Occupational injuries among health care workers at a public hospital in Ghana

Identifying Work-Related Injuries Among Healthcare Workers in Makkah Hospitals, Saudi Arabia: A Cross-Sectional Study in 2024

Background Work-related injuries (WRIs) are a major occupational health issue among healthcare workers (HCWs) worldwide. HCWs face numerous daily hazards including needlestick injuries, chemical exposures, ergonomic strains, and psychological stressors crucial for their health and healthcare system functionality. In Makkah, Saudi Arabia, healthcare infrastructure advances raise concerns about work-related injuries among HCWs. This study in Makkah hospitals aims to identify, understand, and manage WRIs for improved occupational health guidelines and strategies. Methods This descriptive cross-sectional study on HCWs was conducted at Makkah hospitals using an electronic questionnaire that investigated the demographics, work-related injuries, and occupational hazards. The data collected from the retrieved questionnaires were analyzed using the IBM SPSS Statistics for Windows, Version 26.0 (Released 2019; IBM Corp., Armonk, New York, United States). Results Among 379 enrolled HCWs, 172 (49.3%) were physicians and 89 (19.8%) were nurses; 304 (80.2%) of the total participants knew about occupational safety. The total incidence of WRIs was 67.8%. WRIs were significantly associated with age (P˂0.001), gender (P=0.02), educational level (P˂0.001), profession (P˂0.001), working hours (P˂0.001), and shift time (P˂0.001). Conclusion WRIs were highly prevalent among HCWs with varying rates based on the type of injury and the frequency of injury. WRIs were associated with various factors including age, gender, education, profession, working house, and shift time of the participants.

Prevalence and associated factors of occupational injuries in an industrial city in Ghana

BACKGROUND

Workers are exposed to workplace hazards which increase their risk of occupational injury. Data on occupational injuries and associated factors are important for planning and informing national policy regarding workplace health and safety. This study sought to estimate the prevalence and factors associated with occupational injuries among workers in an industrial city in Ghana.

METHODS

A community-based cross-sectional survey was conducted among 459 workers in the Tema industrial enclave in Ghana from 22nd December 2020 to 27th February 2021. Participants were recruited using a two-stage sampling technique. Eight communities were randomly selected from twenty-five communities in the first stage while households in each community were randomly selected in the second stage. Data on socio-demographic characteristics, occupational health and safety and occupational injuries were collected. Logistic regression was used to examine the relationship between occupational injuries and associated factors.

RESULTS

The mean age of the workers was 33.9 (±6.8) years with a range of 21-53 while over 18.1% of them were working at the Port and Harbour. The prevalence of occupational injury among the workers in the preceding twelve months was 64.7%. The mechanism of injury was mainly the use of working tools (45.8%) and hot surfaces, substances or chemicals (14.1%). Being a casual staff (AOR: 2.26, 95%CI: 1.04-4.92), working at Port and Harbour (AOR: 3.77, 95%CI: 1.70-8.39), no health and safety training (AOR: 2.18, 95%CI: 1.08-4.39), dissatisfaction with health and safety measures (AOR: 4.31, 95%CI: 2.12-8.78) and tertiary education (AOR: 0.03, 95%CI: 0.01-0.10) were significantly associated with occupational injuries.

CONCLUSION

The prevalence of occupational injuries in this study was high. Promoting machine tools' safety, health and safety training, and satisfaction with health and safety measures through rewarding workers who do not sustain injuries could be key to employees' health and safety.

Prevalence of occupational injury and its associated factors among emergency department physicians in China: A large sample, cross-sectional study

BACKGROUND

Medical personnel, particularly emergency department (ED) physicians, face a variety of occupational hazards. However, the current state of occupational injuries among ED physicians remains unknown. This study aimed to assess the occupational injury of Chinese ED physicians and to identify its associated factors.

METHODS

From July to August 2018, a cross-sectional survey was conducted in Chinese emergency departments. A structured questionnaire covering sociodemographic characteristics, individual health behaviours, and work-related characteristics was completed by 10,457 ED physicians. Binary logistic regression was used to analyse the factors associated with occupational injuries.

