Healthcare workers

Background: Industrial actions have become a common means by which medical doctors attempt to communicate their grievances to the  government. Paediatricians are frequently caught between a desire to support the course of their professional association and caring for their patients. The purpose of this study was to assess the opinion of paediatricians and trainee paediatricians regarding strike actions, the likely cause(s) and their reasons for and against industrial actions as a means for communicating grievances to the government.Methods: A cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted using self-administered questionnaires randomly distributed to consenting participants at the 48thAnnual Scientific Conference of the Paediatric Association of Nigeria. Data were analysed using SPSS version 20.Results: A total of 102 respondents from the 6 geopolitical zones in Nigeria returned appropriately filled forms. Fifty-seven (55.9%) were females, 91 (81.2%) were married, 72 (70.6%) were C...

Health care workers (HCWs) in sub-Saharan Africa are at a high risk of HIV infection from both sexual and occupational exposures. However, many do not seek HIV testing. This paper examines the acceptability of an unsupervised facility-based HIV self-testing (HIV-ST) intervention among HCWs and their partners and factors associated with uptake of HIVST among HCWs. HCWs in seven large Kenyan hospitals were invited to participate in pre-HIVST information sessions during which they were offered HIVST kits to take home for self-testing. A post-intervention survey was conducted among 765 HCWs. Forty-one percent attended the information session; of those, 89 % took the HIVST kits and of those, 85 % self-tested. Thirty-four percent of surveyed HCWs used the HIVST to test themselves. Of those who took the HIVST kit and had partners, 73 % gave the kit to their partner and 86 % of them indicated their partner self-tested. Factors positively associated with use of the HIVST on self were being female, being single, and being a HCW from Homa Bay Hospital (located in a high HIV prevalence area). HIVST is acceptable to HCWs and their partners. However, strategies are needed to increase HCWs attendance at pre-implementation information sessions.

Hurricane Maria was one of the most devastating storms in United States history. The tremendous force of the hurricane, along with the associated wind, rain, flooding, and critical infrastructure damage, caused incredible disruption to lives and livelihoods. Our study uses interview and observation data with healthcare workers across Puerto Rico to better understand what kind of impacts the hurricane had on people’s health, and who was most impacted. We sought to understand how healthcare workers responded to the crisis in order to reach communities in need. Our study highlights how and why people with chronic health conditions, those who were economically disadvantaged, rural populations, and older populations were particularly vulnerable to the health impacts of the storm and massive, extended disruptions to key infrastructure. We also explore how Puerto Rico’s colonial relationship to the United States, migration patterns, economic recession, and underfunding of health care services contributed to health vulnerabilities. Despite severely compromised health facilities and services across Puerto Rico, the healthcare workers that participated in our study accomplished incredible feats in their efforts to reach people in need. Flexibility in roles and local knowledge of communities were key for being able to conduct medical outreach and to know what kinds of services to provide.

Background: Organ transplantation program in developing countries is still significantly dwarfed. Health
workers are undeniably important in the success of transplantation.
Objective: To assess the knowledge and attitude of health workers toward organ donation in South-West
Nigeria with a view to explaining reasons for these shortcomings.
Methods: In a cross-sectional study conducted on 850 health care workers, self-administered questionnaires
were used to obtain information from participants.
Results: Of 850 participants, 766 (90.1%) returned their completed questionnaires. The mean±SD age of
participants was 36.7±9.2 years. Majority (93.3%) of participants had heard of organ donation; 82.5%
had desirable knowledge. Only 29.5% and 39.4% would be willing to donate and counsel potential organ
donors, respectively; 36.5% would consider signing organ donation cards. Only 19.4% believed that organ
transplantation is often effective and 63.4% believed they were permitted by their religion to donate.
Permission by religion (OR 3.5; 95% CI 2.3 to 5.3), good knowledge (OR 2.9; 95% CI 1.4 to 5.7), readiness
to sign donation cards (OR 2.6; 95% CI 1.7 to 3.8), discuss organ donation (OR 2.7; 95%CI 8.0 to 63.8),
and knowing somebody who had donated (OR 2.9) independently influenced willingness to donate organ.
Conclusion: There is disparity in knowledge of organ donation and willingness to donate among health
care workers. Efforts should be intensified to give comprehensive and appropriate education to health
care workers about organ donation to bridge this gap.
Organ transplantation; Health Knowledge, attitudes, practice; Nigeria; Community health workers; Health personnel

