Workers In Pakistan Research Articles

Enhancing Construction Site Safety in Pakistan: A Proposed Health and Safety Framework Based on the Analytical Hierarchy Process

Developing infrastructure is crucial for the economic growth of countries like Pakistan, which are facing financial challenges. However, the construction industry is complex and uncertain, with various associated risks. The purpose of this study is to develop a proactive health and safety strategy by identifying the risk factors that pose a threat to the safety of construction workers in Pakistan. Pairwise comparison matrices were constructed using the Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) approach for individual groups and the total sample. This process generated weights, consistency indices, and consistency ratios to validate the data. The fuzzy comprehensive evaluation method (FCEM) was used to evaluate the identified threats. Based on the identified health and safety risk factors, a general matrix, as well as first and second- level ambiguous relations were created. Additionally, a fuzzy comprehensive evaluation matrix was developed. The centesimal values of the goal layer were found to be higher (3.72) than the values of the factors, including unsafe acts (13.08), accidents and hazards (25.14), policies and management (12.15), managing workers at the worksite (6.12), and management of worksite (5.07). The results indicated that all these factors significantly affect health and security in construction projects. Based on these findings, corrective measures could be implemented at the strategic and planning levels to strengthen and regulate these barriers.

Prevalence of Depression and Subjective Job Stress Among Men who have Sex with Men and Transgender Community Health Workers in Pakistan.

To determine the prevalence of depression, subjective work-related stress and associated factors among men who have sex with men and transgender people working in community-based organisations in Pakistan. Cross-sectional descriptive study. Place and Duration of the Study: Community-based organisations in Lahore, October 2022. Community-based organisations were contacted and link of the study tool in the Urdu language was shared. The study tool consisted of sociodemographic questions, substance abuse history, Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ) 9, the General Self-Efficacy Scale (GSE), and the Subjective job stress scale (SJSS). The composite score for each scale was calculated and compared. A total of 91 men participated in the study. Of them, 52.1% were below 30 years of age. The mean PHQ-9 score was 7.62 (range 0-27), mean GSE score was 32.38 (range 12-40), and mean SJSS score was 10.48 (4-14). While 41.7% of the participants were not depressed, 31.77% had depression of at least moderate severity. About 56.52% of the study participants had an SJSS score of more than ten showing a high level of work-related stress. There is a high frequency of depression among MSM and TG community health workers. High degree of self-efficacy may protect against depression. There is a need of developing comprehensive referral systems with psychiatric units for these community workers. Community health workers, Homosexual men, Transgender, Depression.

Prevalence of Depression and Subjective Job Stress Among Men who have Sex with Men and Transgender Community Health Workers in Pakistan

Prevalence of Depression and Subjective Job Stress Among Men who have Sex with Men and Transgender Community Health Workers in Pakistan

Relationship and Prevalence of Death Anxiety and Religious Coping among Death Care Workers in Pakistan

Purpose: Death is an inevitable experience that may generate a reduced sense of safety and strong apprehension in humans. Some jobs that require the workers to deal with human deaths, corpses, and people grieving the loss of their loved ones for a larger part of their professional existence such as graveyard workers, morgue workers, ambulance drivers, and emergency medical workers, possess the potential to impact their death anxiety.Given this, the study aims to find the prevalence of death anxiety among death care workers, as hypothesized that the nature of professions would impact the levels of death anxiety, and the positive religious coping would be negatively correlated with the death anxiety while the negative religious coping to be positively correlated to the death anxiety. Design: The sample consists of Pakistani, adult males and females (N=200), belonging to the aforementioned professions. Moreover, the study follows quantitative survey-based research design, using Templer’s Death Anxiety Scale (DAS)-Urdu version and Pargament’s Brief R-COPE-Urdu version Scale. For this purpose, a variety of hospitals, cemeteries, and mortuaries around Karachi were visited to gather relevant data. Findings: The results indicate that the levels of death anxiety varied across all professions, wherein the highest death anxiety was experienced by graveyard workers in contrast to ambulance drivers who had the lowest. With reference to religious coping, positive coping surpassed negative coping and emerged as the superior coping. However, there was no significant correlation between death anxiety and religious coping (positive and negative). Conclusion: This study exhibited some significant patterns of interest but encompasses the potential for further replication. Keywords: Death anxiety, prevalence, religious coping, death care workers, emergency medical workers

