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An integrated comprehensive occupational surveillance system for health care workers
Author(s) -
Dement John M.,
Pompeii Lisa A.,
Østbye Truls,
Epling Carol,
Lipscomb Hester J.,
James Tamara,
Jacobs Michael J.,
Jackson George,
Thomann Wayne
Publication year - 2004
Publication title -
american journal of industrial medicine
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.7
H-Index - 104
eISSN - 1097-0274
pISSN - 0271-3586
DOI - 10.1002/ajim.20017
Subject(s) - medicine , occupational safety and health , environmental health , health care , population , stressor , public health , poison control , medical emergency , nursing , pathology , clinical psychology , economics , economic growth
Background Workers in the health care industry may be exposed to a variety of work‐related stressors including infectious, chemical, and physical agents; ergonomic hazards; psychological hazards; and workplace violence. Many of these hazards lack surveillance systems to evaluate exposures and health outcomes. The development and implementation of a comprehensive surveillance system within the Duke University Health System (DUHS) that tracks occupational exposures and stressors as well as injuries and illnesses among a defined population of health care workers (HCWs) is presented. Methods Human resources job and work location data were used to define the DUHS population at risk. Outcomes and exposure data from existing occupational health and safety programs, health promotion programs, and employee health insurance claims, were linked with human resources data and de‐identified to create the Duke Health and Safety Surveillance System (DHSSS). Results The surveillance system is described and four examples are presented demonstrating how the system has successfully been used to study consequences of work‐related stress, hearing conservation program evaluation, risk factors for back pain and inflammation, and exposures to blood and body fluids (BBF). Conclusions Utilization of existing data, often collected for other purposes, can be successfully integrated and used for occupational health surveillance monitoring of HCWs. Use of the DHSSS for etiologic studies, benchmarking, and intervention program evaluation are discussed. Am. J. Ind. Med. 45:528–538, 2004. © 2004 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.