Resumen Se plantea el papel que los recursos humanos para la salud deberían desempeñar en las próximas etapas de la reforma del sistema de salud mexicano a través de las siguientes dimensiones: la orientación de la formación, las instituciones responsables de esta formación, las formas de vincular a los trabajadores a las instituciones y las formas en las que los trabajadores de la salud deben responder a los cambios en marcha. Los cambios requeridos deben estar basados en una propuesta de planificación estratégica sustentada en acuerdos institucionales, que defina objetivos comunes así como procedimientos claros para cumplir las metas. PALABRAS CLAVE: Sistema de Salud. Recursos Humanos para la Salud. Formación. Condiciones laborales. Reforma del Sistema de Salud. México.The role that human resources for health should play in future stages of the Mexican Health System reform is discussed. The following dimensions are considered to guide the discussion: the orientation of training, the institutions responsible for training, the mechanisms to link graduates to health institutions and the ways health workers should respond to the current managerial modifications. Changes should be based on a pre-defined strategic planning exercise based on institutional agreements which allow defining common objectives as well as clear procedures to attain those objectives. (Gac Med Mex. 2013;149:??-??) Corresponding autor: Laura Magaña Valladares, lmagana@insp.mx KEY WORDS: Health Care System. Health Personnel. Training. Health Care Sector. Health Care Reform. Mexico.

Objective: Healthcare workers (HCWs) are among the highest groups impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. This study aimed to analyze professional quality of life (ProQOL) and its association with emotional well-being in HCWs during the pandemic. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted on HCWs being in close contact with COVID-19 patients in Iran. The questionnaires assessing ProQOL, emotional well-being, and demographic and occupational characteristics were recruited via email or social media. The ProQOL was used to measure compassion fatigue (CF), burnout (BO) and compassion satisfaction (CS). Results: Among the respondents, 705 HCWs were enrolled, including a higher proportion of physicians 449 (63.7%), females 452 (64.1%), and married 486 (68.9%). The mean of participants' work experience was 8.41 ± 8.91 years. Almost all of HCWs showed moderate to high levels of CS (98.3%). Also, most of HCWs showed a moderate level of CF (96.3%), and the majority of them (76.6%) had a moderate level of BO. There were significant differences in the duration of contact with COVID-19 patients for all three components of ProQOL and emotional well-being score. Women had a higher level of BO than men (P=0.003). CS was significantly higher in married HCWs than in singles (P=0.007). Pearson correlation coefficient showed that CS had a negative relationship with CF and BO. However, there was a direct correlation between emotional well-being and the CS. Conclusion: During the COVID-19 pandemic, Iranian HCWs showed to have moderate to high levels of CS, and a moderate level of both CF and BO, and showed that emotional well-being had a direct correlation with CS.

Introduction: Awareness of occupational safety and health (OSH) plays an important role in the prevention of occupational injuries and diseases. Following the enactment of the Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSHA) in 1994, various programmes have been implemented by different agencies to increase awareness and knowledge of OSH in the workplace, including among healthcare workers. The objective of this study was to determine the level of OSH awareness and knowledge among healthcare professionals in Malaysia. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted using a 21-item self-administered questionnaire addressing information on demographics, general OSH issues, OSH legislations, occupational hazards in the healthcare setting and personal protective equipment (PPE). Results: The response rate was 93.1 percent (284 healthcare professionals). The overall level of knowledge on OSH was moderate, with a mean score of 62.0 percent. A larger proportion of doctors showed good OSH knowledge compared to other categories of healthcare workers, with administrative staff scoring the poorest marks. Participants were most knowledgeable about PPE, with a mean score of 72.0 percent (95 percent confidence interval [CI] 68.3, 75.6), compared to other sections such as general OSH, legislations and occupational hazards, with mean scores of 58.0 percent (95 percent CI 56.1, 60.1), 57.0 percent (95 percent CI 54.1, 60.8) and 64.0 percent (95 percent CI 61.7, 66.2), respectively. Conclusion: Although the OSHA 1994 has existed in Malaysia for more than ten years, awareness of OSH remains relatively poor. This warrants a greater effort to promote OSH knowledge and principles among the professionals.

