5 Staffing Strategies for Engaged Nurses Better Patient Outcomes | 5
Another major challenge nurses face is violent behavior
while on the job, be it from patients or coworkers.
Between 2012 and 2014, workplace violence injury
rates increased for all healthcare job classifications
and nearly doubled for nurse assistants and
nurses, according to data from the Occupational
Health Safety Network. A total of 112 U.S. facilities
in 19 states reported 10,680 Occupational Safety
and Health Administration-recordable injuries
occurring from January 1, 2012, to September
30, 2014. There were 4,674 patient handling and
movement injuries; 3,972 slips, trips and falls; and
2,034 workplace violence injuries.
This year, North Carolina took a stance against
workplace violence. Starting Dec. 1, people who attack
hospital workers in North Carolina could be charged
with a felony, thanks to a new state law. The News &
Observer reported that the new law passed by "large
margins" and was signed into law last month.
Other states are also cracking down on workplace
violence: In Massachusetts, the Massachusetts
Nurses Association union is pushing a workplace
violence bill that would add enhanced plans
around workplace safety.
4. Workplace violence.
5. Workplace hazards.
Nurses face a number of workplace hazards each
day while just doing their jobs. These hazards include
exposure to bloodborne pathogens, injuries, hand
washing-related dermatitis and cold and flu germs.
OSHA estimates 5.6 million out of roughly 12.2 million
workers in the healthcare industry and related
occupations are at risk of occupational exposure to
bloodborne pathogens.
And rates of workplace injury are higher in healthcare
than other industries. Nurses experience more than
35,000 injuries involving the back, hands, shoulders
and feet each year, according to the Bureau of Labor
Statistics. Many things influence the likelihood of
injury, including age of the nurse and environment.
Aside from acute injury, nurses are also likely to
suffer harm to their hands. A recent study from
the University of Manchester revealed healthcare
workers following hand hygiene protocols are 4.5
times more likely to suffer moderate to severe skin
damage. In the same study, researchers found
healthcare workers made up roughly 25 percent of
reported cases of irritant contact dermatitis.
Protecting nurses goes beyond their hands. As cold
and flu season nears, hospitals and health systems
can prepare to protect their workforce, including
extra measures for those who do not receive the
vaccinations for personal or religious reasons. One
option is having the nurses wear an antiviral face
mask, which has been shown to kill or inactivate
99.99 percent of laboratory-tested flu viruses.
"Between 2012 and 2014,
workplace violence injury
rates increased for all
healthcare job classifications
and nearly doubled for nurse
assistants and nurses . . ."