Green Human Resource Management (GHRM) and Environmental Performance in Pakistani Hotel Industry: The Role of Green Perceived Organizational Support (POS), Pro-Environmental Behavior and Green Innovative Work Behavior (GIWB)

The aim of this research is to examine the effect of GHRM practices on hotel environmental performance in Pakistan. The study further analyze the effects of green POS, pro-environmental behavior, or green innovative work behavior (GIWB). The target area was belong of five-star hotel workers in Pakistan. PLS-SEM was used to analyse data gathered by a survey questionnaire from 225 workers. According to the findings green POS, which leads to pro-environmental behavior and GIWB, was establish to be a powerful predictor of GHRM practices (green recruitment or hiring, green training, green rewarding, or green performance assessment). The results also revealed that pro-environmental behavior or GIWB had a momentous effect on hotel environmental performance. Moreover, Green HRM practices are considered to indirectly contribute to environmental performance via green POS, pro-environmental behavior, and GIWB. This research is one of the unique efforts in the area of environmental management to incorporate GHRM practices with green POS, pro-environmental behaviors, and GIWB. It makes a clear contribution towards a new streamline of research to realize the critical function of GHRM exercise to modify the environmental performance in hotels. The research aggregation have suggested GHRM is an important indication for supporting green POS and encouraging pro-environmental behaviors, as well as GIWB. It can support hotel managers to promote the green POS among the employees by practicing the GHRM practices that enables pro-environmental behavior and GIWB to solve the hotel industry's increasing environmental problems. Recent research suggests that managers should maintain and follow GHRM efforts and policies to improve environmental performance.

Association Between the Marital Status and Work-Related Quality of Life Among in Health Care Workers

Marital status is one of the main Indicator of stress which affects the occupational tasks of healthcare workers in Pakistan. Objective: To find out the relationship among marital status, PSS and WRQoL due to which the occupational tasks in HCWs suffer. Methods: This study was an observational type of cross-sectional survey. 50 HCWs were include between the age of 20-40 who had no comorbid conditions. After taking approval from ERC of RIHS the study was conducted at Rawal Institute of Health Sciences and Holy Family Hospital, Rawalpindi from June 2022 to Jan 30, 2023. Two groups were formulated on the basis of marital status of participants. Single HCWs were included in Group A (n=19) whereas married in group B (n=31). Man, Whitney U test for between groups analysis was carried out to find the relationship among marital status, PSS and WRQoL. Level of significance was <0.05 and CI=95%. Results: Mean and Standard deviation of age in group A was 29.53 ± 7.28 and in group B it was 30.39 ± 6.09. Man, Whitney U test showed insignificant difference (p>0.05) between PSS and marital status but there was a significant difference (p<0.05) on WRQoL on the basis of marital status. Conclusions: It was concluded that married HCWs had low QoL as compared to single workers. But level of stress was also high in married workers on the basis of percentages.

Dynamic Aggregation of Wages and Job Risk: A Case Study of Pakistan

This study examines the relationship between job risk and wages in Pakistan using data on fatal and non-fatal occupational injuries. By employing the Hedonic Wage Function (HWF), the study estimates the Value of Statistical Life (VSL) for Pakistan. Additionally, the Autoregressive Distributed Lag (ARDL) and Error Correction Model (ECM) techniques are used to analyze the wage-risk nexus dynamics and estimate the VSL from 1990 to 2019. The results reveal a positive relationship between job risk and wages, suggesting that workers in Pakistan are compensated for the risks associated with their jobs. Furthermore, the VSL estimated in this study is higher than in previous studies, indicating that workers in Pakistan value their safety more and are willing to pay more to reduce their risk of occupational injury. These findings confirm the hypothesis of Compensating Wage Differential (CWD) for Pakistan and underscore the importance of developing efficient occupational safety and health systems to protect workers and promote economic growth.