In a region where geographical location determines and often times limit access to healthcare and lifesaving medicines, human resources for health are indispensable. HRH is a key component of a health system- responsible for providing health solutions and making healthcare more accessible to a lot of people. This paper looks at the role of HRH in the Nigerian health system- their availability and functionality within the health system, the accessibility barriers and what is needed to improve access to qualified HRH to a more significant role in ensuring responsive and cost-effective healthcare systems in Nigeria

Introdução: No Brasil, a provisão do abortamento legal e seguro tem sido frequentemente negada ou praticada de maneira discriminatória em instituições públicas e particulares. Para diversos autores, esse problema resulta da dificuldade de os profissionais da saúde desvencilharem a prática profissional de seus valores pessoais. Nesse quadro, se desconhece a existência de instrumentos específicos e validados de avaliação da moralidade do abortamento por profissionais da saúde brasileiros.
Objetivo: Avaliar as propriedades da medida do questionário “Mosaico de Opiniões Sobre o Aborto Induzido” e utilizá-lo para conhecer as opiniões de profissionais da saúde sobre a moralidade do abortamento legal.
Métodos: Realizou-se estudo metodológico dividido em quatro etapas. Na primeira, o questionário foi pré-testado em uma amostra intencional de pesquisadores de ciências da saúde e de ciências humanas de uma universidade pública. Foram avaliados os aspectos textuais do questionário, a viabilidade de sua aplicação pela internet e o tempo necessário para se respondê-lo. Na segunda, o questionário foi testado em uma amostra aleatória de médicos, enfermeiros, psicólogos, assistentes sociais e farmacêuticos de um hospital público e universitário. Avaliaram-se os mesmos aspectos da etapa anterior. Na terceira, promoveu-se estudo multicêntrico mediante a aplicação do questionário em uma amostra não aleatória de profissionais de sete hospitais públicos universitários. Realizou-se análise fatorial confirmatória, avaliação da validade convergente e divergente do modelo proposto, validação por grupos conhecidos e avaliação da consistência interna do questionário. Na quarta etapa, realizou-se análise secundária dos dados quanti-qualitativos obtidos na etapa anterior, desta vez com o objetivo de conhecer as opiniões dos sujeitos do estudo sobre a moralidade do abortamento. Empreendeu-se uma análise de regressão linear múltipla para conhecer os determinantes dos construtos do questionário. Os dados qualitativos foram utilizados para ilustrar ou explicar os resultados da análise estatística.
Resultados: 430 sujeitos participaram do estudo (10 no pré-teste, 32 no teste e 388 na etapa multicêntrica). Nas etapas de teste, todos os aspectos avaliados obtiveram resultados satisfatórios. Na etapa multicêntrica, a análise fatorial confirmatória permitiu a redução do questionário de 42 para 32 itens, com bons indicadores de propriedades da medida. A análise das opiniões dos participantes constatou que os construtos liberais tinham escores superiores aos conservadores. O adequado conhecimento das leis sobre o aborto induzido foi o principal determinante dos construtos liberais. A adesão religiosa e a falta de treinamento recente foram os determinantes mais frequentes dos construtos conservadores.
Conclusão: O questionário obteve resultados satisfatórios em todas as etapas de validação propostas e está apto para ser utilizado em outros estudos. Com relação às opiniões avaliadas, os resultados da aplicação do questionário corroboram a hipótese de que a promoção da capacitação de profissionais da saúde poderia contribuir com a redução das barreiras ao abortamento legal e seguro no Brasil.

Aim: In the study, it was aimed to determine the relationship between n the stigmatization levels of
health workers and demographic variables in the COVID-19 epidemic.
Methods: This research was carried out with the participation of 327 healthcare workers working at the
Health Sciences University Gulhane Training and Research hospital. In the study, the Health Worker
Coronavirus Stigma Scale was used to examine the coronavirus stigma levels of healthcare workers
according to demographic variables.
Results: In the study, a significant difference was found among the independent variables affecting the
coronavirus stigma levels of healthcare workers according to their educational status. According to the
correlation analysis findings, it is seen that there is a statistically significant and positive relationship
between the sub-dimensions of the scale and the general scale level (r≥0,80; p<.01). When the average
values of the scale and its sub-dimensions are examined, it is seen that the coronavirus stigma levels of
healthcare workers are moderate.
Conclusion: With stigma, the effects of the epidemic on health workers continue for a long time and
can cause more devastating consequences. Therefore, psychological and behavioral support should be
given to healthcare workers who are faced with stigma during the COVID-19 epidemic.

