ASSESSMENT OF SAFETY HEALTH PRACTICES AMONGST HEALTH WORKERS. A CASE STUDY OF SOMOLU LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA
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CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
Background of the Study
An individual will like to be touched as an indication of acceptance, belongingness and association. Also, patients, whether out-patient or admitted will like the medical personnel to touch him or her. This touch has positive psychological impact on the patient. Health care workers (HCWs) can be defined to be all people engaged in actions whose primary intent is to enhance health. They make important contributions and are critical to the functioning of most health systems.
Health care workers face a wide range of hazards on the job; including needle stick injuries, back injuries, latex allergy, violence, and stress. Health-care workers (HCWs) need protection from these workplace hazards just as much as do mining or construction workers. Yet, because their job is to care for the sick and injured, HCWsare often and erroneously viewed as “immune” to injury or illness. Their patients come first. They are often expected to sacrifice their own well-being for the sake of their patients’. Indeed protecting the health of health-care workers has the added benefit of contributing to quality patient care and health system strengthening (Jagger, Bentley & Tereskerz, 2009).
Health-care related infection (HCRI) in hospitals has resulted in many negative impacts on patients, families and healthcare workers worldwide (Blackmon, 2009). It represents a major burden around the world and affects the safety and quality of care for patients (Clarke, 2013). WHO (2011) ranks HCRI as one of the top ten causes of hospital deaths each year.
Patients, health care workers, and the environment are major reservoirs of health-care related infection (Andersen, Clausen, Mortensen, Burr, Holtermann, 2013). The transmission of infection from patient to patient mainly occurs at the hand of health care workers (Clarke, 2013). Patients’ skin, mucus and any discharge can be colonized by many organisms, which will be transferred to surrounding surfaces and contaminate the environment in the hospital (Andersen et al., 2013). The hands of the health care workers will be contaminated through daily caring for patient or his environment, despite wearing gloves (Johansson, 2015). Therefore, hand hygiene is considered the most effective safety health practices. Hand hygiene is an important aspect of the care provided to hospitalized patients. It generally refers to hand washing with water and soap, or by using antiseptic solution or alcohol-based hand rubs (Clarke, 2013).
The 2016 World Health Report “Working Together for Health” on human resources reported on a global shortage of health personnel which had reached crisis level in 57 countries and called for the support and protection of the health workforce. Unsafe working conditions contribute to health worker attrition in many countries due to work-related illness and injury and the resulting fear of health workers of occupational infection, including HIV and Tuberculosis (WHO, 2016).
Health-care related infection is estimated to affect10% of patients in developed countries, and 25% in developing countries (WHO, 2011). Consequently, this will have a high impact on the quality of care, reflected in increased morbidity and mortality rates.In the US, hospital patients contract two million infections per year, approximately one infection for every 25 patients (Miller, 2013); these infections can be life-threatening and difficult to treat. Safety health practices is considered one of the most simple but important ways to break the chain of infection (Faber, Giver, Stroyer & Hannerz, 2014). Proper hygiene before and after each contact with any patient is an important measure to prevent HCRI (WHO, 2011). There are limited studies regarding safety health practices in Nigeria so far. Furthermore, there are no established and organized systems within the Nigerian Ministry of Health (MOH) for registering HCRIs.
Health care workers, especially nurses and physicians, have the most physical contact with patients, and thus they are the primary vectors for infection transmission within hospitals.Although HCRI is a major threat to patients’ health and safety, it is highly preventable by proper hand hygiene(Faber, Williamson, Cruz & Gallagher, 2014). Enhancing and promoting compliance of health care workers with hand hygiene is very important to prevent HCRI, and this needs to be based on baseline data by assessing the knowledge, practices and attitudes of Nigerian health care workers. Furthermore, studying and comparing knowledge, practices and attitudes regarding safety health practices and the results may be used to reform and change the curricula for health sciences, as following the guidelines for proper safety health practices may reduce HCRI significantly.