Effect Of Cotton Dust Exposure On Respiratory Health Outcomes Among Textile Workers.

Cotton dust is generated during various textile manufacturing processes. Only a few studies from Pakistan assessed cotton dust exposure and explored the relationship of duration of work in the textile industry with respiratory health outcomes. We aimed to assess cotton dust exposure and its association with lung function and respiratory symptoms among textile workers in Pakistan. We report findings from the baseline survey of the larger study, MultiTex, among 498 adult male textile workers from six mills conducted between October 2015-March 2016 in Karachi, Pakistan. Data collection included the use of standardized questionnaires; spirometry, and area dust measurements through UCB-PATS. Multivariable logistic and linear regression models were developed to assess the association of risk factors with respiratory symptoms and illnesses. We found the mean age of workers to be 32.5 (±10) years; around 25% were illiterate. The prevalence of COPD, asthma, and byssinosis was 10%, 17%, and 2%, respectively. The median cotton dust exposure was 0.33 mg/m3 (IQR: 0.12-0.76). Increased duration of work among non-smokers was associated with a decline in lung function, FVC (-245 ml; 95% CI: -385.71, -104.89) and FEV1 (-200 ml; 95% CI: -328.71, -841.1). Workers with certain job titles (machine operators, helpers, and jobbers), those with greater duration of work, and higher dust exposure, were more likely to report respiratory symptoms and illnesses. We report a high prevalence of asthma and COPD and a low prevalence of byssinosis. Cotton dust exposure and duration of employment were associated with respiratory health outcomes. Our findings highlight the need for preventive interventions in the textile industry in Pakistan.

Research based treatment through neuroleptics (antipsychotics) in Pakistan: Can it be trusted?

Madam, Schizophrenia is a mental illness where patients observe and interpret reality in an alternate fashion or perspective. The word is derived from Greek 'schizo' (splitting) and 'phren' (mind), with the term initially proposed by Eugen Bleuler (1908)1. The debilitating illness usually has symptoms of hallucinations, delusions, and overall distorted versions of reality. Patients may also exhibit social withdrawal, disordered speech, disorderly movement and behavioral change. Schizophrenia affects less than one per cent of the global population, and not all Pakistani clinics are equipped to manage patients mentioned above. Schizophrenia is a psychiatric illness commonly treated with antipsychotics to alessen the patients symptoms. More often than not, second generation antipsychotics (clozapine, asenapine, risperidone etc.) are used to provide a better result and adequately decrease the systematic side effects of these neuroleptics. However, what is a moment of caution for clinicians globally as well as in Pakistan, is that these second-generation antipsychotics may be causing problems bigger than just side effects like weight gain, diabetes, or hypertension. Research conducted by Mitchell et al. confirmed the high probability of second-generation antipsychotics causing metabolic syndrome in patients2 by presenting with abnormal findings that put them at cardiovascular risk. These findings include visceral adiposity, insulin tolerance, elevated triglyceride levels, and decreased high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol levels. These drugs are not only affecting first- world countries but are bringing about more significant influence in third- world countries. Pakistan lacks available treatments for schizophrenia, at around 96%, which is comparable to an approximately median of 32.2% globally and 69% in low-income and middle-income countries (LMICs)3. From 2010 to 2015, there was a progressive rise in the use of antipsychotics in Pakistan, most commonly risperidone and olanzapine4. The onus ultimately falls on inadequate evidence and treatment protocol in first and third- world countries. However, a feasible suggestion could be knowing the minimum effective dosage of second-generation antipsychotics. Research conducted by Leucht et al. mentioned the exact dosages, to minimize lethal side effects of these drugs (aripiprazole 10 mg/1.33, clozapine 300 mg/40, risperidone 2 mg/0.27)5. To date, these drugs are still being prescribed in most countries without proper control on dosages. It is imperative for healthcare workers in Pakistan to implement an accurate administration plan for dosages considering the favourable outcomes in patients with schizophrenia.

Results of community-based TB and HIV screening among transgender women and male sex workers in Pakistan.