RESULTS

In this study, 81.13% of ED physicians reported occupational injuries in the previous 12 months. All participants who had experienced occupational injuries had suffered verbal violence. Among physicians who experienced at least one injury, 76.57% and 71.30% reported injuries sustained while moving patients and from falls, slips, and sprains during office visits, respectively. Occupational injuries were significantly associated with gender, education level, drinking behaviour, sleep quality, the frequency of night shifts per month, self-perceived physician shortage, and work-family conflict. Physicians who experienced effort-reward imbalance were at a higher risk of occupational injury.

CONCLUSION

In China, occupational injuries are common among ED physicians. Individual factors as well as work-related factors are independently linked to occupational injuries. To reduce the rate of occupational injuries among ED physicians, health policymakers and healthcare facility managers should consider multi-injury interventions.

Predicting nurses' safety compliance behaviour in a developing economy, using the theory of planned behaviour: A configurational approach

AIM

The study's main objective was to use a fuzzy set qualitative comparative analysis to identify the configuration of recipes that predict nurses' safety compliance behaviour.

DESIGN

A cross-sectional design.

METHODS

A survey was used where questionnaires were collected from 285 nurses across four primary healthcare hospitals within the Ashanti Region, Ghana. The data collection happened between June 1 to August 2, 2022. A fuzzy set qualitative comparative analysis was used to identify the recipes of psychological factors that determine nurses' safety compliance behaviour.

RESULTS

Results from the study suggest that the necessary configurations that explained nurses' safety compliance behaviour came from the presence of subjective norm, attitude, perceived behavioural control, perceived organizational support and negation of intention. The result highlights the need for safety protocols to be conscious of the interplay between nurses' assessment of self, social clues and perception of management care and support since such psychological factors must be considered concurrently to achieve the optimal safety compliance behaviour among nurses.

CONCLUSION

A health and safety protocol that fails to recognize the importance of psychological antecedents on subordinates' safety compliance behaviour could limit the safety policy's usefulness in bringing the appropriate behavioural change in nurses.

IMPACT

To date, no study has combined the antecedents of theory planned behaviour with perceived organizational support and cue to action to assess how they collectively predict nurses' safety compliance behaviour. Findings from the study suggest that nurses in primary health facilities inform their safety compliance behaviour by assessing self-capabilities, social signals from superiors and colleagues and perception of management support. Hospital administrators and nursing managers in sub-Saharan Africa may rely on these psychological forces to persuade nurses to develop positive safety compliance behaviour at the health facility.

PATIENT OR PUBLIC CONTRIBUTION

No Patient or Public Contribution.

Prevalence, risk factors and psychological consequences of workplace violence among health workers in the Greater Accra region, Ghana: a cross-sectional study

BACKGROUND

Globally, close to one-third of all workplace violence (WV) occurs in the health sector. Exposure to WV among healthcare professionals in Ghana has been widely speculated, but there is limited evidence on the problem. This study therefore investigated WV, its risk factors, and the psychological consequences experienced by health workers in Ghana.

METHODS

An analytic cross-sectional study was conducted in the Greater Accra region from January 30 to May 31, 2023, involving selected health facilities. The participants for the study were selected using a simple random sampling technique based on probability proportional-to-size. The data analyses were performed using STATA 15 software. Logistic regression analyses were employed to identify the factors associated with WV, considering a significance level of p-value < 0.05.

RESULTS

The study was conducted among 607 healthcare providers and support personnel across 10 public and private hospitals. The lifetime career, and one-year exposure to any form of WV was 414 (68.2%) [95% CI: (64.3-71.9%)] and 363 (59.8%) [95% CI: (55.8-63.7%)], respectively. Compared to other forms of WV, the majority of healthcare workers, 324 (53.4%) experienced verbal abuse within the past year, and a greater proportion, 85 (26.2%) became 'super alert' or vigilant and watchful following incidents of verbal abuse. Factors significantly linked to experiencing any form of WV in the previous 12 months were identified as follows: older age [AOR = 1.11 (1.06, 1.17)], working experience [AOR = 0.91 (0.86, 0.96)], having on-call responsibilities [AOR = 1.75 (1.17, 2.61)], and feeling adequately secure within health facility [AOR = 0.45 (0.26, 0.76)].