The study aimed to describe the behavior of epidemiological variables of a population of workers before and after implementation of interdisciplinary practices in the occupational health assessments of an oil industry company in Bahia, Brazil. In the period from 2006 to 2010, workers annually attended the Health Service to assist professionals in the areas of medicine and dentistry and from 2011 to 2015, services included assessments with nutritionists, nurses and physical educators. In an integrated and interdisciplinary way, the team guided the individuals in their needs and defined strategies to improve their health conditions. The data were collected in worksheets and analyzed in the SPSS. Trends were analyzed before (2006- 2010) and after (2011-2015) implementation of interdisciplinary care. A greater reduction was observed in the second period for data on the prevalence of smoking, sedentarism, altered triglycerides and periodontal disease. There was no change in the trend of indicators of overweight and obesity. Regarding the relative coronary risk indicator, reversal trend was observed, showing a decrease in the second period. The interdisciplinary approach during the annual occupational health assessments with action directed to the needs of the workers may be associated to the improvements of the health indicators evaluated.

Background: Occupational health is a neglected public health issue among healthcare workers in developing countries like Yemen and they may expose them to various forms of hazards, which have had negative consequences on their wellbeing and performance at work.
Objective: The study aims at exploring the forms of occupational health
hazards prevalence and methods to mitigate these hazards among Health Care Workers (HCW) in governmental hospitals in Mukalla city.
Methods: It is a cross-sectional study conducted among health workers in the main hospitals in Mukalla city in Hadhramout province in eastern Yemen. The sample size is calculated statistically as 366 workers from different categories including doctors, nurses and lab technicians. A sample of 391 workers were selected randomly who were distributed to be representative and proportional to the size of each professional category. Results: The prevalence of biological hazards among the healthcare workers accounted for 298 (76%) whereas the non-biological hazards accounted for 306 (78%). The most prevalent biological hazards are needle prick injury (80%) followed by exposure to contact with contaminated material (75%), while the most frequent non-biological hazards are back pain (79%) followed by extra-time work (72%). In logistic regression age, gender and duration of work and professional category have significant association with exposure of health workers to biological hazards while only gender is the only variable associated
with non-biological hazards. Conclusion: There is a high prevalence of occupational hazards (biological and non-biological) among health workers in hospitals of Mukalla city. A prevention and infection control and patient safety programs are highly recommended in Mukalla hospitals to save health workers and patients.

This study focuses on waste production at the Tongon gold mine in Côte d'Ivoire. The objective is to assess the impact of the waste produced in the Tongon gold mine on the health of workers. The data collection methodology was based on documentary research and a questionnaire-based survey. Based on a stratified survey, 297 workers were selected for this study. It made it possible to identify the different types of mining (or industrial) waste produced and the pathologies that could be linked to it. This mining waste consists of waste rock (mine tailings) (82%), contaminated soil (1%) and sludge (17%) containing cyanide, hydrochloric acid, arsenic, lead, iron, nitrate, hydrogen peroxide which are very harmful to health. The study also reveals that clinical pathologies and signs such as eye (8%), digestive (14%), respiratory (11%) and auditory (4%) irritations, frequent headaches (24%) and caustic lesions (17%) observed in workers in this study area could be related to their exposure and to the handling of chemical inputs.

Background: Job satisfaction has been identified as a key factor determining patient satisfaction in health care organizations. This study was undertaken to assess the job satisfaction index among staff in the facility, and to identify factors influencing job satisfaction as a means of improving services in the hospital. Methodology: This was a cross-sectional survey of health care workers conducted using the Linda Powells (Mountains State Group Inc) self-administered questionnaire. This is a 50-item questionnaire assessing eight thematic areas; 1. Overall satisfaction, 2. Planning, 3. General Attitudes, 4. Performance issues, 5. Management issues, 6. Supervisory issues, 7. Training and salary issues, 8. Benefits. Results: Overall, 64.8% of respondents were satisfied with their jobs. The thematic area that had the highest job satisfaction score was general attitudes; while the lowest was benefits 37.7%. Conclusion: The overall job satisfaction was found to be 64.8%. The thematic area that scored highest for level of satisfaction was general attitudes followed by performance issues, supervisory issues and planning. Staff were not satisfied with management issues, training and salary issues and benefits.

