Health Surveillance for Health Care Workers: A Vital Role for the Occupational and Environmental Health Nurse

Details

• Personal Author:
  Stone DS
• Description:
  Keeping health care workers healthy can be a challenge for the occupational and environmental health nurse. The health care work force (e.g., physicians, nurses, emergency medical personnel, dental professionals and students, medical and nursing students, laboratory technicians, hospital volunteers, administrative staff) (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [CDC], 1997) is composed of more than 9 million workers (Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, 1997) from all socioeconomic and education levels, with variable English language skills (Salazar, 1997). As technology improves and the life span extends, the trend in delivery of health care services is shifting from hospitals to community clinics, provider offices, and home and residential care facilities (Salazar, 1997). The complexity of a rapidly growing diverse work force in a variety of health care settings underscores the need for a dynamic health surveillance program. However, historically several reasons have been cited in the literature for not providing health surveillance for health care workers (McDiarmid, 1996; National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health [NIOSH), 1998): Safety and health policies in hospitals were developed mainly for clients, not workers.; Hospitals and health institutions were considered safer than other work environments, especially in comparison to industrial settings.; Hospital workers have been viewed as health professionals with a greater awareness of hazards and a capability of maintaining their own health without assistance.; The availability of informal consultations with hospital physicians reduces the use of employee health services.; Hospitals are oriented toward disease management rather than health maintenance.; Exposure to infectious clients or other hazards is "part of the job" in health care. Thus, prevention strategies, safe work practices, and health and safety programs do not belong in hospitals. Despite these reasons or perhaps because of them, when compared to the total work force, health care workers have a greater percentage of workers' compensation claims for sprains and strains, infectious and parasitic diseases, dermatitis, hepatitis, mental disorders, eye diseases, influenza, and toxic hepatitis (NIOSH, 1998). Potential also exists for exposure to toxic substances, radiation, and the less obvious hazards resulting from shift work and stress (NIOSH, 1998). By keeping accurate records of illness and injury data, the nurse in the workplace may track trends that identify a need for surveillance programs. Because of this recording and reporting, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) recognized the need for health surveillance of health care workers and established regulations affecting hospitals and health care facilities (Rogers, 1994). A successful health surveillance program is composed of three primary activities (American College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine [ACOEM), 1997): Collection of specific exposure data.; Familiarity with routes of exposure and toxic doses.; Selection and application of appropriate medical examinations. This article addresses the most current and important health surveillance issues for general health care workers. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Health Personnel Health Promotion Occupational Health Safety
• Keywords:
  Health Care Workers Health Programs Medical Personnel Occupational Health Nursing Surveillance Programs
• ISSN:
  0891-0162
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Grant
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  California ; OSHA Region 9
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  73-79
• Volume:
  48
• Issue:
  2
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20058003
• Citation:
  AAOHN J 2000 Feb; 48(2):73-79
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2000
• Performing Organization:
  University of California, School of Public Health, Los Angeles, CA
• Peer Reviewed:
  True
• Start Date:
  19990701
• Source Full Name:
  AAOHN Journal - American Association of Occupational Health Nurses Journal
• End Date:
  20040630
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:e7d2556071a4f176d68c982d9b3a6a1b9a90a1e2e3c864759837fc387a4f062478bb1c30fa83c9ec90832dd6bd7bf44b0624959402ce5ec6fd43ede3a0be29f9
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/215196/cdc_215196_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 1.46 MB ]