An article published in The New York Times on July 8, 2008 reported that, according to the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics, half of all nonfatal injuries resulting from workplace assaults occur in health care and social service settings.
Nurses and other personal care workers bear the brunt of such attacks, with 25 injuries annually resulting in days off from work for every 10,000 full-time workers — 12 times the rate of the overall private sector, according to the bureau. The most dangerous settings are psychiatric units and nursing homes, where patients are often confused, disoriented or suffering from mental ailments, as well as emergency rooms, where long waits for care can anger patients, and the people with them.
Click here to read the entire New York Times article.
Thursday, July 10, 2008
Monday, July 7, 2008
ANA Study: Workplace Safety Could Worsen RN Shortage
A new survey from the American Nurses Association (ANA) finds that 55 percent of U.S. nurses believe their work environment jeopardizes their personal safety, a concern that experts say could drive nurses to leave the profession, Occupational Hazards reports.
Based on responses from approximately 700 nurses, the 2008 Study of Nurses' Views on Workplace Safety and Needlestick Injuries indicates that 64 percent of U.S. nurses have experienced an accidental needlestick injury while working during their career. Among those who reported experiencing needlestick injuries, 75 percent said the incidents were associated with the use of standard, non-safety syringes, even though 97 percent of respondents indicated that safety syringes were available in their facility and 75 percent were provided training on needlestick prevention.
Meanwhile, respondents overwhelmingly pointed to increasing workloads and workplace stress levels as factors in workplace safety, and nearly 60 percent of nurses indicated that mounting pressures have forced them to work faster, even if shortcuts were required. According to the report, 87 percent of nurses also said that perceptions of safety in the workplace influenced the type of nursing they practice and their continued practice in the field. In terms of improving working conditions, 68 percent of nurses reported advocating for safety in the workplace, with 29 percent reporting that they are their own primary advocate.
Commenting on the findings, the researchers note that "to enhance the safety climate of all health care workers, improvements need to be made to the workplace environment and staffing levels." (Walter, Occupational Hazards, 6/28/08; ANA release, 6/24/08)
Based on responses from approximately 700 nurses, the 2008 Study of Nurses' Views on Workplace Safety and Needlestick Injuries indicates that 64 percent of U.S. nurses have experienced an accidental needlestick injury while working during their career. Among those who reported experiencing needlestick injuries, 75 percent said the incidents were associated with the use of standard, non-safety syringes, even though 97 percent of respondents indicated that safety syringes were available in their facility and 75 percent were provided training on needlestick prevention.
Meanwhile, respondents overwhelmingly pointed to increasing workloads and workplace stress levels as factors in workplace safety, and nearly 60 percent of nurses indicated that mounting pressures have forced them to work faster, even if shortcuts were required. According to the report, 87 percent of nurses also said that perceptions of safety in the workplace influenced the type of nursing they practice and their continued practice in the field. In terms of improving working conditions, 68 percent of nurses reported advocating for safety in the workplace, with 29 percent reporting that they are their own primary advocate.
Commenting on the findings, the researchers note that "to enhance the safety climate of all health care workers, improvements need to be made to the workplace environment and staffing levels." (Walter, Occupational Hazards, 6/28/08; ANA release, 6/24/08)
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