Workplace Hazards in Nursing: What You Need to Know

Evidence-based programs 

Based on the occupational safety and health administration (OSHA), workplace violence prevention programs should be based on the established and standard occupational safety program paradigm (McPhaul et al., 2015). This paradigm states that every program should involve the commitment of the management components and commitment of employees, an analysis of hazards, hazard controls, employee training, and evaluation of the program. These components act as the qualitative and quantitative measures on which the impact of the identified programs can be assessed and proper revisions made. There is also an identification that the existence of safety culture within an organization has an established link with the prevention of violence in workplaces. 

To develop a proper intervention, several models are used as a tool for explaining the mechanisms of workplace violence prevention. Some of these models involve the Haddon Matrix and several work stress models (McPhaul et al., 2015). Based on these models, a workplace violence prevention framework is established. This is by the contribution of essential information to identify the critical dimensions of developing the model. The framework engages in the delineation of the dynamic interaction of factors that result in violence within healthcare, along with the interplay of deliberate strategies required for the prevention of workplace violence. 

The framework is structured with four interrelated levels that typically exist in an organization. These levels indicate that government policies and issues in society affect healthcare systems and organizations, and finally, the work unit in which patient care is presented. At the policy level, several states possess workplace prevention laws that require health organizations to structure programs. There may also be laws that affect some strategies, such as the decision by some organizations to discharge unmanageable patients. Through identification of the various levels that affect workplace prevention, this framework presents a solution on how the environment and risk assessment can be useful in determining optimal violence prevention programs. 

Oncology nurses and hazardous drug spills 

Oncology nurses are regularly engaged in the preparation and administration of hazardous drugs. Hence, several guidelines exist to protect their safety due to the health impacts that result from exposure, such as long-term reproductive issues. These guidelines are focused on the promotion of safe-handling of materials among the staff. This includes the use of personal protective equipment, such as masks and closed-system transfer devices (He et al., 2017). However, despite these guidelines, there are several barriers to the use of personal protective equipment by nurses in these hazardous conditions. This has increased the exposure of nurses to the identified short-term and long-term effects of the drugs that they handle. 

The study makes a suggestion for lower nursing workloads and increased support by the management as an intervention to reduce drug spills. This is because hazardous drug spills occur regularly, which indicates the need for an increase in attention by members of the management in healthcare organizations (He et al., 2017). These spills are usually related to activities such as infusion and patient handling. Hence, when the workload is high, individual adherence to existing guidelines is generally very low. In turn, this increases the level of exposure of the overworked nurse to the hazardous drug spills. At other times, the patient may also be affected. 

Increased support from management refers to an increase in the level of administrative controls. Hence, the administrators will have a higher commitment to establishing a safety culture within the organization. This commitment will call for the improvement of the nurse practice environment and thoughtful attention to the workload that is handed to each nurse. Engineering controls will also be deployed. When the management increases their support, there will be an easy identification to vulnerable areas of exposure to the nurses. Subsequently, the proper steps will then be taken to increase the use of protective equipment within the environment. 

Workplace Violence and Training 

Violence against nurses is a serious occupational hazard faced in the industry (Sharma et al., 2016). This can take place in the form of harassment, stalking, and intimidation. Due to the increasing prevalence of workplace violence in the nursing sector, several guidelines have been in place to protect the nursing workforce. Some of these guidelines are focused on establishing a transparent process for nurses to report any cases of violence. A reporting process for violence in the workplace is a requirement by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (Sharma et al., 2016). This exists for both physical and psychological violence and abuse. However, there is still an under-reporting of these cases. 

The best intervention for this form of violence is the education and training of the nurses involved. Staff training is required for the recognition and management of hostile and high-risk behaviors in the individuals surrounding them as it increases. This training should include information on prevention measures for community-based staff, such as preparing daily work plans and carrying the needed identification. It should also include directions on how to recognize potentially dangerous situations, along with the initiation of back-up. This is because most of the workplace violence occurs due to the absence of required knowledge and information in the staff involved. 

Training of the staff ensures that both the employees and the employers involve are aware of their responsibilities. This ranges from environmental responsibilities such as securing the environment and organizational responsibilities of developing and implementing safe work practices. The training of staff is essential as it involves an array of activities that focus on proper physical awareness and social support (Sharma et al., 2016). This way, the proper medical care can be provided to victims of workplace violence along with the assistance of injury claims. Training acts as a form of attention from the essential stakeholders from employees, researchers, and policy makers. 

References 

McPhaul, K., London, M., & Lipscomb, J. (2013). A framework for translating workplace violence intervention research into evidence-based programs.  The Online Journal of Issues in Nursing ,  18 (1). 

He, B. Y., Mendelsohn-Victor, K., McCullagh, M. C., & Friese, C. R. (2017, January). Personal protective equipment use and hazardous drug spills among ambulatory oncology nurses: Results from a mailed survey. In  Oncology nursing forum  (Vol. 44, No. 1, p. 60). NIH Public Access. 

Sharma, R. K., & Sharma, V. (2016). Workplace violence in nursing.  J Nurs Care ,  5 (335), 2167-1168.