Occupational injuries and psychological support in Chinese nurses: a cross-sectional study.

Wenyu Zhang,Hongying Pi,Xueli Zhang,Xiaoyong Sai,Zixuan Yan

doi:10.1590/1980-220x-reeusp-2020-0422

Abstract

To assess the occupational injuries and psychological support received by nurses and to investigate the relationship between the two. This was a nation-wide cross-sectional study of nurses working across 1858 hospitals in China. Data were collected using an online structured, self-administered questionnaire between 2016 and 2017. Nearly half of respondents had experienced aggressive behavior from patients or their attendants; 13.4% respondents had experienced aggressive behavior on more than three occasions. 78.96% respondents had experienced needle-stick injuries and 51.22% had experienced psychological trauma. 20.5% respondents believed that hospitals do not pay any attention to occupational safety. 86.1% respondents expressed the need for little or moderate psychological support. Nurses who had experienced aggressive behavior expressed a greater need for psychological support. Nurses working at hospitals that adequately addressed the occupational safety issues expressed the lowest need for psychological support. We found a high prevalence of psychological stress and occupational injuries among nurses. Nursing managers need to address this issue and implement interventions to prevent and reduce injuries.

Highlights

Occupational injuries are work-related injuries and accidents and represent a major occupational health hazard in most countries[1]
Nearly half of respondents had experienced aggressive behavior from patients or their attendants; 13.4% respondents had experienced aggressive behavior on more than three occasions. 78.96% respondents had experienced needlestick injuries and 51.22% had experienced psychological trauma. 20.5% respondents believed that hospitals do not pay any attention to occupational safety. 86.1% respondents expressed the need for little or moderate psychological support
Nurses working at hospitals that adequately addressed the occupational safety issues expressed the lowest need for psychological support

Summary

Introduction

Occupational injuries are work-related injuries and accidents and represent a major occupational health hazard in most countries[1]. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics in Iran, approximately 177000 cases of occupational injuries occurred in nursing and residential care facilities in Iran in 2017(4); the incidence was considerably higher than that in other countries. Shortage of labor is a serious occupational problem in China In another way, owing to the rapid population growth and increase in elderly people, the Chinese government had established a primary care infrastructure which was largely based on the already established rural practices which lacked professional rigor in a Chinese study, Only 4.6% of nurses were found to have received primary care training, and these are typically exposed to enormous work-related stress, they have limited time and opportunities for training and continuing education, which increases the psychological pressure[4]

Methods

Results

Discussion

Conclusion