Resumo Introdução: os trabalhadores de lavanderia hospitalar estão amplamente expostos a diferentes situações de risco ocupacional pelas características peculiares desse ambiente de trabalho. Objetivo: identificar a vivência e a percepção dos trabalhadores sobre suas condições de trabalho. Método: pesquisa de abordagem qualitativa realizada com trabalhadores de uma lavanderia hospitalar de um hospital público de grande porte. Os dados foram coletados e analisados seguindo a técnica de grupo focal e de análise de conteúdo. Resultados: os riscos percebidos foram identificados e analisados em três categorias: 1. Riscos do trabalho diário, com as subcategorias Riscos ergonômicos (intensificação do trabalho, número excessivo de horas trabalhadas, exigência de produção e ausência de pausas), Riscos físicos (ruído, calor), Riscos biológicos (manuseio de material contaminado) e Estresse e perigo de acidentes com materiais perfurocortantes; 2. Organização do trabalho e controle sobre os trab...

Background Human resources for health (HRH) include a range of occupations that aim to promote or improve human health. The UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the WHO Health Workforce 2030 strategy have drawn attention to the importance of HRH for achieving policy priorities such as universal health coverage (UHC). Although previous research has found substantial global disparities in HRH, the absence of comparable crossnational estimates of existing workforces has hindered efforts to quantify workforce requirements to meet health system goals. We aimed to use comparable and standardised data sources to estimate HRH densities globally, and to examine the relationship between a subset of HRH cadres and UHC effective coverage performance. Methods Through the International Labour Organization and Global Health Data Exchange databases, we identified 1404 country-years of data from labour force surveys and 69 country-years of census data, with detailed microdata on health-related employment. From the WHO National Health Workforce Accounts, we identified 2950 country-years of data. We mapped data from all occupational coding systems to the International Standard Classification of Occupations 1988 (ISCO-88), allowing for standardised estimation of densities for 16 categories of health workers across the full time series. Using data from 1990 to 2019 for 196 of 204 countries and territories, covering seven Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study (GBD) super-regions and 21 regions, we applied spatiotemporal Gaussian process regression (ST-GPR) to model HRH densities from 1990 to 2019 for all countries and territories. We used stochastic frontier meta-regression to model the relationship between the UHC effective coverage index and densities for the four categories of health workers enumerated in SDG indicator 3.c.1 pertaining to HRH: physicians, nurses and midwives, dentistry personnel, and pharmaceutical personnel. We identified minimum workforce density thresholds required to meet a specified target of 80 out of 100 on the UHC effective coverage index, and quantified national shortages with respect to those minimum thresholds. Findings We estimated that, in 2019, the world had 104•0 million (95% uncertainty interval 83•5-128•0) health workers, including 12•8 million (9•7-16•6) physicians, 29•8 million (23•3-37•7) nurses and midwives, 4•6 million (3•6-6•0) dentistry personnel, and 5•2 million (4•0-6•7) pharmaceutical personnel. We calculated a global physician density of 16•7 (12•6-21•6) per 10 000 population, and a nurse and midwife density of 38•6 (30•1-48•8) per 10 000 population. We found the GBD super-regions of sub-Saharan Africa, south Asia, and north Africa and the Middle East had the lowest HRH densities. To reach 80 out of 100 on the UHC effective coverage index, we estimated that, per 10 000 population, at least 20•7 physicians, 70•6 nurses and midwives, 8•2 dentistry personnel, and 9•4 pharmaceutical personnel would be needed. In total, the 2019 national health workforces fell short of these minimum thresholds by 6•4 million physicians, 30•6 million nurses and midwives, 3•3 million dentistry personnel, and 2•9 million pharmaceutical personnel. Interpretation Considerable expansion of the world's health workforce is needed to achieve high levels of UHC effective coverage. The largest shortages are in low-income settings, highlighting the need for increased financing and coordination to train, employ, and retain human resources in the health sector. Actual HRH shortages might be larger than estimated because minimum thresholds for each cadre of health workers are benchmarked on health systems that most efficiently translate human resources into UHC attainment. .

Abstract

Introduction
With COVID-19, there is urgency for policymakers to understand and respond to the health needs of slum communities. Lockdowns for pandemic control have health, social and economic consequences. We consider access to healthcare before and during COVID-19 with those working and living in slum communities.

Methods
In seven slums in Bangladesh, Kenya, Nigeria and Pakistan, we explored stakeholder perspectives and experiences of healthcare access for non-COVID-19 conditions in two periods: pre-COVID-19 and during COVID-19 lockdowns.

