Workplace based assessment

Excessive occupational exposure to noise results in a well-recognized occupational hearing loss which is prevalent in many workplaces and now it is taken as a global problem. Therefore, this study aims to assess the prevalence of noise-induced hearing loss and associated factors among workers in the Bishoftu Central Air Base in Ethiopia. An institutional-based cross-sectional study was conducted among 260 central air base workers through face-to-face interviews, an environment noise survey, and an audiometric test for data collection...

OBJECTIVE: To define competency-based education (CBE) for pharmacy education and describe how strengths and barriers of CBE can support or hinder implementation. METHODS: A narrative synthesis was performed via search of English-language articles related to CBE within health professions education from 2015-2021. Articles were included if they described CBE or the strengths or barriers of its use. Articles could be of any type. Full text review and data extraction occurred independently by each author for a subset of included articles...

Paramedics are increasingly being subjected to violence, creating the potential for significant physical and psychological harm. Where a patient has a history of violent behavior, hazard flags-applied either to the individual, their residential address, or phone number-can alert paramedics to the possibility of violence, potentially reducing the risk of injury. Leveraging a novel violence reporting process embedded in the electronic patient care record, we reviewed violence reports filed over a thirteen-month period since its inception in February 2021 to assess the effectiveness of hazard flagging as a potential risk mitigation strategy...

In light of the increasing importance digital economy, the significance of computational thinking has grown exponentially, becoming imperative in both workplace and academic settings such as universities. This article addresses the critical need to comprehend the factors influencing the acceptance of computational thinking. The dataset introduces an extensive questionnaire comprising five constructs and 25 items, rooted in the extended Technology Acceptance Model. Notably, the model incorporates facilitating conditions and subjective norm, providing a comprehensive framework for understanding acceptance...

BACKGROUND: The new round of WHO/ILO Joint Estimates of the Work-related Burden of Disease assessment requires futher research to provide more evidence, especially on the health impact of ambient air pollution around the workplace. However, the evidence linking obstructive ventilatory dysfunction (OVD) to fine particulate matter (PM2.5 ) and its chemical components in workers is very limited. Evidence is even more scarce on the interactive effects between occupational factors and particle exposures...

IMPORTANCE: Unlike other surgical specialties, obstetrics and gynecology (OB-GYN) has been predominantly female for the last decade. The association of this with gender bias and sexual harassment is not known. OBJECTIVE: To systematically review the prevalence of sexual harassment, bullying, abuse, and discrimination among OB-GYN clinicians and trainees and interventions aimed at reducing harassment in OB-GYN and other surgical specialties. EVIDENCE REVIEW: A systematic search of PubMed, Embase, and ClinicalTrials...

Occupational nerve injuries span a broad array of pathologies and contribute toward functional limitation, disability, and economic impact. Early and accurate recognition, treatment, and management of workplace factors rely on a thorough understanding of the anatomic and biomechanical factors that drive nerve injury. This review explores the interplay between anatomy, biomechanics, and nerve pathology common to occupational nerve injury and provides the treating physician with a rational, evidence-based approach to diagnosis and to occupational aspects of management...

BACKGROUND: Hip osteoarthritis (HOA) is a leading cause of disability increasing with age and is more prevalent in women and in various physically demanding occupations. This systematic review identifies and summarises occupational exposures for women in physically demanding occupations and discusses sex differences and consequences. METHODS: In this systematic review, we searched various electronic databases for reports published between date of database inception and October 2022...

PURPOSE: To evaluate the body of evidence of the effects of work-directed interventions on return-to-work for people on sick leave due to common mental disorders (i.e., mild to moderate depression, anxiety, adjustment disorders and reactions to severe stress). METHODS: The systematic review was conducted in accordance with an a priori developed and registered protocol (Prospero CRD42021235586). The certainty of evidence was assessed by two independent reviewers using the Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development and Evaluations...

BACKGROUND: Workplace microaggressions are a longstanding but understudied problem in the surgical specialties. Microaggressions in healthcare are linked to negative emotional and physical health outcomes and can contribute to burnout and suboptimal delivery of patient care. They also negatively impact recruitment, retention and promotion, which often results in attrition. Further attrition at the time of an impending surgical workforce shortage risks compromising delivery of health care to the diverse US population and may jeopardize the financial stability of health care organizations...