In Pakistan and globally, a large proportion of people with TB who are not receiving treatment are key populations with poor access to diagnosis and care. Transgender women and male sex workers (MSW) are heavily stigmatized and marginalized groups. While HIV rates are well documented among these key populations, little such data exists for TB. We engaged local organizations working with transgender women and MSW communities in Karachi and five urban cities in Sindh Province. People from the communities served as screening facilitators and treatment supporters. Verbal screening was followed by testing with Xpert MTB/RIF and HIV testing was offered. People with TB were supported through treatment. We screened 18,272 transgender women and 24,253 MSW. 8,921 (21.0%) individuals had presumptive TB and 7,472 (83.8%) provided sputum samples. We detected 438 (5.9%) people with positive results including 140 transgender women and 298 MSW. Including people diagnosed clinically, 625 people with TB were identified and 98.1% initiated treatment. Overall, 1.5% of people screened had TB, 1.7% among MSW and 1.1% among transgender women. Of 1,508 people tested for HIV, 243 had HIV infection (HIV+). The rates of TB among HIV+ transgender women (8.8%) were slightly lower than among MSW (10.3%). Previously, few attempts have been made to address TB in transgender women and MSW. Our work shows that these groups carry a significant burden of both TB and HIV in Pakistan and do not regularly access services. Effective interventions should include the engagement of community leaders and peers.

Patterns of musculoskeletal disorders in health care providers and their association with ergonomic risks

Objectives. Musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) have a high prevalence among allied health care providers because of the demanding nature of their work and lack of practicing proper ergonomics. The aim of this study focused on patterns of work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WMSDs) affecting different health care providers working in a different unit of a tertiary care hospital. Methods. This cross-sectional study collected data from 2000 allied health care providers working at various departments of Civil Hospital and Dow University Hospital of Karachi (DUHS), via self-administered questionnaire, based on Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) guidelines. Results. Our findings revealed that 92.9% of individuals had MSDs as a result of poor ergonomics, with 93% reporting that the disease interferes with their normal job routine. Conclusions. Medical technologists are the most affected group among allied health care workers. Lack of knowledge and improper ergonomic culture results in such a high prevalence rate in allied health care workers in Pakistan.

Measuring the occupational segregation of males and females in Pakistan in a multigroup context

This study measures the occupational segregation of male and female workers in Pakistan using the microdata obtained from the labour force survey of Pakistan for the period 2013–18. The local segregation method is used to study occupational segregation by gender and for several subgroups based on individual and labour market characteristics. Results show that female segregation explains a substantially large proportion of the overall gender segregation, even though the demographic weight of the female labour force is low compared to the male labour force. The analysis of different age groups shows that occupational segregation is significantly higher among elderly males than males in other age groups. Similarly, for females, occupational segregation is significantly higher among elderly females compared to females in other age groups and males in any age group. Furthermore, it is also found that human capital characteristics such as higher education do not contribute to reducing occupational segregation in the labour market, as both males and females with higher levels of education are more segregated than those with low education. Finally, the study concludes that the devaluation and compensating differentials theories partially explain gender segregation in Pakistan.

The Role of Self-Efficacy and Risk Perception in the Willingness to Respond to Weather Disasters Among Emergency Medicine Health Care Workers in Pakistan.

Optimizing health care workers' (HCWs) willingness to respond (WTR) is critical in low-and-middle-income countries (LMICs) for proper health system functioning during extreme weather events. Pakistan frequently experiences weather-related disasters, but limited evidence is available to examine HCW willingness. Our study examined the association between WTR and behavioral factors among emergency department HCWs. A cross-sectional survey was conducted from August to September 2022 among HCWs from 2 hospitals in Karachi, Pakistan. Non-probability purposive sampling was used to recruit participants. A survey tool was informed by Witte's Extended Parallel Process Model (EPPM). Multivariate logistic regression analyses were performed to examine the association between WTR and attitudes/beliefs as well as EPPM profiles. Twenty-nine percent of HCWs indicated a low WTR. HCWs using public transportation had a higher WTR. Perceived knowledge and skills, self-efficacy, and perceived impact of one's response showed positive associations with WTR if required. Perception that one's colleagues would report to work positively predicted WTR if asked. Consistent with the EPPM, HCWs with high efficacy and perceived threat were willing to respond to weather disasters. Our findings highlight the need of strengthening WTR by promoting self-efficacy and enhancing accurate risk perception as a response motivator, among emergency department HCWs in Pakistan.