Results
Between March 2018 and May 2020, we engaged with 860 community leaders, residents, health workers and local authority representatives. Perceived common illnesses in all sites included respiratory, gastric, waterborne and mosquitoborne illnesses and hypertension. Pre-COVID, stakeholders described various preventive, diagnostic and treatment services, including well-used antenatal and immunisation programmes and some screening for hypertension, tuberculosis, HIV and vectorborne disease. In all sites, pharmacists and patent medicine vendors were key providers of treatment and advice for minor illnesses. Mental health services and those addressing gender-based violence were perceived to be limited or unavailable. With COVID-19, a reduction in access to healthcare services was reported in all sites, including preventive services. Cost of healthcare increased while household income reduced. Residents had difficulty reaching healthcare facilities. Fear of being diagnosed with COVID-19 discouraged healthcare seeking. Alleviators included provision of healthcare by phone, pharmacists/drug vendors extending credit and residents receiving philanthropic or government support; these were inconsistent and inadequate.

Conclusion
Slum residents’ ability to seek healthcare for non-COVID-19 conditions has been reduced during lockdowns. To encourage healthcare seeking, clear communication is needed about what is available and whether infection control is in place. Policymakers need to ensure that costs do not escalate and unfairly disadvantage slum communities. Remote consulting to reduce face-to-face contact and provision of mental health and gender-based violence services should be considered.

Some leadership styles have negative and toxic features such as destructive leadership, authoritarian leadership, narcissistic leadership and brute-bullying leadership. Toxic leadership is defined as the sum of the negative aspects of leadership which might include charisma, personalized use of power, narcissism, negative life themes, and an ideology of hate.
This study aims at contributing to the theoretical gap in Turkish literature about destructive leadership. In this regard, first of all, the definitions of destructive leadership made by several
authors are presented in the literature. Later, the levels of perception by 200 health workers in a university hospital are investigated using the "Toxic Leadership Scale" and the results of the research are analyzed. Finally, the findings are discussed and evaluations are made for research and application.
In this study, the relationship between gender, age, marital status, education status, duty in hospital, income, occupational status, unit variables of health workers, and toxic leadership levels were examined in terms of both the general average of toxic leadership scale and subscales of scale. The Cronbach-Alpha coefficient in the study was found to be 0.98. The general average of the health workers obtained from the Toxic Leadership Scale (2.91 ± 1.03) was moderate; there were statistically significant differences due to age and income situation; the toxic leadership perceptions of administrative staff (3.40 ± 0.98) were higher than the average of other health workers.

Mobile phones are most commonly used by health care workers not only in the hospital, but even in toilets. These mobile phones can be vehicles for transmission of nosocomial bacterial infection to patients from healthcare workers or vice versa. This study aimed to examine the presence of bacterial contamination on the mobile phones of healthcare workers. 104 samples were randomly collected from the mobile phone of healthcare workers (Doctors, Nurses, Nursing students, Lab technicians) according to the recommendations of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Those healthcare workers who used their mobile phones regularly and did not clean for the last three months or more were included in the study while those healthcare workers who cleaned their mobile phones once; or mobile phones contaminated by our hands during sample collection were excluded from the study. In the present study, the most frequently isolated bacteria from mobile phones of healthcare workers are Coagulase-negative staphylococcus epidermidis (76%) followed by Staphylococcus aureus (39%), Escherichia coli (38%), Pseudomonas aeruginosa (28%), Enterobacter cloacae (20%), Proteus species (19%), Acinetobacter species (15%), Micrococcus species(14%), Proteus vulgaris (14%), Enterobacter aerogenes (13%), Klebsiella pneumoniae (12%). Our findings showed the presence of bacterial contamination on mobile phones of healthcare workers; indicates that the mobile phones of healthcare workers can act as reservoirs of bacteria. Therefore, it is suggested that the healthcare workers must clean their mobile phones properly at regular time intervals by appropriate disinfectant to reduce the risk of nosocomial infections through their mobile phones.

Background: During infectious epidemics, healthcare workers are required to deliver traditional care while facing new pressures. Time and resource restrictions, a focus on saving lives and new safety measures can lead to traditional aspects of care delivery being neglected. Aim: Identify barriers to delivering end-of-life care, describe attempts to deliver care during the COVID-19 pandemic, and understand the impact this had on staff. Design: A rapid appraisal was conducted incorporating a rapid review of policies from the United Kingdom, semi-structured telephone interviews with healthcare workers, and a review of mass print media news stories and social media posts describing healthcare worker’s experiences of delivering care during the pandemic. Data were coded and analysed using framework analysis. Setting/Participants: From a larger ongoing study, 22 interviews which mentioned death or caring for patients at end-of-life, eight government and National Health Service policies aff...

