 of the 1,510 distributed surveys were returned (24.8% response rate); 357 analyzed. Mean respondent age was 48.6 years (SD = 11.6; range 23-87 years); 88.0% physicians, 96.0% family medicine, 94.9% White, and 61.9% male. Female clinicians reported higher ERA-12 scores; clinicians' age expectations decreased with greater years in practice. Among the clinicians, higher ERA-12 scores were associated with higher clinician ratings of the importance of and personal skill in administering preventive counseling and the importance of delivering preventive services. Agreement with individual ERA-12 items varied widely. Unrealistically high or low ERA could negatively influence the quality of care provided to patients and patients' own age expectations. Research should examine the etiology of clinicians' age expectations and their association with older adult diagnoses and treatment. Medical education must incorporate strategies to promote clinician attitudes that facilitate successful patient aging.

  8. Crossing the border for health care: access and primary care characteristics for young children of Latino farm workers along the US-Mexico border.

    PubMed

    Seid, Michael; Castañeda, Donna; Mize, Ronald; Zivkovic, Mirjana; Varni, James W

    2003-01-01

    To examine prevalence and correlates of cross-border health care for children of Latino farm workers in counties near the US-Mexico border and to compare access and primary care in the United States and Mexico. Two hundred ninety-seven parents at Head Start centers in San Diego and Imperial counties were surveyed regarding percentage of health care received in Mexico and the United States, access, and primary care characteristics. More than half of all health care was reported as received in Mexico. Reasons for Mexican use revolved around cost, accessibility, and perceptions of effectiveness. Parents of insured children reported slightly more US care, yet even this group reported approximately half of health care in Mexico. Insurance status was related to having a regular source of care, while uninsured children reporting most care in Mexico were less likely than uninsured children in the United States to have had a routine health care visit. Primary care characteristics were related to insurance status and source of care. Uninsured children reporting most care in Mexico fared better in some aspects of primary care than uninsured children reporting most care in the United States and as well as children with insurance receiving care in the United States or Mexico. Children of farm workers living along the US-Mexico border, almost irrespective of insurance status, receive a large proportion of care in Mexico. Especially for uninsured children, parent reports of Mexican care characteristics compare favorably with that received in the United States. Mexican health care might be a buffer against vulnerability to poor health outcomes for these children.

  9. Methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) colonization among Intensive Care Unit (ICU) patients and health care workers at Muhimbili national hospital, Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania, 2012.

    PubMed

    Geofrey, Alfred; Abade, Ahmed; Aboud, Said

    2015-01-01

    Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) has been recognized as important nosocomial pathogens worldwide. S aureus may induce clinically manifested diseases, or the host may remain completely asymptomatic. A cross-sectional hospital-based study was conducted from October 2012 to March 2013 in two ICUs at MNH. Admitted patients and health care workers were enrolled in the study. Interviewer administered questionnaires; patient history forms, observation charts and case report forms were used to collect data. Swabs (nostrils, axillary or wounds) were collected. MRSA were screened and confirmed using cefoxitin, oxacillin discs and oxacillin screen agar. Antibiotic susceptibility was performed using Kirby-Bauer disk diffusion method. The risk factors for MRSA were determined using the logistic regression analysis and a p - value of <0.05 was considered as statistically significant. Of the 169 patients and 47 health workers who were recruited, the mean age was 43.4 years ± SD 15.3 and 37.7 years ± (SD) 11.44 respectively. Among the patients male contributed 108 (63.9%) while in health worker majority 39(83%) were females. The prevalence of MRSA colonization among patients and health care workers was 11.83% and 2.1% respectively. All (21) MRSA isolates were highly resistant to penicillin and erythromycin, and 17 (85.7%) were highly sensitive to vancomycin. Being male (AOR 6.74, 95% CI 1.31-34.76), history of sickness in past year (AOR 4.89, 95% CI 1.82- 13.12), being sick for more 3 times (AOR 8.91, 95% CI 2.32-34.20), being diabetic (AOR 4.87, 95% CI 1.55-15.36) and illicit drug use (AOR 10.18, 95%CI 1.36-76.52) were found to be independently associated with MRSA colonization. A study identified a high prevalence of MRSA colonization among patients admitted in the ICU. MRSA isolates were highly resistant to penicillin and erythromycin. History of illegal drug use was highly associated with MRSA colonization.