Assessing the knowledge, practices and attitudes of physicians and nurses may also help in recognizing the factors that affect their compliance with safety health practices, as it is still low.Safety health practices (SHP) saves lives, so it is very important to assess how much information or knowledge physicians and nurses have about it (Fakorede, 2014). Safety health practicesare also an effective and cost-efficient way to reduce the number of microorganisms, thereby reducing the rate of transfer of microorganisms to hospitalized patients and this will reduce the number of HCRI (Faber et al., 2014).
Miller (2013) showed that 37% of the hepatitis B among health workers was the result of occupational exposure. Infection with the hepatitis B virus is 95% preventable with immunization but less than 20% of health worker in some regions of the world have received all three doses needed for immunity. Needle stick injuries, the cause of 95% of the HIV occupational seroconversions, are preventable with practical, low-cost measures and have the co-benefit of preventing exposure to other blood borne viruses and bacteria.
An unsafe workplace contributes to work-related injuries and diseases that often result in physical, emotional, and financial difficulties for healthcare staff. Occupational hazards resulting from an unsafe workplace have negative impact on the healthcare organization by increased costs and a reduced ability to provide services. Occupational hazards in the workplace have been identified as a major contributor to nurses leaving the profession, contributing to the growing shortage of healthcare workers.
Therefore, the aim of this study is to assess the safety health practices among medical practitioners and workers in Somolu Local GovernmentArea.
Statement of the Problem
Most occupations come with associated hazards and risks, and these hazards, not least those connected with the medical profession, could, in many cases, be a matter of life or death.
Safety Health workers are at risk of getting in contact with harmful micro-organisms and thus endangering themselves and those they come across. Hence it is crucial that medical staff such as doctors, nurses and cleaners protect themselves by practicing and putting in place safety health measures. Safety health practices stand to offer protection to hospital staff, patients and visitors. It is therefore important to assess how medical practitioners and workers uphold these practices.
Purposes of the Study
The main purpose of the study is to assess safety health practices among medical practitioners and workers in Somolu Local Government. This study aims to:
- find out the level of awareness of safety health practices among medical personnel in Somolu Local Government
- assess the safety health measures practiced by medical personnel in Somolu Local Government
- assess the safety health materials and equipment used by medical personnel in Somolu Local Government
- examine the work time schedule of medical personnel in Somolu Local Government
Research Questions
The following research questions would be answered in the course of this study:
- What is the level of awareness of safety health practices among medical personnel in Somolu Local Government?
- Whatis the safety health measures practiced by medical personnel in Somolu Local Government?
- What are the safety health materials and equipment used by medical personnel in Somolu Local Government?
- How healthy is the work time schedule of medical personnel in Somolu Local Government?
Significance of the study
This study would educate the public about the risks attached to being a staff member of a medical centre; and the safety precautions they need to be mindful of when visiting a hospital or clinic.
This study would also review important literature that would enable people more hygienic at home and at work. Also, the potential harm that micro-organisms could cause would be showcased in this study to enlighten the public.
This study would also help readers to more sympathetic to the job of a medical personnel by knowing the demands and dangers associated with their job.
- Scope/Delimitation of the Study
The scope of this study covers the safety health practices among safety health workers. It is delimited to Somolu Local Government Area
Operational Definition of Terms
- Safety health practices: These are practices aimed at preventing injuries, illnesses, and deaths among medical personnel, as well as the suffering and financial hardship these events can cause for workers, their families, and employers.
- Medical Practitioner: A medical doctor or surgeon.
- Seroconversion: Thisis the time period during which a specific antibody develops and becomes detectable in the blood. After seroconversion has occurred, the disease can be detected in blood tests for the antibody.
- Hand hygiene: washing the hands with water and soap, or by using antiseptic solution or alcohol-based hand rubs.
- Occupational Hazard: This is a hazard experienced in the workplace. Occupational hazards can encompass many types of hazards, including chemical hazards, biological hazards, psychosocial hazards, and physical hazards.
- Infection: A disease caused by micro-organisms that invade tissue
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