Occupational Health Hazards for Health care Workers Annajah National University Motasm Z. Dwaikat.
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Transcript of Occupational Health Hazards for Health care Workers Annajah National University Motasm Z. Dwaikat.
Occupational Health Hazards for Health care Workers
Annajah National University
Motasm Z. Dwaikat
Health workers are "all people engaged in actions whose primary intent is to enhance health" (WHO) .
A health care facility is a workplace as well as a place for receiving and giving care.
Health care facilities around the world employ over 59 million workers .
The health care industry includes : Hospitals . Nursing and residential care facilities . Offices of physicians, dentists, and other
health care practitioners Home health care services . Outpatient care centers and other
ambulatory health care services . Medical and diagnostic laboratories .
physicians and surgeons
dentists registered nurses licensed practical
and licensed vocational nurses
social workers physical therapists psychiatrists Psychologists Radiologists Chiropractor
The occupations within this field are many and varied, including :
pharmacists optometrists podiatrists clinical laboratory and diagnostic-related
technologists and technicians emergency medical technicians and
paramedics ambulance drivers nursing aides home health aides occupational therapists medical assistants personal and home care aides medical transcriptionists
Physical Hazards : noise, radiation . Chemical Hazards : glutaraldehyde . Biological Hazards : TB, Hepatitis, HIV. psychosocial hazards : violence and
stress . ergonomic hazards : heavy lifting .
- Health Care Workers (HCW) face a very wide range of occupational hazards including :
musculoskeletal injury noise
Physical Hazards
For example, a 2006 report issued by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics revealed that from 1995-2004, musculoskeletal injuries were the most common type of non-fatal injury for nursing, psychiatric and home health aides.
Physical Hazards (Cont.)
respiratory irritants (X-ray films ), such as sulphur dioxide, glutaraldehyde, and acetic acid. Causing occupational asthma. Inadequately controlled glutaraldehyde exposure has been responsible for serious illnesses in some nurses.
Chemical Hazards
Other important sensitizers in the health care setting include latex. Latex protein can result in severe Type I sensitization, occupational asthma .
About 5.5 million U.S. health care workers are potentially exposed to hazardous drugs .
Chemical Hazards (Cont.)
Chemical Hazards (Cont.)
tuberculosis Hepatitis B , C . influenza, measles, mumps, rubella, and varicella. HIV.
Biological Hazards
Health care workers are at risk for occupational exposure to HIV.
The risk of health care workers getting HIV is very low .
The main risk - injuries from needles and other sharp instruments that may be contaminated with the virus.
Scientists estimate that the risk of infection from a needle stick is less than 1 % only .
Hepatitis B Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection is the major
infectious hazard for health-care personnel
Hepatitis C Testing for HCV only became available in
1990, so the extent of occupational and nosocomial transmissions of HCV prior to 1990 is unknown.
PCR testing .
Influenza During community influenza outbreaks,
admitting patients infected with influenza to hospitals has led to nosocomial transmission of the disease , including transmission from staff to patients .
Transmission of influenza among medical staff causes absenteeism and disruption of health care .
Stress• Life threatening illnesses and injuries• Malfunctioning equipment• Patient death• Demanding patients• Excessive paperwork
psychosocial hazards
Violence. Health care institutions need to be educated
that they have much to gain from efforts to reduce the current epidemic of violence in these settings .
psychosocial hazards (Cont.)
Faced with a rising toll of occupational-related death, injury and sickness, the World Health Organization (WHO) and the International labour Office (ILO) today mark the World Day for Safety and Health at Work by highlighting the need for a preventative safety culture worldwide .