  10. Intrinsic worker mortality depends on behavioral caste and the queens' presence in a social insect

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kohlmeier, Philip; Negroni, Matteo Antoine; Kever, Marion; Emmling, Stefanie; Stypa, Heike; Feldmeyer, Barbara; Foitzik, Susanne

    2017-04-01

    According to the classic life history theory, selection for longevity depends on age-dependant extrinsic mortality and fecundity. In social insects, the common life history trade-off between fecundity and longevity appears to be reversed, as the most fecund individual, the queen, often exceeds workers in lifespan several fold. But does fecundity directly affect intrinsic mortality also in social insect workers? And what is the effect of task on worker mortality? Here, we studied how social environment and behavioral caste affect intrinsic mortality of ant workers. We compared worker survival between queenless and queenright Temnothorax longispinosus nests and demonstrate that workers survive longer under the queens' absence. Temnothorax ant workers fight over reproduction when the queen is absent and dominant workers lay eggs. Worker fertility might therefore increase lifespan, possibly due to a positive physiological link between fecundity and longevity, or better care for fertile workers. In social insects, division of labor among workers is age-dependant with young workers caring for the brood and old ones going out to forage. We therefore expected nurses to survive longer than foragers, which is what we found. Surprisingly, inactive inside workers showed a lower survival than nurses but comparable to that of foragers. The reduced longevity of inactive workers could be due to them being older than the nurses, or due to a positive effect of activity on lifespan. Overall, our study points to behavioral caste-dependent intrinsic mortality rates and a positive association between fertility and longevity not only in queens but also in ant workers.

  11. Communication Skills for OMRDD Direct Care Workers Distance Learning Program. Video Guide.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Denny, Verna Haskins

    Adapted from a larger distance learning program, this video guide is designed for use by students who feel most comfortable working within the video modality. It contains self-study exercises for development of job-related reading, writing, problem-solving, and reasoning skills required of direct care workers. This independent, self-paced course…

  12. Work Stress, Burnout, and Social and Personal Resources among Direct Care Workers

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Gray-Stanley, Jennifer A.; Muramatsu, Naoko

    2011-01-01

    Work stress is endemic among direct care workers (DCWs) who serve people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Social resources, such as work social support, and personal resources, such as an internal locus of control, may help DCWs perceive work overload and other work-related stressors as less threatening and galvanize them to cope…

  13. Should professionals caring for children be vaccinated? Community perspectives on health care and child care worker immunisation.

    PubMed

    Tuckerman, Jane; Thomas, Natalie; Marshall, Helen S

    2016-03-29

    Several immunisations including influenza and pertussis are specifically recommended for healthcare workers (HCW) and childcare workers (CCW). This study aimed to assess community attitudes to HCW and CCW immunisation recommendations for pertussis and seasonal influenza. A cross-sectional study was conducted by Computer Assisted Telephone Interviewing (CATI) from April to May 2011. Statistical analyses used data weighted to the South Australian population by probability of selection, age, gender and geographical location using benchmarks derived from the 2009 Census population figures. Almost all respondents supported vaccination of HCWs and CCWs against pertussis and influenza. For pertussis, 95.3% agreed nurses, 94.9% agreed doctors and 94.7% agreed CCWs have an obligation to be vaccinated. For influenza, 91.4% agreed nurses, 90.7% agreed doctors and 89.9% agreed CCWs have an obligation to be vaccinated. We identified higher support for protection against pertussis compared to influenza for all three groups of workers (p<0.001). There were higher concerns if CCWs compared to HCWs were not vaccinated against pertussis (OR=2.78) and influenza (OR=1.99). Young (18-30 years) and older age (60+ years) and lower educational attainment were predictors of support for HCWs and CCWs to be vaccinated against influenza. For pertussis, lower educational attainment was a predictor of support for HCWs immunisation. Community support for CCW and HCW immunisation is strong with CCW immunisation was considered a priority. Pertussis immunisation was considered a higher priority than influenza immunisation for HCWs and CCWs. CCW immunisation should be considered for inclusion in public health immunisation programmes. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  14. Burnout and Engagement: Relative Importance of Predictors and Outcomes in Two Health Care Worker Samples.

    PubMed

    Fragoso, Zachary L; Holcombe, Kyla J; McCluney, Courtney L; Fisher, Gwenith G; McGonagle, Alyssa K; Friebe, Susan J

    2016-06-09

    This study's purpose was twofold: first, to examine the relative importance of job demands and resources as predictors of burnout and engagement, and second, the relative importance of engagement and burnout related to health, depressive symptoms, work ability, organizational commitment, and turnover intentions in two samples of health care workers. Nurse leaders (n = 162) and licensed emergency medical technicians (EMTs; n = 102) completed surveys. In both samples, job demands predicted burnout more strongly than job resources, and job resources predicted engagement more strongly than job demands. Engagement held more weight than burnout for predicting commitment, and burnout held more weight for predicting health outcomes, depressive symptoms, and work ability. Results have implications for the design, evaluation, and effectiveness of workplace interventions to reduce burnout and improve engagement among health care workers. Actionable recommendations for increasing engagement and decreasing burnout in health care organizations are provided. © 2016 The Author(s).