Hand washing by clinical staff is the single most important measure to prevent hospital-acquired infection [1-3]. Compliance with handwashing using soap and water by healthcare workers has been measured as below 50% in most observational studies in European and American hospitals [4]. The micro-organisms on human skin can be divided in two groups, transient flora and permanent flora.

As a medical term “hybrid interventions” denotes performing various special treatments together with each other. Especially on high-risk patients and in treatments of complex pathologies, hybrid surgery where minimal invasive surgical techniques utilized together with invasive catheter interventions is a very effective treatment method.
Hybrid operating rooms (OR) are treatment centers where; in patients advanced imaging for the purpose of diagnostics, surgery, stent or balloon applications, endovascular interventions, and/or if necessary, various combinations of those are employed and all sorts of interventions are applied on patients in the same environment. For that reason hybrid OR workers, in addition to the same risks other sector employees are faced with, are exposed to more different risks due to the nature of their occupation.
Health-threat posing harms and risks to the health of healthcare workers employed in hybrid OR are defined as; biological, physical, chemical, ergonomic and psychological.
Adversity in hybrid OR environments and workplace conditions negatively affect workers’ physical and mental health, work satisfaction, success and productivity. Therefore, probable harms and risks in hybrid OR should be defined and necessary precautions should be taken, should be inspected periodically and necessary trainings should be given to the healthcare workers.

In Quebec and Canada, immigration policies are designed to attract “the best and the brightest.” Once migration occurs however, the “brain waste” is challenging. This research focuses on the professional trajectories of international medical graduates (IMG) who migrate to Quebec. The main goal is to understand why certain individuals of a similar occupational group can easily access the doctoral profession while others cannot. Following a qualitative approach, and stemming from IMGs’ perspectives, this article explores the interplay of economic, social and symbolic resources in a context of highly fragmented institutional resources and protectionism. We are critical of the individual-centered approaches that ignore social norms and constraints. If migrants are free to choose their paths and manner of integration, the “human capital” approach is limited in explaining the heterogeneous pathways within the same professional group. The current structure for professional recognition places unusual constraints on IMGs whereby some encounter more obstacles than others. The “battle” for professional recognition takes shape in a highly competitive context, one which - although presented as a neutral process - is underlain with ideological, relational and subjective currents.

Keywords: international medical graduates, highly qualified migrants, occupational integration, recognition, Quebec-Canada, employment resources

Based on a phenomenological study that includes interview of 17 migrant healthcare workers (HCW), this correspondence foregrounds the spirituality of risk-taking (bahala na) that helps migrant Filipin@ HCW deal with and survive the stresses brought about by the pandemic. This spirituality, when tapped, can further aid them in fighting against institutional racism to promote health equity in the medical community.

We provide ethical criteria to establish when vaccine mandates for healthcare workers are ethically justifiable. The relevant criteria are: the utility of the vaccine for healthcare workers, the utility for patients (both in terms of prevention of transmission of infection and reduction in staff shortage), and the existence of less restrictive alternatives that can achieve comparable benefits. Health care workers have professional obligations to promote the interests of patients that entail exposure to greater risks or infringement of autonomy than ordinary members of the public. Thus, we argue that when vaccine mandates are justified on the basis of these criteria, they are not unfairly discriminatory, and the level of coercion they involve is ethically acceptable - and indeed comparable to that already accepted in healthcare employment contracts. Such mandates might be justified even when general population mandates are not. Our conclusion is that, given current evidence, those ethical criteria justify mandates for flu vaccination, but not COVID-19 vaccination for health care workers. We extend our arguments to other vaccines.

Francesca Sirna and Simeng Wang, 2020, « European and non-European health workers in France during the COVID-19 pandemic: engagement in the disease control and in the French health system’s reorganization » in Lia Lombardi and al. (eds.) Special Issue "The challenges of COVID-19: global health and inequality", European Sociological Association RN16 Sociology of Health and Illness Newsletter, 11, p. 14-16

The present contribution, by cross-referencing two ongoing pieces of research, aims to analyse the roles played by European and non-European health workers in France in the context of the global COVID-19 pandemic crisis and the several convergent challenges that the French healthcare system must face with this. The legal status and careers of European and non-European doctors are different. Comparing them could help to highlight specificities and differences.

