Factors affecting the occupational accident rates among nurses.

Ülfiye Çelikkalp,Filiz Dilek

doi:10.1590/s1980-220x2018049703524

Ülfiye Çelikkalp, Filiz Dilek

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.1590/s1980-220x2018049703524

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Abstract

In this hospital-based study, we aimed to determine occupational accident perceptions and occupational accident reasons in sample of Turkish nurses. In the study, the Epworth Sleepiness Scale, the Workload Scale and a Study Questionnaire Form including the employment characteristics of the nurses, their socio demographic characteristics, and the occupational accidents they encountered. 108 nurses (90 females, 18 males; mean age, 26.42±5.5 years) participated in the study. 68.5% of nurses have undergone at least once a occupational accident. Most of the participants were found to have experienced occupational accidents with approximately half evaluating their occupational accidents risk as high. Most of the nurses worked overtime and in shifts. The mean total scores for the Epworth Sleepiness Scale and Workload Scale were respectively 9.09±3.33 and 36.94±6.42. Statistically significant differences in occupational accidents were found with regard to Epworth Sleepiness Scale and Workload Scale scores, working in shifts, and working overtime (p<0.05). It was concluded that nurses had very high rates of occupational accidents and that the heavy work conditions affected occupational accidents.

Highlights

Health workers, who aim to provide health care services to the society, constitute a group with very high risk of exposure to occupational accidents because of the risks in their work environment[1]
In a study conducted in India with health workers, mucous membrane exposure was reported to be 11% in only a week with 70% of percutaneous injuries not being reported at all, and these findings were considered alarming[15].In similar studies conducted in Turkey and abroad, injector tip wounds remained the most frequent type of accident[12,16].According to data from The Center for Disease Control and Prevention, injector tip and percutaneous injuries increase every year among health workers in the United States of America (USA), with 800 thousand yearly injector injuries and a mean daily 1,000 puncturing tool injuries reported
The most significant findings on the subject in younger nurses are caused by newly graduated nurses mostly being assigned to intensive care services, working in additional shifts, and working overtime. In this nurse-based surveillance study, most of the nurses experienced occupational accidents despite their low perception of occupational accidents and there was a significant difference between occupational accidents with regard to employment conditions

Summary

Introduction

Health workers, who aim to provide health care services to the society, constitute a group with very high risk of exposure to occupational accidents because of the risks in their work environment[1]. In the year 2011, United States of America (USA) Department of Labor Secretary Solis, defined the main source of workplace injuries as the health care industry and stated that the occupational accidents occurring in the field of health services were more frequent compared to other sectors[2]. The physical and mental burnout developed through these working conditions may cause negative outcomes in relation to employee safety[7,8]. This is known to increase the occupational disease, occupational accident, work related health problem, injury, and incapacity rates of health workers as well as creating new situations and increasing the variety of such problems[4]

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