Recommendations for development of occupational health and safety practice at secondary and tertiary hospitals, aydin

Aim and hypothesis: Study has two stages. The aim of the first stage, the cross-sectional study, is to identify the situation of occupational health practices in hospitals and to determine the conditions of occupational health and safety practices and job adaptation of health care workers. The aim of the second stage, the qualitative study, is to evaluate the health care workers' thoughts and suggestions about the current practices. Methods: The study was conducted between November 2015 and February 2017. The study was conducted in the inpatient clinic services and operating room units of Adnan Menderes University Hospital, Aydın State Hospital and Aydın Atatürk State Hospital. Three hospitals have a total of 44 inpatient clinic services, 3 operating room units and 1002 health care workers. No sample was selected in the study and all units and health care workers were included in the study. In cross-sectional study, hospital evaluation form and questionnaire were used to collect data. In addition, noise, temperature, humidity, air flow rate, lighting, carbon dioxide, oxygen, carbon monoxide, hydrogen sulfide and gamma radiation parameters were measured in the units. The units were evaluated using the risk assessment form with the 5x5 L-Type Matrix method. Qualitative study (focus-group interview) was conducted with responsible nurses of the units. The interviews, including once in each hospital, were conducted three interviews in total. The interviews were made with a total of 24 people and a person participating in the interview was removed from work because it did not fit the target group determined in the study. The interviews were recorded with a voice recorder. The interviews were conducted with semi-structured interviews with a moderator and a rapporteur. Findings: 704 (70,2%) healthcare workers participated in the study. 12,2% of them had at least one occupational accident last year. 80.0% of these accidents were injuries of cutting-drilling tools. 18.9% of the nurses-midwives profession group, 9.1% of other health personnel and 5.6% of physicians have experienced work accidents in the last year. 25,7% of them were not using any personal protective equipment when they had the accident and 27,9% did not report the accident to responsible persons. Occupational accidents were reported as verbal (72.3%). 12.1% of respondents had work-related illness for the duration of their work. 46.1% of the participants did not have a job entry examination and 54.3% did not have a periodical health examination. The most common symptom during the last year in participants was back pain (41.8%), the most common disease is visual impairment (15.2%). Humidity, carbon monoxide, hydrogen sulfide, oxygen, gamma radiation values were within normal limits at three hospitals. Noise, temperature, air flow rate, lighting, carbon dioxide values were not within normal limits. Three hospitals had high-risk factors in terms of physical, chemical, biological, ergonomic, and psychosocial risk factors. Nurses thought that education was inadequate, precautions were not taken for risk factors, and that personnel politics was not appropriate. Results: Risk factors that negatively affected working health in hospitals had been identified. Adequate measures were not taken against risk factors. Practices such as vaccination, education, inspection, accident notification were not done completely. Health workers should be involved in decision-making processes and occupational health practices.