  15. Effect of transfer, lifting, and repositioning (TLR) injury prevention program on musculoskeletal injury among direct care workers.

    PubMed

    Black, Timothy R; Shah, Syed M; Busch, Angela J; Metcalfe, Judy; Lim, Hyun J

    2011-04-01

    Musculoskeletal injuries among health care workers is very high, particularly so in direct care workers involved in patient handling. Efforts to reduce injuries have shown mixed results, and strong evidence for intervention effectiveness is lacking. The purpose of our study was to evaluate the effectiveness of a Transfer, Lifting and Repositioning (TLR) program to reduce musculoskeletal injuries (MSI) among direct health care workers. This study was a pre- and post-intervention design, utilizing a nonrandomized control group. Data were collected from the intervention group (3 hospitals; 411 injury cases) and the control group (3 hospitals; 355 injury cases) for periods 1 year pre- and post-intervention. Poisson regression analyses were performed. Of a total 766 TLR injury cases, the majority of injured workers were nurses, mainly with back, neck, and shoulder body parts injured. Analysis of all injuries and time-loss rates (number of injuries/100 full-time employees), rate ratios, and rate differences showed significant differences between the intervention and control groups. All-injuries rates for the intervention group dropped from 14.7 pre-intervention to 8.1 post-intervention. The control group dropped from 9.3 to 8.4. Time-loss injury rates decreased from 5.3 to 2.5 in the intervention group and increased in the control group (5.9 to 6.5). Controlling for group and hospital size, the relative rate of all-injuries and time-loss injuries for the pre- to post-period decreased by 30% (RR = 0.693; 95% CI = 0.60-0.80) and 18.6% (RR = 0.814; 95% CI = 0.677-0.955), respectively. The study provides evidence for the effectiveness of a multifactor TLR program for direct care health workers, especially in small hospitals.

  16. Improving occupational health care for construction workers: a process evaluation

    PubMed Central

    2013-01-01

    Background To evaluate the process of a job-specific workers’ health surveillance (WHS) in improving occupational health care for construction workers. Methods From January to July 2012 were 899 bricklayers and supervisors invited for the job-specific WHS at three locations of one occupational health service throughout the Netherlands. The intervention aimed at detecting signs of work-related health problems, reduced work capacity and/or reduced work functioning. Measurements were obtained using a recruitment record and questionnaires at baseline and follow-up. The process evaluation included the following: reach (attendance rate), intervention dose delivered (provision of written recommendations and follow-up appointments), intervention dose received (intention to follow-up on advice directly after WHS and remembrance of advice three months later), and fidelity (protocol adherence). The workers scored their increase in knowledge from 0–10 with regard to health status and work ability, their satisfaction with the intervention and the perceived (future) effect of such an intervention. Program implementation was defined as the mean score of reach, fidelity, and intervention dose delivered and received. Results Reach was 9% (77 workers participated), fidelity was 67%, the intervention dose delivered was 92 and 63%, and the intervention dose received was 68 and 49%. The total programme implementation was 58%. The increases in knowledge regarding the health status and work ability of the workers after the WHS were graded as 7.0 and 5.9, respectively. The satisfaction of the workers with the entire intervention was graded as 7.5. The perceived (future) effects on health status were graded as 6.3, and the effects on work ability were graded with a 5.2. The economic recession affected the workers as well as the occupational health service that enacted the implementation. Conclusions Programme implementation was acceptable. Low reach, limited protocol adherence and

  17. Stress and Burnout in Health-Care Workers after the 2009 L’Aquila Earthquake: A Cross-Sectional Observational Study

    PubMed Central

    Mattei, Antonella; Fiasca, Fabiana; Mazzei, Mariachiara; Necozione, Stefano; Bianchini, Valeria

    2017-01-01

    Burnout is a work-related mental health impairment, which is now recognized as a real problem in the context of the helping professions due to its adverse health outcomes on efficiency. To our knowledge, the literature on the postdisaster scenario in Italy is limited by a focus on mental health professionals rather than other health-care workers. Our cross-sectional study aims to evaluate the prevalence of burnout and psychopathological distress in different categories of health-care workers, i.e., physicians, nurses, and health-care assistants, working in different departments of L’Aquila St. Salvatore General Hospital 6 years after the 2009 earthquake in order to prevent and reduce work-related burnout. With a two-stage cluster sampling, a total of 8 departments out of a total of 28 departments were selected and the total sample included 300 health-care workers. All the participants completed the following self-reporting questionnaires: a sociodemographic data form, a Maslach Burnout Inventory and a General Health Questionnaire 12 Items (GHQ-12). Statistically significant differences emerged between the total scores of the GHQ-12: post hoc analysis showed that the total average scores of the GHQ-12 were significantly higher in doctors than in health-care assistants. A high prevalence of burnout among doctors (25.97%) emerged. Using multivariate analysis, we identified a hostile relationship with colleagues, direct exposure to the L’Aquila earthquake and moderate to high levels of distress as being burnout predictors. Investigating the prevalence of burnout and distress in health-care staff in a postdisaster setting and identifying predictors of burnout development such as stress levels, time-management skills and work-life balance will contribute to the development of preventative strategies and better organization at work with a view to improving public health efficacy and reducing public health costs, given that these workers live in the disaster

