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Boitet LM, Meese KA, Colón-López A, Sweeney KL, Rogers DA. Feeling safe versus being safe: Perceptions of safety versus actual disease exposure across the entire health care team. J Healthc Risk Manag 2023; 43:10-18. [PMID: 37208959 DOI: 10.1002/jhrm.21542] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/14/2023] [Accepted: 04/14/2023] [Indexed: 05/21/2023]
Abstract
As supply chains experienced disruptions early in the COVID-19 pandemic, personal protective equipment (PPE) quickly became scarce. The purpose of this study was to examine the impact of perceptions of inadequate PPE, fear of COVID-19 infection, and self-reported direct COVID-19 exposure on health care workers. Data to assess distress, resilience, social-ecological factors, and work and nonwork-related stressors were collected from June to July 2020 at a large medical center. Stressors were analyzed by role using descriptive statistics and multivariate regression analysis. Our data indicate that job role influenced fear of infection and perceptions of inadequate PPE in the early phase of the COVID-19 pandemic. Perceived organizational support was also related to perceptions of inadequate PPE supply. Interestingly, work location, rather than job role, was predictive of direct COVID-19 exposure. Our data highlight a disconnect between the perception of safety in the health care setting with real risk of exposure to infectious disease. This study suggests that leaders in health care should focus on cultivating supportive organizational cultures, assessing both perceived and actual safety, and provide adequate training in safety practices may improve preparedness and organizational trust during times of both certainty and crisis particularly for clinical workers with less education and training.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laurence M Boitet
- Department of Health Services Administration, UAB Medicine Office of Wellness, University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB), Birmingham, Alabama, USA
- Department of Health Services Administration and Director of Wellness Research, University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB), UAB Medicine Office of Wellness, UAB, Birmingham, Alabama, USA
| | - Katherine A Meese
- Department of Health Services Administration, UAB Medicine Office of Wellness, University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB), Birmingham, Alabama, USA
- Department of Health Services Administration and Director of Wellness Research, University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB), UAB Medicine Office of Wellness, UAB, Birmingham, Alabama, USA
| | - Alejandra Colón-López
- Department of Medical Education, University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB), Birmingham, Alabama, USA
| | - Katherine L Sweeney
- Department of Health Services Administration and Director of Wellness Research, University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB), UAB Medicine Office of Wellness, UAB, Birmingham, Alabama, USA
- Department of Sociology, University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB), Birmingham, Alabama, USA
| | - David A Rogers
- Department of Health Services Administration and Director of Wellness Research, University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB), UAB Medicine Office of Wellness, UAB, Birmingham, Alabama, USA
- Department of Surgery and Chief Wellness Officer, UAB Medicine Office of Wellness, University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB), Birmingham, Alabama, USA
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An Exploratory, Qualitative Study of How Organizations Implement the Hierarchy of Controls Applied to Total Worker Health®. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2021; 18:ijerph181910032. [PMID: 34639334 PMCID: PMC8508424 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph181910032] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/23/2021] [Revised: 09/17/2021] [Accepted: 09/18/2021] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
Understanding of how Total Worker Health® (TWH) guidelines are implemented in employment organizations in the USA is not well understood. The purpose of this study is to explore how the principles of the Hierarchy of Controls Applied to NIOSH Total Worker Health (TWH HoC), have been implemented among organizations featured as Promising Practices for TWH between 2012–2019, with special focus on the work-related issues of fatigue, stress, sedentary work, and tobacco control. We also sought to identify benefits, obstacles, and lessons learned in the implementation of the TWH HoC. Eighteen organizations were identified to be included in the study. Using a qualitative cross-sectional design and purposive sampling, seven in-depth interviews were conducted with thirteen key informants. The Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research was used to guide the thematic analysis and interpretation of qualitative data. Four themes identified include recognition of the TWH approach and TWH HoC, implementation of the TWH HoC, barriers and facilitators in addressing specific work-related issues, and implementation climate primes benefits, obstacles, and lessons learned. The inner setting (i.e., culture, implementation climate, readiness for implementation) of organizations was a prominent determinant of the implementation of integrated worker safety, health, and well-being interventions.
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Reddy KP, Schult TM, Whitehead AM, Bokhour BG. Veterans Health Administration's Whole Health System of Care: Supporting the Health, Well-Being, and Resiliency of Employees. Glob Adv Health Med 2021; 10:21649561211022698. [PMID: 34104580 PMCID: PMC8168167 DOI: 10.1177/21649561211022698] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/05/2020] [Revised: 05/11/2021] [Accepted: 05/16/2021] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
The Veterans Health Administration (VHA) is implementing a Whole Health System (WHS) of care that empowers and equips Veterans to take charge of their health and well-being and live their lives to the fullest, and increasingly leaders recognize the need and value in implementing a similar approach to support the health and well-being of employees. The purpose of this paper is to do the following: 1) provide an overview of the WHS of care in VHA and applicability in addressing employee resiliency; 2) provide a brief history of employee well-being efforts in VHA to date; 3) share new priorities from VHA leadership as they relate to Employee Whole Health strategy and implementation; and 4) provide a summary of the impacts of WHS of care delivery on employees. The WHS of care utilizes all therapeutic, evidence-based approaches to support self-care goals and personal health planning. Extending these approaches to employees builds upon 10 years of foundational work supporting employee health and well-being in VHA. In 2017, one facility in each of the 18 Veterans Integrated Service Networks (VISNs) in VHA was selected to participate in piloting the WHS of care with subsequent evaluation by VA's Center for Evaluating Patient-Centered Care (EPCC). Early outcomes, from an employee perspective, suggest involvement in the delivery of the WHS of care and personal use of the whole health approach have a meaningful impact on the well-being of employees and how they experience the workplace. During the COVID-19 pandemic, VHA has continued to support employees through virtual resources to support well-being and resiliency. VHA's shift to this patient-centered model is supporting not only Veteran care but also employee health and well-being at a time when increased support is needed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kavitha P Reddy
- Office of Patient-Centered Care & Cultural Transformation, Veterans Health Administration, Washington, District of Columbia.,Emergency Medicine Physician, VA St. Louis Healthcare System, Washington, District of Columbia.,Department of Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine, Washington, District of Columbia
| | - Tamara M Schult
- Office of Patient-Centered Care & Cultural Transformation, Veterans Health Administration, Washington, District of Columbia.,Division of Environmental Health Sciences, University of Minnesota School of Public Health, Minneapolis, Minnesota
| | - Alison M Whitehead
- Office of Patient-Centered Care & Cultural Transformation, Veterans Health Administration, Washington, District of Columbia.,New York Harbor Healthcare System, New York, New York
| | - Barbara G Bokhour
- Department of Population and Quantitative Health Sciences, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, Massachusetts
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