Root cause analysis is perhaps the most widely used tool in healthcare risk management, but does it actually lead to successful risk control? Are there categories of risk control that are more likely to be effective? And do healthcare risk managers have the tools they need to support the risk control process? This systematic review examines how the healthcare sector translates risk analysis to risk control action plans and examines how to do better. It suggests that the hierarchy of risk controls should inform risk control action planning and that new tools should be developed to improve the risk control process.

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Workplace injuries, such as musculoskeletal injuries, needlestick injuries, and emotional and physical violence, remain an issue in U.S. hospitals. To develop meaningful safety programs, it is important to identify workplace factors that contribute to injuries. This study explored factors that affect injuries in a sample of newly licensed registered nurses (NLRNs) in Florida. Regressions were run on models in which the dependent variable was the degree to which the respondent had experienced needlesticks, work-related musculoskeletal injuries, cuts or lacerations, contusions, verbal violence, physical violence, and other occupational injuries. A higher probability of these injuries was associated with greater length of employment, working evening or night shifts, working overtime, and reporting job difficulties and pressures. A lower probability was associated with working in a teaching hospital and working more hours. Study findings suggest that work environment issues must be addressed for safety programs to be effective.

ÖZET Çalışmanın amacı Türkiye'de 2011 yılı itibariyle uygulanmaya başlanan ve gün geçtikçe kullanımı yaygınlaşan, " Üniversiteler ile Sağlık Bakanlığı'nın ilgili tesislerinin birlikte kullanımı neticesinde oluşan kurumlarda çalışan personele " uygulanan, performansa dayalı ek ödeme sisteminin çalışanların verimliliklerini olumlu veya olumsuz yönde etkileyip etkilemediğinin araştırılmasıdır. Konuyla ilgili çalışmaya literatür taraması yapılarak başlanmış; bu alanda kitap, makale, yayımlanmış ve yayımlanmamış yüksek lisans ve doktora tezleri ve internet dokümanları incelenmiştir. Muğla Sıtkı Koçman Üniversitesi Eğitim ve Araştırma Hastanesi'nde uygulanmakta olan, performansa dayalı ek ödeme sisteminin hastane çalışanlarının verimliliklerine olan etkilerini belirlemek amacıyla anket geliştirilmiş ve çalışan personel üzerinde uygulanmıştır. Araştırmanın evreni Muğla Sıtkı Koçman Üniversitesi ile T.C. Sağlık Bakanlığı'na bağlı Muğla Devlet Hastanesi'nin 26/04/2011 tarihinde imzaladığı " birlikte kullanım ve işbirliği protokolü " ile Muğla Sıtkı Koçman Üniversitesi Eğitim ve Araştırma Hastanesi olarak adlandırılan kurumda araştırmanın yapıldığı tarihlerde çalışan personelin tümüdür. Çalışanların değerlendirmelerini almak üzere 550 adet anket çalışması sunulmuş ancak bunların 338'i cevaplandırılmıştır. Elde edilen veriler SPSS 14.0'da incelenmiştir. Çalışma sonucunda personelin PDEÖS hakkındaki düşüncelerinin olumsuz yönde olduğu görülmüştür. ABSTRACT The aim of the hereby study is to analyze whether the work system, called " Performance based additional payment " affects the employees of the institutions, emerged after the co-colcational use of the Universities and the relevant institutions of the Ministry of Health in a negative or positive manner. The study in this regard was initiated by conducting a literature review and the books, articles, published or unpublished post graduate or doctorate thesis as well as the internet based documents were studied. In order to determine the impact of the Performance Based Additional Payment System, that is currently being implemented in the Muğla Sıtkı Koçman University, Training and Research Hospital, on the efficiency of the employees of the said hospital, a survey was developed and implemented on the working personnel. The population of the research is comprised of the entire personnel, working in the Institution, renamed Muğla Sıtkı Koçman University Training and Research Hospital, upon undersigning the " protocol for cooperation and collocation " signed by The Muğla State Hospital under the Ministry of Health and by Muğla Sıtkı Koçman University by time the indicated research was being conducted. 550 surveys were presented in order to acquire the assessments of the employees but only 338 of them were filled in. The data, received from this were analyzed in SPSS 14.0. As a result of the study it was seen that staff had negative attitudes towards to the Performance Based Additional Payment System.