Results of a pilot intervention to improve health and safety for health care workers

Details

• Personal Author:
  Caspi CE ; Dennerlein, Jack T. ; Hashimoto D ; Hopcia K ; Kenwood C ; Sorensen, Glorian ; Stoddard AM
• Description:
  OBJECTIVE: To test the feasibility of a multicomponent pilot intervention to improve worker safety and wellness in two Boston hospitals. METHODS: A 3-month intervention was conducted on seven hospital units. Pre- (374 workers) and postsurveys (303 workers) assessed changes in safety/ergonomic behaviors and practices, and social support. Wellness outcomes included self-reported pain/aching in specific body areas (musculoskeletal disorders or MSDs) and physical activity (PA). RESULTS: Pain was reported frequently (81%), and PA averaged 4 hours per week. There was a postintervention increase in safe patient handling (P < 0.0001), safety practices (P = 0.0004), ergonomics (P = 0.009), and supervisor support (P = 0.01), but no changes in MSDs or PA. CONCLUSIONS: Safe patient handling, ergonomics, and safety practices are good targets for worker safety and wellness interventions; longer intervention periods may reduce the risk of MSDs. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Aging Behavior Ergonomics Health Care Facilities Workforce And Services Health Personnel Men Musculoskeletal Diseases Musculoskeletal System Occupational Health Safety Safety Management Women Workplace

  More +
• Keywords:
  Age-groups Health-care-facilities Health-care-personnel Health-protection Humans Medical-personnel Musculoskeletal-system Musculoskeletal-system-disorders Nurses Physical-fitness Safety-measures Total-Worker-Health Work-environment

  More +
• ISSN:
  1076-2752
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Cooperative Agreement
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  Massachusetts ; OSHA Region 1
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Volume:
  55
• Issue:
  12
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20045038
• Citation:
  J Occup Environ Med 2013 Dec; 55(12):1449-1455
• Contact Point Address:
  Caitlin Eicher Caspi, ScD, Department of Family Medicine and Community Health, University of Minnesota, 717 Delaware St. SE, Minneapolis, MN 55414
• Email:
  cecaspi@umn.edu
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2014
• Performing Organization:
  Harvard University, Boston, Massachusetts
• Peer Reviewed:
  True
• Start Date:
  20070901
• Source Full Name:
  Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine
• End Date:
  20260831
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:4ff40dc6abb0315a7f3ab7dd66000503ac672d4423de99ad3b7fc90ffbe6efc2e26571e2ea4f5aca8668d2848afdc3f8c338665429ec84687ad8a83585ecfb3d
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/200583/cdc_200583_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 117.90 KB ]