Occupational Exposures in the Homecare Environment: Piloting an Observation Tool

Details

• Personal Author:
  Bien E ; Davis K ; Gillespie G ; Reutman S
• Description:
  Home healthcare workers (HHCWs) belong to one of the fastest growing industries and have an unpredictable work environment, potentiating their risk of exposures to occupational hazards. More patients seeking care for chronic health conditions, and improvements in technology and medical advancements are allowing more complex patient care to be provided at home. A comprehensive integrative review was completed, identifying nine articles that provide an overview of the occupational hazards HHCWs face. Analysis of the articles indicates occupational hazards are similar across studies. Occupational exposures reported by HHCWs align within all the studies and include exposures to blood, saliva, dangerous conditions walking to and within the home, secondhand smoke, aggressive pets, violence, and ergonomic concerns. These studies have been methodologically limited to self-reports, including surveys, interviews, and focus groups but include quantitative and qualitative data. Future research can further describe and identify specific occupational exposures and health hazards, subsequently leading to modifications to protect the health and safety of HHCWs, personal care workers, and the informal caregivers who provide care in the home. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Ergonomics Health Personnel Home Care Services Occupational Exposure Occupational Health Safety Workplace
• Keywords:
  Author Keywords: Home Healthcare; Hand Hygiene; Occupational Hazards; Ergonomics; Home Care Workers Home Health Care; Health Care Workers; Work Environment; Occupational Exposure; Occupational Hazards; Ergonomics; Cross Sectional Studies; Hand Washing;
• DOI:
  https://doi.org/10.1177/1084822320986917
• ISSN:
  1084-8223
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Grant
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  Ohio ; OSHA Region 5
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  162-170
• Volume:
  33
• Issue:
  3
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20064760
• Citation:
  Home Health Care Manag Pract 2021 Aug; 33(3):162-170
• Contact Point Address:
  Elizabeth Bien, Division of Biostatistics and Epidemiology, Cincinnati Children's Hospital and Medical Center, 3333 Burnett Avenue, MLC 5041, Cincinnati, OH 45229, USA
• Email:
  Elizabeth.bien@cchmc.org
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2021
• Performing Organization:
  University of Cincinnati
• Peer Reviewed:
  True
• Start Date:
  20050701
• Source Full Name:
  Home Health Care Management and Practice
• End Date:
  20260630
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:f2ecc33c932022d4199f575a3e8311ca51b05dee4be626e02d0b19ae91251ec6f750da28aef8e50f5d5fd5ce2b0530566df90cb3629038232cb1ea5c01e315fb
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/248941/cdc_248941_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 121.54 KB ]