Employee Health Service Research Articles

A national task analysis of infection control practitioners, 1982: Part two: Tasks, knowledge, and abilities for practice

Respondents (N = 473) from a randomized stratified sample (N = 600) of U.S. hospital ICPs in a national survey sponsored by the Certification Board of Infection Control were asked to rate specific task, knowledge, and ability statements related to infection control for frequency and importance. The questions included 175 items, of which 99 were for specific tasks and 76 were for knowledge and abilities for practice. Areas covered included patient care practices, infectious diseases, epidemiology and statistics, microbiologic practices, sterilization and disinfection, education, employee health services, and management and communications. A “profile respondent” group (N = 317) was defined as persons most likely to be practicing the full scope of infection control practice and was used to identify key tasks, knowledge, and abilities for practice. Results showed that patient care practices (i.e., suctioning, dressing changes, and catheterization) were rarely performed. The development of infection control policies and procedures were key tasks. Knowledge of microbiology and infectious diseases in order to interpret laboratory reports and other patient data was rated as essential; however, few respondents actually performed laboratory procedures. Epidemiologic principles were frequently used for surveillance and problem investigation. Although presentation of epidemiologic data was rated as important, analytic statistics were rarely used. Assessment of educational needs and teaching were large components of ICPs' activities.

Employee health guidelines from the American Occupational Medical Association.

For many years the American Occupational Medical Association (AOMA) has had a committee on medical center employee occupational health services. This committee has met periodically to discuss common problems and issues related to occupational health matters in health-care facilities. Two years ago a task force met to develop guidelines for employee health services which would be the official AOMA statement on this matter. The guidelines were published recently in the Journal of Occupational Medicine and have been reprinted here.

Guidelines for employee health services in hospitals, clinics and medical research institutions.

Guidelines for employee health services in hospitals, clinics and medical research institutions.

Hospital-sponsored occupational health programs and the role of the employee health service.

Hospital-sponsored occupational health programs and the role of the employee health service.

Recommendations for pregnant employee interaction with patients having communicable infectious diseases

The transmission of communicable infectious diseases from hospitalized patients to health care providers is a well-documented phenomenon. This occurrence is of particular concern when the health care worker is a pregnant female and there is worry about the development of a congenital infection or transmission of infection at the time of delivery. Infection control practitioners and Employee Health Service personnel are often consulted by pregnant hospital employees who are concerned about interacting with patients having communicable infectious diseases, and appropriate advice is sought. Since it has often been necessary in the past to consult numerous resources in order to respond to these issues, we have compiled recommendations that can serve as a reference to help ICPs and Employee Health Service personnel deal with these situations.

Infection control and employee health: epidemiology and priorities for program development

Infection control programs have traditionally focused their attention on various aspects of infection control in hospitalized patients. The relationship of infections occurring in hospital personnel to those occurring in patients may be underemphasized with the possible exception of the role personnel play in outbreaks or clusters of infection. Although most health care facilities and regulatory agencies now recognize the importance of infection control in health care personnel, 1-3 infection control programs have varying degrees of input and influence into occupational health matters? The purpose of the present study is twofold: (1) to further emphasize the importance of infection control-related problems to employee health in health care facilities by using an existing program as a starting point and (2) to identify the specific infection control-related problems seen in an employee health service. We have reviewed visits made by employees of the Strong Memorial Hospital to our personnel health service during a 1-year period. On the basis of our data, we have delineated four categories of service related to infection control that we feel are essential to employee health programs in health care facilities.

The Emergence of Support Groups from an Employee Health Service Department

The Emergence of Support Groups from an Employee Health Service Department

The employee health service and infection control in US hospitals, 1976–1977. I. Screening procedures: R. W. Haley and T. G. Emori: JAMA 246: 844–847, 1981. Reprint requests: Robert W. Haley, M.D., SENIC Project, Hospital Infections Branch, Bacterial Diseases Division, Center for Infectious Diseases, Centers for Disease Control, Atlanta, GA 30333

The employee health service and infection control in US hospitals, 1976–1977. I. Screening procedures: R. W. Haley and T. G. Emori: JAMA 246: 844–847, 1981. Reprint requests: Robert W. Haley, M.D., SENIC Project, Hospital Infections Branch, Bacterial Diseases Division, Center for Infectious Diseases, Centers for Disease Control, Atlanta, GA 30333

The employee health service and infection control in US hospitals, 1976–1977. II. Managing employee illness: R. W. Haley, and T. G. Emori: JAMA 246: 962–966, 1981. Reprint requests: Robert W. Haley, M.D., SENIC Project, Hospital Infections Branch, Bacterial Diseases Division, Center for Infectious Diseases, Centers for Disease Control, Atlanta, GA 30333

The employee health service and infection control in US hospitals, 1976–1977. II. Managing employee illness: R. W. Haley, and T. G. Emori: JAMA 246: 962–966, 1981. Reprint requests: Robert W. Haley, M.D., SENIC Project, Hospital Infections Branch, Bacterial Diseases Division, Center for Infectious Diseases, Centers for Disease Control, Atlanta, GA 30333

