A Mixed-Method Approach to Tailor the Implementation of a Participatory Total Worker Health® Program

Details

• Personal Author:
  Henning RA ; Kurowski A ; Morocho C ; Nobrega S ; Punnett, Laura ; Rice S ; Robertson MM
• Description:
  Purpose - Total Worker Health® (TWH) programs, which represent a holistic approach for advancing worker safety, health and well-being, require an employer to adapt programmatic coordination and employee involvement in program design and delivery. Organizational readiness for such measures requires competencies in leadership, communication, subject expertise and worker participation. In the absence of documented methods for TWH readiness assessment, the authors developed a process to prospectively identify implementation facilitators and barriers that may be used to strengthen organizational competencies and optimize the organizational "fit" in advance. Design/methodology/approach - The mixed-method baseline assessment instruments comprised an online organizational readiness survey and a key leader interview; these were administered with key organizational and labor leaders in five US healthcare facilities. Findings about organizational resources, skills available and potential implementation barriers were summarized in a stakeholder feedback report and used to strengthen readiness and tailor implementation to the organizational context. Findings - The research team was able to leverage organizational strengths such as leaders' commitment and willingness to address nontraditional safety topics to establish new worker-led design teams. Information about program barriers (staff time and communication) enabled the research team to respond with proactive tailoring strategies such as training on participant roles, extending team recruitment time and providing program communication tools and coaching. Originality/value - A new method has been developed for prospective organizational readiness assessment to implement a participatory TWH program. The authors illustrate its ability to identify relevant organizational features to guide institutional preparation and tailor program implementation. Description provided by NIOSH
• Subjects:
  • Health Promotion
  • Occupational Health
  • Safety
• Keywords:
  • Total Worker Health
  • TWH
  • Intervention
  • Health programs
  • Work organization
  • Worker safety
  • Health communications
  • Labor relations
  • Management personnel
  • Author Keywords: Total Worker Health
  More +
• ISSN:
  1753-8351
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Cooperative Agreement
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  Connecticut ; Massachusetts ; OSHA Region 1
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  409-425
• Volume:
  14
• Issue:
  4
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20066063
• Citation:
  Int J Workplace Health Manag 2021 Jul; 14(4):409-425
• Contact Point Address:
  Suzanne Nobrega, Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Massachusetts Lowell, Lowell, Massachusetts, USA
• Email:
  suzanne_nobrega@uml.edu
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2021
• Performing Organization:
  University of Massachusetts, Lowell
• Peer Reviewed:
  True
• Start Date:
  20060701
• Source Full Name:
  International Journal of Workplace Health Management
• End Date:
  20210831
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/209138/cdc_209138_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 741.13 KB]
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:b2f8e4e58e16155017ad55d30d7296093b720d420a0daea60ba1b1fa404f3e6c16cee47f28dfdb8263d6e46a0aeb1e7faa5c057b2f7e5a3e3a96dd32717d7f24