CONCLUSION

There was high occurrence of WV, and verbal abuse was the most experienced form of WV. Age, work experience, on-call duties, and security within workplace were associated with exposure to WV. Facility-based interventions are urgently needed to curb the incidence of WV, especially verbal abuse.

Low back pain, work overload, and associated factors among hospital caregivers

BACKGROUND

Caregivers assist patients in treatment based on their care needs and living activities. Very few studies have been conducted specifically on the occupational health and safety of hospital caregivers.

OBJECTİVE

This study aimed to investigate the prevalence of excessive workload and low back pain among hospital caregivers and to identify potential associated factors.

METHODS

This cross-sectional study included caregivers working at Gazi University Hospital. Socio-demographic and working-life characteristics were assessed. The Role Overload Scale was used to determine excessive workload and the Roland-Morris Disability Questionnaire was used to evaluate low back pain.

RESULTS

The study included 528 participants. A total of 18.7% had work accidents in their department. 49.0% had sharp injuries. 68.9% of the participants performed tasks such as positioning, turning, lifting, or helping patients to walk. 72.2% stood for a long time during the workday. 52.8% thought that they worked under stress. 57.6% had low back pain in the last year and 38.6% in the last month, Significant differences exist in low back pain according to gender, body-mass index, standing for a long time and working under stress. Those who worked at night, had a work accident, positioned patients, stood for a long time, and worked under stress had higher mean scores on the Role Overload Scale.

CONCLUSION

Tools should be used to lift and transport patients. In addition to occupational health and safety training, awareness of musculoskeletal risks should be increased. Employee well-being can be improved through exercise and stress reduction techniques.

Prevalence and Determinants of Work-Related Injuries Among Healthcare Workers in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia

Background and objective Work-related injuries (WRIs) are a major occupational health issue among healthcare workers (HCWs) worldwide. Unsafe work environments, including physical, chemical, and biological hazards, are significant contributing factors to WRIs. However, the prevalence of WRIs among HCWs in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, and their associated risk factors remain largely unexplored. In light of this, this study aimed to investigate the prevalence of WRIs and associated risk factors among HCWs in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Methods This was an analytic cross-sectional study conducted at secondary hospitals of the Ministry of Health (MOH) in Jeddah by using a self-administered questionnaire to measure the prevalence of WRIs and their related factors. The Chi-squared test was used to compare variables. A p-value <0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results The study involved 387 participants, of whom 283 (73.1%) were female. Most of the participants (n=226, 58.4%) agreed that personal protective equipment (PPE) was always available at their hospitals. Approximately two-thirds (n=251, 64.9%) agreed that they always used PPE. The overall prevalence of WRIs was 52%, with back injuries (32.6%), eye/mouth splashes (20.4%), and needle stick injuries (19.9%) being the most common. Years of work experience (p=0.014), type of profession (p<0.001), training in safety management (p=0.028), working hours (p=0.0001), working shifts (p=0.001), PPE availability (p=0.010), and sharp container availability (p=0.030) were significantly associated with WRIs. Conclusion This study revealed a high prevalence of WRIs among HCWs in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, with back injuries, eye/mouth splashes, and needle stick injuries being the most common types. The study also found that the injuries were significantly associated with the type of profession, experience, work hours, and shifts as well as the availability of safety management and equipment such as sharp containers and PPE.

The association between the use of shift schedule evaluation tool with ergonomics recommendations and occupational injuries: A 4-year prospective cohort study among healthcare workers

OBJECTIVE

This study aimed to find out whether utilizing a shift schedule evaluation tool with ergonomics recommendations for working hours has favorable effects on the incidence of occupational injuries.

METHODS

This 4-year prospective cohort study (2015-2018) consisted of a dynamic cohort of healthcare shift workers (N=29 237) from ten hospital districts and six cities in Finland. Working hour characteristics and occupational injuries were measured with daily registry data. Multilevel generalized linear model was used for the analyses, and the estimates were controlled for hierarchical structure of the data and confounders.