The Employee Health Service and Infection Control in US hospitals, 1976-1977. II. Managing employee illness

The Employee Health Service and Infection Control in US hospitals, 1976-1977. II. Managing employee illness

The Employee Health Service and Infection Control in US Hospitals, 1976-1977

To assess the methods being used in US hospitals to prevent the spread of contagious illnesses from hospital employees to patients, we analyzed information obtained in the SENIC Project (Study on the Efficacy of Nosocomial Infection Control) from interviews with hospital officials and staff nurses. In general, staff nurses and their first-line supervisors appeared to be unfamiliar with some published recommendations outlining when an illness or exposure should exclude them temporarily from patient contact. The infection control nurse had authority to exclude employees in fewer than half of the hospitals. Although employees would be financially penalized in less than 10% of hospitals for missing work on account of a contagious illness, staff nurses in larger hospitals were more reluctant to consult the employee health service if they believed they would lose pay.

The Employee Health Service and Infection Control in US Hospitals, 1976-1977

To assess the extent to which US hospitals have established employee health services with infection control functions, we analyzed information obtained in the SENIC Project (Study on the Efficacy of Nosocomial Infection Control) from interviews with hospital officials and staff nurses in a representative sample of 433 hospitals. Sixty-eight percent of hospitals had a formal employee health service. The percentage routinely screening employees varied widely from the more common tests, such as the yearly chest roentgenogram (89%) and skin test (83%), to less common tests, including stool cultures (43%) and blood testing for hepatitis B (41%) and rubella (33%); 40% routinely obtained cultures of personnel. Although most hospitals appear to screen adequately, a sizeable minority either fail to employ recommended screening tests or continue unnecessary, expensive ones.

The employee health service and infection control in US hospitals, 1976-1977. I. Screening procedures

The employee health service and infection control in US hospitals, 1976-1977. I. Screening procedures

Nurse Practitioner in a VNA

Most nurse practitioners function in primary care settings, such as employee or student health services, physician's offices, hospital clinics, and health maintenance organizations. A few are in joint practice with physicians or practice independently. Yet it seemed to me, after four years as a community health nurse, that the nurse practitioner role, with its emphasis on management of 'chronic illness, accountability, and primary care, could be -used with equal effectiveness within our home care agency. I discussed this idea with my employer, the Visiting Nurse Association of the District of Columbia, which agreed to sponsor me in a family nurse practitioner program and promised to employ me as a nurse practitioner once I became certified. So, after a 20-year hiatus, it was back to college for me. The next twelve months were the most diffi-

Prevention strategies in hospital occupational medicine.

Adjunct Assistant Professor of Public Health and Associate Physician, Medical Service, Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons, and Director, Employee Health Service, The Presbyterian Hospital, 622 W. 168th Street, New York, NY 10032

Alcoholism among hospital employees.

An employee alcoholism service for hospital workers is described. Sixty-eight alcoholic workers identified over a 3 1/2 year period are assessed for current status as to activity in the service, work status, and drinking status by a chart review. The principle route of referral was via the employee health service (EHS) and a medical problem (63%) versus a supervisor or self-referral. Fifty-three percent of the workers are active in the service, 31% have had no contact, 12% are terminated from the job, and 4% are deceased. Of the active cases, 75% are abstinent. Active status in the service is highly associated with a supervisor or self-referral rather than an EHS referral. Self- and supervisor referrals to the service increased substantially after the initiation of an employee assistance program in the hospital.

Employee Health Service in a Hospital An employee health service will be cost-effective within six months of opening its doors

Employee Health Service in a Hospital An employee health service will be cost-effective within six months of opening its doors

Role of the Primary Care Nurse in the Employee Health Service

Role of the Primary Care Nurse in the Employee Health Service

Evaluation of an employee health service as a setting for a rubella screening and immunization program.

Evaluation of an employee health service as a setting for a rubella screening and immunization program. K E Weiss, C E Falvo, E Buimovici-Klein, J W Magill, and L Z CooperCopyRight https://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.69.3.281 Published Online: October 07, 2011

Employee health services for women workers

The principles and procedures employed by the modern employee health service in serving the special needs of women workers are not new. Based on his experience, observations, and practice, the author summarizes some of the policy problems and their solutions that may be encountered as more women join the work force, particularly in areas where women have not traditionally been employed. The author summarizes basic principles of a modern employee health program and how they relate to the job placement of women. The relationships between physical strength and placement are also discussed as well as difficulties in obtaining appropriately designed tools and equipment for women. Environmental hazards for both pregnant and nonpregnant women workers, as well as medical problems unique to women workers, are also covered and a summary of the recommendations and guidelines of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists for employment of the pregnant worker is also given. The author concludes that, if the ultimate purpose of maintaining health and well-being for the woman worker is to be achieved, it must be supplemented by changes in our social institutions to free her from the pervasive cultural biases that she now must endure.