Heat exposure exceeding the ISO7243:1989 standard limit can contribute to health problems among employees in a variety of workplaces. Ignoring heat standard requirements in hot working conditions such as bakeries results in physiologic and health problems, as well as an elevated risk of later illnesses. In this analytical case-control study, the serum levels of four inflammatory factors (interleukin-1 beta, interleukin-6, tumor necrosis factor-α, and C-reactive protein) were assessed using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay...

OBJECTIVE: Both exposure to occupational chemicals and to unusual working hours have well documented effects on health. Determination of occupational exposure limits is, however, usually based on chemical-only exposure and assumes an 8-h workday, 5 days/week and a 40-h work week. A significant proportion of the workforce is exposed to chemicals while working in other work schedules. This review thus aimed to synthesize and evaluate the scientific support for a combined effect of unusual working hours and chemical exposure and, if possible, give recommendations for OEL adjustments to account for unusual working hours...

BACKGROUND:  Learning portfolios (LPs) provide evidence of workplace-based assessments (WPBAs) in clinical settings. The educational impact of LPs has been explored in high-income countries, but the use of portfolios and the types of assessments used for and of learning have not been adequately researched in sub-Saharan Africa. This study investigated the evidence of learning in registrars' LPs and the influence of the training district and year of training on assessments. METHODS:  A cross-sectional study evaluated 18 Family Medicine registrars' portfolios from study years 1-3 across five decentralised training sites affiliated with the University of the Witwatersrand...

AIM: To focus learning through clarity of the enrolled nurse (EN) role (a second tier nurse position) through development of a user-friendly workplace performance assessment tool commensurate with EN standards for practice. BACKGROUND: Internationally, the nursing workforce comprises regulated and unregulated staff. In Australia, similar to other western countries, there are two tiers of regulated workforce, namely Registered Nurses (RNs) and Enrolled Nurses (ENs)...

BACKGROUND: Musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) are a severe occupational health issue among medical radiation practitioners. It is mostly linked to personal protective wear, working posture, tools employed and ergonomics. OBJECTIVE: To assess and evaluate the musculoskeletal disorders among nuclear medicine professionals (NMP) in India. METHODS: An online survey was distributed to 455 NMP throughout India between November 2021 and March 2022 covering the demographic characteristics and questions for evaluation of musculoskeletal symptoms using the Standardized Nordic Musculoskeletal Questionnaire (NMQ)...

OBJECTIVES: To describe a population health-based program to support employee and dependent mental health and learn from engagement trends. METHODS: Retrospective analysis of a program utilizing an assessment of mental health risk. For scoring "at risk," a Care Concierge is offered to connect users with resources. RESULTS: Participation was offered to 56,442 employees and dependents. Eight thousand seven hundred thirty-one completed the assessment (15%)...

OBJECTIVE: Whether employees' health status is associated with the effectiveness of workplace health promotion programs is unknown. The objective of this study was to determine if the effect of a workplace healthy eating intervention differed by baseline chronic disease status. METHODS: This was a secondary analysis of a randomized controlled trial conducted September 2016 to February 2018 among US hospital employees to test the effect of a 12-month behavioral intervention (personalized feedback, peer comparisons, and financial incentives) on diet and weight...

BACKGROUND: Workplace-based assessment (WBA) used in post-graduate medical education relies on physician supervisors' feedback. However, in a training environment where supervisors are unavailable to assess certain aspects of a resident's performance, nurses are well-positioned to do so. The Ottawa Resident Observation Form for Nurses (O-RON) was developed to capture nurses' assessment of trainee performance and results have demonstrated strong evidence for validity in Orthopedic Surgery...

OBJECTIVE: To determine if and which types of organisational interventions conducted in small and medium size enterprises (SMEs) in healthcare are effective on mental health and wellbeing. METHODS: Following PRISMA guidelines, we searched six scientific databases, assessed the methodological quality of eligible studies using QATQS and grouped them into six organisational intervention types for narrative synthesis. Only controlled studies with at least one follow-up were eligible...

BACKGROUND: Asbestos exposure can lead to asbestos-related diseases. The European Union (EU) has adopted regulations for workplaces where asbestos is present. The EU occupational exposure limit (OEL) for asbestos is 0.1 fibres per cubic centimetre of air (f/cm3 ) as an eight-hour average. Different types of personal protective equipment (PPE) are available to provide protection and minimise exposure; however, their effectiveness is unclear. OBJECTIVES: To assess the effects of personal protective equipment (PPE), including donning and doffing procedures and individual hygienic behaviour, compared to no availability and use of such equipment or alternative equipment, on asbestos exposure in workers in asbestos demolition and repair work...