Enhancing a Willingness to Respond to Disasters and Public Health Emergencies Among Health Care Workers, Using mHealth Intervention: A Multidisciplinary Approach.

Health care workers (HCWs) are increasingly faced with the continuous threat of confronting acute disasters, extreme weather-related events, and protracted public health emergencies. One of the major factors that determines emergency-department-based HCWs' willingness to respond during public health emergencies and disasters is self-efficacy. Despite increased public awareness of the threat of disasters and heightened possibility of future public health emergencies, the emphasis on preparing the health care workforce for such disasters is inadequate in low-and-middle-income countries (LMICs). Interventions for boosting self-efficacy and response willingness in public health emergencies and disasters have yet to be implemented or examined among emergency HCWs in LMICs. Mobile health (mHealth) technology seems to be a promising platform for such interventions, especially in a resource-constrained setting. This paper introduces an mHealth-focused project that demonstrates a model of multi-institutional and multidisciplinary collaboration for research and training to enhance disaster response willingness among emergency department workers in Pakistan.

The Public and Private Sector Pay Gap in Pakistan: A Quantile Regression Analysis

This paper examines the magnitude of public/private wage differentials in Pakistan using data drawn from the 2001-02 Pakistan Labour Force Survey. As in many other countries, public sector workers in Pakistan tend both to have higher average pay and education levels as compared to their private sector counterparts. In addition, the public sector in Pakistan has both a more compressed wage distribution and a smaller gender pay gap than that prevailing in the private sector. Our empirical analysis suggests that about two-fifths of the raw differential in average hourly wages between the two sectors is accounted for by differentials in average characteristics. The estimated public sector mark-up, ceteris paribus, is of the order of 49 percent and is substantial by the standards of developed economies. The quantile regression estimates suggest that the mark-up was found to decline monotonically with movement up the conditional wage distribution. In particular, the premium at the 10th percentile was estimated at 92 percent as compared to a more modest 20 percent at the 90th percentile.

Vaccine hesitancy and distrust: concerns of healthcare workers of Pakistani origin-a survey

Background: Vaccine acceptance can play a pivotal role towards control of COVID-19. Many healthcare workers (HCWs) have articulated safety and effectiveness concerns despite being the frontline takers of vaccination. This survey was aimed to investigate the causes of COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy and distrust among HCWs of Pakistani origin.
 Methodology: This internet-based survey was conducted on 138 HCWs of Pakistani origin from January 2021 to April 2021.
 Results: Out of a total of 138 subjects, 137 (99.3%) HCWs responded to the survey. COVID-19 vaccinations had already been administered to 101 (74%) of the respondents. Out of 36 (26.2%) unvaccinated individuals, 19 (14%) completely declined the vaccination. The prevalence of participants who distrust vaccination effectiveness and safety was 110 (80.3%), while 94 (68.6%) believed vaccine safety was compromised due to rapid development. The prevalence of HCWs who believed long-term adverse effects and that the manufacturers falsified the data was 36 (26.3%) and 22 (16%) respectively.
 Conclusion: Our survey found that fears and concerns about the efficacy of the vaccine can impasse struggles to disease transmission and vaccine distribution. Healthcare workers in Pakistan had a higher prevalence of vaccine acceptance compared to other surveys.
 Key words: Acceptance; COVID-19; COVID-19 vaccine; Healthcare workers; HCWs; Vaccine hesitancy
 Citation: Zaki MMA, Siddiqui SW, Zafar M. Vaccine hesitancy and distrust: concerns of healthcare workers of Pakistani origin-a survey. Anaesth. pain intensive care 2022;26(6):767-772; DOI: 10.35975/apic.v26i6.2056

Mental health assessment of healthcare workers in the emergency department of a low middle-income country during COVID-19 pandemic

