Medical facilities may be a sick man’s refuge from illness, but in reality, hospitals are also home to many different kinds of infections. Though filled with doctors and other healthcare workers, there are a lot of challenges that doctors, nurses, physical therapists, clear braces professionals, and other medical professionals face. What can be done to prevent these hospital injuries from happening and how can these workers and patients be protected from such dangers?
Hospital workers like medical staff, administrative, and even maintenance workers are prone to injury or illness because of the hazards that they face at work. In fact, people who work in hospitals face more danger than those in the construction and manufacturing sectors. Workers in hospital end up getting injured while lifting and moving patients, get wounded by needle sticks and other sharps, slip, trip, fall, or attacked by combative patients or visitors. The dangers that work in the medical field, especially in hospitals are just too serious to ignore.
In 2011, hospitals in the United State alone recorded 6.8 work-related injuries and illnesses for every 100 full-time workers. That is almost two times more than the private industry as a whole recorded in the same period. Also a study revealed that Overexertion and bodily reaction is the top cause of injury among employees of a hospital. This is followed by slips, trips and falls, bad contact with objects, violence from patients and other people, and exposure to substances. As for the types of injuries concerned, sprain and strains are the leading type of injuries recorded, followed by bruises, soreness and pain, fractures, multiple trauma, and cuts and punctures, which includes the handling and failing to follow protocols related to sharps container. These wastes oftentimes cut and injure hospital workers that lead to infection and the contraction of many different diseases. While it represents only a small percentage of those who got injured, this has been becoming one of the major concerns in as far as hospital worker injuries are concerned.
Most often than not, workplace injuries and illnesses make one unable to report for work. Such could make a worker unable to work, making the hospital management take care of the medical expenses and compensation for the former’s lost wages. More than that though, The hospital will need to fill up the vacancy that the injured worker will leave behind. This leads to temporary staffing, back filling, as well as the payment of overtime payment to workers who will be forced to take the place of the victim. An injured employee who decides to quit also causes a company to incur turnover costs, lose productivity, and more importantly, affect the morale of other employees affecting work and productivity, which in turn, adds up to the expenses a hospital management has to shoulder because of workplace injuries in hospitals.
Given the seriousness of these issues, it would be best if the management of the hospitals, health centers, clinics, and even clear braces clinics start to do implement programs that will help raise awareness and prevent instances of workplace injuries and accidents. Here are some of the solutions that can be used to help minimize and prevent injuries that can help save money and dramatically improve patient care.
- Implementation of an effective safety and health management system
- Improve and perfect the safe handling of the patients
- Come up with policies, programs, and use the proper equipment to help combat workplace injuries (e.g. guidelines on using sharps container)
- Engage in learning activities that will help promote the safety of hospital workers
Workplace safety may seem hard to achieve, but the right understanding of the problem and the careful and proper formulation of solutions can prevent accidents from happening, keeping each and every employee safe from hurt, injuries, and loss of lives.
