Actions taken by nurses in response to their experience of an occupational health incident

Abstract

Nurses are exposed to many different types of occupational health hazards at their place of work. Awareness of these hazards and good management may reduce the risk of such hazards. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to investigate the actions taken by nurses in the case of occupational health incidents. A small-scale survey study was chosen as the research design in order to achieve the aim and objectives of the present research study. Self-administered questionnaires were handed out to 26 nurses working in two wards (one medical and one surgical) in a general hospital. A self administered questionnaire, which was collected by hand, was used to gather data. The sample consisted of nineteen nurses who responded to the questionnaire, giving a response rate of 70%. A major finding was that the majority of nurses were aware of the most common occupational health hazards that they are exposed to and all but one had experienced one or more occupational health incident. However, the majority lacked awareness of the management required following an occupational health incident. Most of the nurses feel the need for more services, which should be made available to them, and also the need for more awareness regarding their occupational health. Finally, recommendations for education, practice, management and further research are put forth for improvement of the present situation and maintenance of the acquired knowledge.