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Protecting Pregnant Health Care Workers From Occupational Hazards
Abstract
The safety of pregnant health care workers and their infants is paramount. The scope and variety of hazards within the health care field is profound and diverse. The occupational health nurse can identify early risks and correct them, as well as provide ongoing surveillance, counseling, and prudent policy recommendations for the multitude of hazards to which pregnant health care workers are exposed. Policy must reflect the real risks taken by these workers every day they go to work, and how those risks will affect them, their immediate families, and future generations.
... Las trabajadoras de la salud, además de verse afectadas en su esfera psicosocial durante sus embarazos, se enfrentan a múltiples y diversos riesgos (14); entre estos riesgos se destacan la presencia de factores químicos y biológicos en el ambiente, tener que trabajar largas jornadas laborales, realizar esfuerzo físico, trabajar bajo presión laboral, tener contacto con anestésicos y con fármacos antitumorales (15) y verse expuestas a radiaciones ionizantes (16). La exposición a infecciones de transmisión directa como citomegalovirus, influenza y fiebres eruptivas, representa un especial riesgo para este tipo de trabajadoras durante sus embarazos (17). ...
Objective: To explore how their pregnancies were from the experiences of doctors working in the
health care sector in Bogotá. Materials and Methods: A qualitative phenomenological study was
conducted using in-depth interviews, among voluntary participants between November and December
2015; the analysis of the data was performed using the software Atlas.ti 7. Results: The respondents
believe that they worked in excess in their pregnancies. Stress caused by their activity and workload
are mentioned as occupational risk situations for their pregnancies by the participants who in seven
cases had pregnant complications (preterm labor and birth, miscarriage, hemorrhage, pre-eclampsia,
eclampsia and gestational hypertension among others). The employment conditions often by service
delivery are valued as difficult by several of the participants. They recommend reducing labor time
and also that the work conditions of the health organizations meet their health needs. Conclusions:
It is imperative to advance in the study of the possible relationship between workload and pregnancy
complications in women physicians; insist in the importance of care during pregnancy for physician’s
women and persevere in achieving regulations developments especially on health workers’ protection
during their pregnancies.
... While all of the studies published to date were conducted before the release of the NIOSH Alert in 2004, environmental exposure studies since 2004 have documented that workplaces are still commonly contaminated with these drugs 12,14,18,19,[24][25][26][27][28][29][30] and hence, workers are likely chronically exposed to low levels of multiple agents known to be toxic to human reproduction. A workplace should be safe for all workers, regardless of their reproductive status and this includes workplaces where antineoplastic drugs are used 85 . When the reproductive outcomes data reviewed here are considered in light of their biologic plausibility based on mechanisms of drug action and for their consistency with the results of animal and patient studies, a coherent body of evidence emerges. ...
Objectives:
Antineoplastic drugs are known reproductive and developmental toxicants. Our objective was to review the existing literature of reproductive health risks to workers who handle antineoplastic drugs.
Methods:
A structured literature review of 18 peer-reviewed, English language publications of occupational exposure and reproductive outcomes was performed.
Results:
Although effect sizes varied with study size and population, occupational exposure to antineoplastic drugs seems to raise the risk of both congenital malformations and miscarriage. Studies of infertility and time to pregnancy also suggested an increased risk for subfertility.
Conclusions:
Antineoplastic drugs are highly toxic in patients receiving treatment, and adverse reproductive effects have been well documented in these patients. Health care workers with long-term, low-level occupational exposure to these drugs also seem to have an increased risk of adverse reproductive outcomes. Additional precautions to prevent exposure should be considered.
Objective
To explore the factors affecting nurses’ compliance with repositioning policy.
Methods
An integrative review was conducted following the Whittemore and Knafl methodology to identify the problem related to repositioning policy compliance. We searched the following databases: Coherence Wounds Group Specialized Register (Jan 1997 to Jun 2019), Ovid MEDLINE (Jan 1997 to Jun 2019), EBSCO CINAHL (Jan 1997 to Jun 2019), and Clinical Key database (Jan 2014 to Oct 2018).
Results
The review revealed three factors that influence repositioning compliance: nurse-related factors, patient-related factors, and Environment-related factors.
Conclusions
These factors directly impact one another and, in turn, influence the compliance of nurses to the repositioning policy. However, there is no evidence currently available that explains the collective impact of these factors and how they interact to affect repositioning policy compliance. Nevertheless, all these factors are important and should be considered to enhance and further improve the quality of nursing care and adherence to the repositioning policy.
The working environment of nurses contains numerous hazards that can be particularly harmful to pregnant women. In addition, pregnancy-induced changes can themselves cause discomfort. Therefore, it is necessary to analyze pregnant nurses’ experiences of clinical work. This qualitative study analyzed data collected through in-depth interviews. From January to June in 2020, 12 shift-work nurses who had experienced pregnancy within three years were interviewed. The main question was “Could you describe your clinical work experience during pregnancy?” Qualitative data from field notes and transcriptions of the interviews were analyzed using Colaizzi’s method. Six categories were extracted that described the nurses’ clinical work experience during pregnancy, as follows: “enduring alone,” “organizational characteristics of nursing,” “risky work environment,” “strengths that sustain work during pregnancy,” “growth as a nurse,” and “methods to protect pregnant nurses.” Pregnant nurses experienced various difficulties due to physical and mental changes during pregnancy, and the clinical working environment did not provide them with adequate support. The findings of this study will be helpful for developing and implementing practical maternity protection policies and work guidelines.
United Kingdom work-family issues
- L Lepre
- R Miller
- A Long
- F Brennan
The Fair Employment and Housing Act
- California State Of