IntroductionEmergency department (ED) healthcare workers in Pakistan during the COVID-19 pandemic are facing an acute rise in mental illnesses. In this study, the authors aim to assess the frequency of anxiety and depression among healthcare workers in the ED.MethodsA cross-sectional online google form-based survey was conducted in the ED of Aga Khan University Hospital, Karachi, Pakistan between July and August 2020. The Hospital Anxiety and Depression (HAD) scale was used for mental illness assessment among ED healthcare workers. Descriptive analysis of grading as per the Likert scale is done through frequencies, means, and standard deviations. Categorical variables were expressed as frequency (%). Mann–Whitney U test was used to compare scores of various groups and sub-groups and the Chi-square test was used to assess the association of depression and anxiety categories among the groups.ResultsIn the ED, 127 healthcare workers (physicians and nurses) were included in this survey. The median depression score was 8 (IQR 6–10) with 21% (27) falling under depression and 39% (50) under borderline depression. The median anxiety score was 9 (IQR 7–12) with 33% (42) having abnormal, and 38% (48) having borderline anxiety. Healthcare workers working for > 45 h per week have odds of 3.62 [1.374–9.549] of developing depression compared to anxiety with a p-value of 0.009. Similarly, nurses and medical officers develop depression with odds of 2.18 [1.016–4.686] p-value 0.045 and 5.18 [0.197–1.02] p-value 0.002, respectively.ConclusionED healthcare workers during the COVID-19 pandemic suffered high levels of anxiety and depression, which is a matter of concern. Comprehensive support and training of ED healthcare workers are needed to promote physical and mental well-being and to develop guidelines that should be used during situations that can affect the mental health of healthcare workers.

Assessment of Protective Clothing Used by Chemical Industry Workers in Pakistan

Protective clothing serves as a barrier against many hazards faced by workers in the industry. This study aimed to investigate the performance of locally manufactured clothing used by workers in the chemical industries in Pakistan. The construction parameters were determined using international test procedures for all samples. Then, these were assessed for their chemical resistance behavior after various laundering intervals, following the ISO 6530:2005 test method. After the investigation, it was observed that the collected samples failed to meet the minimum criteria for penetration and repellency through their structure. The samples were unable to repel a minimum of 95% liquid chemical and penetrated it more than 5%, even at zero wash. These conditions worsened with each washing interval. Clothing materials should always be checked for their performance before use to protect workers at workplace.

Impact of COVID-19 on mental health of primary healthcare workers in Pakistan: lessons from a qualitative inquiry

ObjectivesThe existing literature regarding the mental health consequences of COVID-19 among healthcare workers revolves predominantly around specialised hospital settings, while neglecting primary healthcare workers (PHCW) who are the first point...

Computer Vision Syndrome: Prevalence and Associated Risk Factors Among Computer-Using Bank Workers in Pakistan

The aim of this study was to investigate the prevalence of symptoms of computer vision syndrome (CVS) and identify its associated risk factors among computer-using bank workers in Pakistan. This cross-sectional study was conducted on computer-using bank workers. The data collection procedure included a self-administered questionnaire and comprehensive ocular health examination. The prevalence of CVS and its associated risk factors were investigated. The chi-square test was used to study the significance of the association of CVS with potential risk factors. Of 127 participants, 95 (74.8%) were men. Most of the participants (n=53; 41.7%) were in the 30-40 years age group. A total of 101 participants (79.5%) reported any ocular symptom, with burning eyes being the most frequent ocular symptom (77.2%). General body fatigue was the most common non-ocular symptom of CVS (92.9%), followed by headache (83.5%). Out of 127 participants, 71 men and 30 women had some degree of CVS. Female participants had significantly higher risk of CVS than male participants (p=0.01). Total duration of computer use per day and duration of uninterrupted computer use were significantly associated with the occurrence of CVS (p=0.001 and p=0.008, respectively). No significant association was found between CVS and distance from computer screen (p=0.89), frequency of breaks (p=0.18), or font size (p=0.12). A high prevalence of CVS-related symptoms was observed among computer-using bank workers. Non-ocular symptoms associated with computer use were more common than ocular symptoms (92.9% vs. 77.2%).