Violence, injuries, and illness in a working healthcare environment is among the most complicated and dangerous career perils facing medical professionals today (Abdalla, Apramian, Cantley, & Cullen, 2017). The dangers of operating in environment constituting of violent patients, staff shortages, heightened acuities, and the absence of protective and preventive programs all stand as conflicting situations for healthcare professionals. These complexities emerge and thrive as a result of the existence of conflicting needs and perceptions formed by the general public (Gomaa et al., 2015). For instance, some healthcare care cultures are not entirely into understanding that while the needs of the patients must be met unconditionally, medical care staffs are also at risk of getting injured or victimized while administering and tending to the sick.
In some setups, handling the sick is “part of the job,” and medical professionals have to juggle with tending for the sick and protecting themselves. From an economic point of view, the occupational risk is regarded as an aspect influencing the choice of employment and compensatory principles (Miller, 2013). Nonetheless, the aftermath of an employee’s conduct, behavior, and emotional well-being after encountering injuries and suffering is less analyzed or given consideration as critical issues. Given the competing needs as manifested in the healthcare delivery system, there exist high incidences of underreporting and under filing among employees serving in medical care capacities (Galizzi et al., 2010). Workers perceive the results of reporting or efforts to question the working condition as uncertain and prospectively risky to their careers.
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Healthcare workers deserve an opportunity to express their rights, to report incidences of occupational injuries, and even to be granted safe non-conflicting workplace environment. Other than enforcing policies encouraging workers to report undesirable workplace occurrences, organizations and management should protect employees’ careers, safeguard them from infections and injuries. Besides, entities must ensure adequate staffing.
Occupational injuries in the workplace may be more dangerous and fatal than in any other occupation. First, healthcare workers operate in an environment designed to be hazardous every day. They interact with patients who may transfer germs and illnesses on surfaces they touch and sometimes even the air they breathe. Physically interacting with the patients may be a requirement for the workers and as such, they willingly put themselves at risk of contracting deadly viruses. While their job requires them to put themselves at risk, it also requires them to take care of the patient to the best of their abilities. The healthcare industry is one of the largest sectors in any country. Therefore, these are numerous workers putting their lives on the line every day. However, the type of hospital determines the risk and span of injuries the health workers can get.
The physical nature of many hospital jobs exposes many healthcare workers to physical injuries as well. For instance, many machines are requiring set up and movement. Some of the operations required to set up the equipment can cause physical harm to the workers. Furthermore, some of the equipment such as x-ray machines emit radiation which without the necessary housing and shielding from radiation may be detrimental to their physical health in the long run. Physical harm can sometimes leave the patients unable to proceed with their tasks as per the requirements. They are rendered disabled and the hospital has to make settlements sufficient to compensate them for the losses. The hospitals, therefore, have to come up with policies which dictate how such equipment is handled as well as how the workers who get injured doing such jobs receive compensation and treatment.
Organizations also have to formulate policies on the handling of drugs and other pharmaceuticals. Some of the substances are dangerous and have to be handled carefully and access limited to certain personnel alone. From a legal perspective, policies allow the hospital to absolve itself of any responsibility because they have a formulated method of handling potential risks and threats to their employees. According to AA, policies allow the hospital to serve all the needs of all their employees. They can focus on ensuring everyone has a safe working environment where the imminent risks are assessed before help is hired. The legal team has to meet with the risk assessment team as well as representative members of the various workforces in the healthcare sector. Without the representatives, the policymakers may miss out on special features and policies which could otherwise keep their employees from harm and in turn save them litigation expenses.
Policies also ensure that the hospital meets all accreditation and regulatory demands. Accreditation and regulation mean that the hospital has to undergo inspection. This ensures that the patients' needs are taken care of and as such, the management will put in place standards which help the healthcare workers give the best patient care to the patients. Hospitals are driven by laws and regulations specified in their policies. Policies in healthcare provide guidelines for a course of action. When workers follow the guidelines provided by the hospital, they can better avoid getting injuries in the hospital. For instance, patients who carry deadly viruses and infections have a different receiving and course of treatment. Nurses, practitioners and other hospital workers who ignore the guidelines are more likely to get sick and sustain other physical injuries.
Most hospitals also offer health plans for their employees. Sometimes contracting a disease can take a long time after a person has been exposed. Therefore, the hospital has to provide sufficient medical coverage to their employees to protect them as well as the patients in the hospitals. Healthcare workers have to understand the rationale of such polices and add on to where they feel they are at risk or exposed to more diseases or other injuries. Healthcare workers have to speak out when they feel the policies put in place do not take care of their needs. Furthermore, they also have to join unions which can represent them in case their rights are infringed or ignored by the hospitals. As mentioned above, the policymakers have to address the origin of the policies and why their workforce must follow the guidelines put in place by the hospitals.
Healthcare personnel experience a range of perils including violence, injuries, and illnesses. Sometimes the danger comes from the patients, the equipment as well as other clients and stakeholders. The involved organizations, therefore, have to formulate policies which help the organizations determine how best to avoid such situations as well as mitigate risks of them happening. Sometimes even the general public may introduce threats to healthcare workers. Hospitals must be willing to meet the needs of their employees as well as formulate policies which protect their workers from harm. Through the policies, the workers are protected and insured of damages caused in the line of duty.
References
Abdalla, S., Apramian, S. S., Cantley, L. F., & Cullen, M. R. (2017). Occupation and risk for injuries. Injury prevention and environmental health. Disease control Priorities , 97-132.
Galizzi, M., Miesmaa, P., Punnett, L., Slatin, C., & Phase in Healthcare Research Team. (2010). Injured workers’ underreporting in the health care industry: an analysis using quantitative, qualitative, and observational data. Industrial Relations: A Journal of Economy and Society , 49 (1), 22-43.
Gomaa, A. E., Tapp, L. C., Luckhaupt, S. E., Vanoli, K., Sarmiento, R. F., Raudabaugh, W. M., ... & Sprigg, S. M. (2015). Occupational traumatic injuries among workers in health care facilities—United States, 2012–2014. MMWR. Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report , 64 (15), 405.
Miller, K. (2013). Risk factors and impacts of occupational injury in healthcare workers: A critical review. OA Musculoskeletal Medicine , 1 (1), 4.