  18. Stress and Burnout in Health-Care Workers after the 2009 L'Aquila Earthquake: A Cross-Sectional Observational Study.

    PubMed

    Mattei, Antonella; Fiasca, Fabiana; Mazzei, Mariachiara; Necozione, Stefano; Bianchini, Valeria

    2017-01-01

    Burnout is a work-related mental health impairment, which is now recognized as a real problem in the context of the helping professions due to its adverse health outcomes on efficiency. To our knowledge, the literature on the postdisaster scenario in Italy is limited by a focus on mental health professionals rather than other health-care workers. Our cross-sectional study aims to evaluate the prevalence of burnout and psychopathological distress in different categories of health-care workers, i.e., physicians, nurses, and health-care assistants, working in different departments of L'Aquila St. Salvatore General Hospital 6 years after the 2009 earthquake in order to prevent and reduce work-related burnout. With a two-stage cluster sampling, a total of 8 departments out of a total of 28 departments were selected and the total sample included 300 health-care workers. All the participants completed the following self-reporting questionnaires: a sociodemographic data form, a Maslach Burnout Inventory and a General Health Questionnaire 12 Items (GHQ-12). Statistically significant differences emerged between the total scores of the GHQ-12: post hoc analysis showed that the total average scores of the GHQ-12 were significantly higher in doctors than in health-care assistants. A high prevalence of burnout among doctors (25.97%) emerged. Using multivariate analysis, we identified a hostile relationship with colleagues, direct exposure to the L'Aquila earthquake and moderate to high levels of distress as being burnout predictors. Investigating the prevalence of burnout and distress in health-care staff in a postdisaster setting and identifying predictors of burnout development such as stress levels, time-management skills and work-life balance will contribute to the development of preventative strategies and better organization at work with a view to improving public health efficacy and reducing public health costs, given that these workers live in the disaster

  19. Age influence on attitudes of office workers faced with new computerized technologies: a questionnaire analysis.

    PubMed

    Marquié, J C; Thon, B; Baracat, B

    1994-06-01

    The study of Bue and Gollac (1988) provided evidence that a significantly lower proportion of workers aged 45 years and over make use of computer technology compared with younger ones. The aim of the present survey was to explain this fact by a more intensive analysis of the older workers' attitude with respect to the computerization of work situations in relation to other individual and organizational factors. Six hundred and twenty office workers from 18 to 70 years old, either users or non-users of computerized devices, were asked to complete a questionnaire. The questions allowed the assessment of various aspects of the workers' current situation, such as the computer training they had received, the degree of consultation they were subjected to during the computerization process, their representation of the effects of these new technologies on working conditions and employment, the rate of use of new technologies outside the work context, and the perceived usefulness of computers for their own work. The analysis of the questionnaire revealed that as long as the step towards using computer tools, even minimally, has not been taken, then attitudes with respect to computerization are on the whole not very positive and are a source of anxiety for many workers. Age, and even more, seniority in the department, increase such negative representations. The effects of age and seniority were also found among users, as well as the effects of other factors such as qualification, education level, type and rate of computer use, and size of the firm. For the older workers, the expectation of less positive consequences for their career, or even the fear that computerization might be accompanied by threats to their own employment and the less clear knowledge of how computers operate, appeared to account for a significant part of the observed age and seniority differences in attitudes. Although the difference in the amount of computer training between age groups was smaller than

  20. Mindfulness-based interventions with social workers and the potential for enhanced patient-centered care: A systematic review of the literature.

    PubMed

    Trowbridge, Kelly; Mische Lawson, Lisa

    2016-01-01

    The use of mindfulness-based interventions (MBIs) is well documented in the mental health, medical, and education literature. There is minimal research on the use of mindfulness with social workers. As demonstrated in other professional and helping fields, mindfulness may enhance clinical skills, reduce burnout, and increase job satisfaction among social workers. In the health care field mindfulness appears integral to patient and family relationships and personal resilience. The evolving and expanding role of hospital social workers may lead to increased work stress and greater demands from both the medical system and patients and families. Research with medical providers, such as physicians and nurses, suggests mindfulness may help in reducing stress, enhancing relationships, and fostering the self-reflection required to provide patient-centered care. We systematically reviewed the existing literature to begin understanding both mindfulness qualities and practices and the effectiveness of MBIs among social workers as well as the relationship of mindfulness to patient-centered care.