RESULTS

Ward heads of the cities used the shift schedule evaluation tool 3.2 times more often than ward heads of the hospital districts. Overall incidence of workplace and commuting injuries did not differ between users and non-users of the evaluation tool. The incidence of dislocations, sprains, and strains was lower in the users than non-users [adjusted odds ratio (OR) 0.88, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.78-0.99]. Approximately 13% of this association was mediated by increase in realized shift wishes and 10% by increase in single days off. In subgroup analyses, the incidence of workplace injury (OR 0.83, 95% CI 0.69-0.99), and among types of injuries, the incidence of dislocations, sprains, and strains (OR 0.69, 95% CI 0.55-0.85) and falling, slipping, tripping, or overturning (OR 0.75, 95% CI 0.58-0.99) were lower in users than non-users among employees of the cities, but no association was found among employees of the hospital districts.

CONCLUSION

The use of ergonomics recommendations for working hours is associated with a reduced risk of occupational injuries.

Occupational-Related Injuries and Associated Risk Factors Among Healthcare Workers Working in Developing Countries: A Systematic Review

Background

Occupational-related diseases or illnesses account for an estimated 2.4 million deaths worldwide every year. Currently, occupational hazards threaten healthcare workers' (HCWs) lives, safety, and well-being. Therefore, providing the prevalence and major causes of occupational-related diseases may enable injury reduction and the creation of safer working environments, which are important for providing higher quality services. The current study aimed to determine the prevalence of occupational-related injuries and associated risk factors among HCWs, particularly in developing countries.

Methods

The articles published in English were retrieved using a combination of Boolean logic operators (AND, OR, and NOT), Medical Subject Headings (MeSH), and keywords in electronic databases (SCOPUS/Science Direct, Web of Science, DOAJ, PubMed/MEDLINE, CINAHL, and Google Scholars). Using Joanna Briggs Institute critical appraisal tools, a quality assessment was conducted to determine the articles' relevance. In addition, the relevant articles were identified through a series of assessment and evaluation stages.

Results

About 721 studies were searched using electronic databases, of which 36 articles included 139,578 HCWs. The average prevalence of occupational-related injuries among HCWs in the career and previous last year accounted for 60.17%, ranged from 32% to 87.8% and 39.16%, ranged from 1.14% to 87%, respectively. The current study found that sex and hours worked, stress at work, occupation, age, training in infection prevention, use of universal precautions, recapping needles, ward work experience, staffing and resource adequacy, awareness, outdated guidelines, and previous exposure to sharp injury were statistically associated with occupational-related injuries.

Conclusions

This study revealed that 39% and 60% of HCWs experienced occupational-related injuries in the last year and during their career, respectively. Therefore, the appropriate measures must be taken to reduce the burden of occupational-related injuries by following standard precautions or occupational health and safety measures.

Occupational health hazards among healthcare providers and ancillary staff in Ghana: a scoping review

OBJECTIVE

The strict implementation of occupational health and safety policy curbs exposure to occupational hazards. However, empirical evidence is lacking in the Ghanaian context. This review primarily aimed to explore exposure to occupational hazards among healthcare providers and ancillary staff in Ghana.

DESIGN

A scoping review was conducted based on Arksey and O'Malley's methodological framework and Levac et al's methodological enhancement.

DATA SOURCES

Searches were conducted of the PubMed, MEDLINE, CINAHL, Embase, PsycINFO and Scopus databases, as well as Google Scholar and websites of tertiary institutions in Ghana, for publications from 1 January 2010 to 30 November 2021.

ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA

Quantitative studies that were published in the English language and focused on occupational exposure to biological and/or non-biological hazards among healthcare professionals in Ghana were included.

DATA EXTRACTION AND SYNTHESIS

Two independent reviewers extracted the data based on the type of occupational exposure and descriptive characteristics of the studies. The data are presented in tables and graphs. A narrative summary of review findings was prepared based on the review research questions.

RESULTS

Our systematic search strategy retrieved 507 publications; however, only 43 met the inclusion criteria. A little over one-quarter were unpublished theses/dissertations. The included studies were related to biological, psychosocial, ergonomic and other non-biological hazards. 55.8% of the studies were related to exposure to biological hazards and related preventive measures. In general, health workers were reported to use and comply with control and preventive measures; however, knowledge of control and preventive measures was suboptimal.

CONCLUSION

Work is needed to address the issue of occupational health hazard exposure in Ghana's health system. More research is needed to understand the extent of these exposures and their effects on the health system.