OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH HAZARDS OF HOSPITAL STAFF NURSES: IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE AND EDUCATION.
Contributors: University of Iowa.
Published: 1988
Number of pages: 187
Subjects: Health Sciences, Nursing.
Description: This study was a survey of 197 registered nurses employed full time in eleven Iowa hospitals with bed capacities of 250 or greater. The study investigated nurses' knowledge of occupational health, the incidence of physical, chemical, biological and psychosocial health stressors and outcomes; and the nurses' reporting practices and treatment patterns. Finally, the study explored the effect of length of shift, shift pattern, length of employment in nursing, participation in a routine stress management program, age, smoking, alcohol intake and role success on the incidence of occupational stress outcomes.

The study found that nurses experience a wide variety of occupational stress outcomes, but nurses inconsistently report and treat the injuries. Back pain was the most common injury experienced by 45% of the sample in the six-month period prior to the survey. Over 82% of the respondents rated their overall level of work-related stress as moderate or high. The five major causes of stress were: intensity of patient care, lack of support from administration, physical demands of work, inadequate staffing and responsibility for life and death decisions.

Though nurses reported a high level of stress and the majority reported a poor attitude about work, only 51% engaged in exercise to reduce stress levels. Mediating variables which demonstrated statistically significant associations with occupational stress outcomes were length of shift and perceived role success as a nurse.

Regarding learning needs, nurses demonstrated the greatest difficulty with items related to transmission of disease, in particular Hepatitis B, as well as other diseases transmitted via accidental needle stick. The majority of nurses were interested in learning more about occupational health, and the preferred format of education was a one hour inservice while on duty.

In conclusion, not only did nurses demonstrate knowledge deficits in the reporting and treatment of injuries, but they also lacked knowledge related to occupational safety. Educational programming should focus not only on the cognitive, but the affective domain in order to effect an improvement in the occupational health of the nurse.
Notes: Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 50-04, Section: B, page: 1328.

Thesis (PH.D.)--THE UNIVERSITY OF IOWA, 1988.

School code: 0096.
Table of contents: class: chapter