Healthcare and social welfare workers are confronted with violence of patients and clients. In a cross-sectional study the frequency and consequences of aggressive assaults on employees in the German healthcare and welfare system were investigated.
Methods
At the workplace employees were asked to fill in a standardised questionnaire concerning the frequency and consequences of verbal and physical aggressions within the last year. The questionnaire was adopted from the Staff Observation Aggression Scale-Revised (SOAS-R).
Results
1943 employees from 81 different facilities participated in the survey (response rate 40%). Verbal aggression was experienced by 75% and physical aggression by 55% of the participants. Both forms of aggression occurred more often in workshops and homes for persons with handicaps (95% and 63%) than in nursing care (59% and 56%) or hospitals. (41% and 43%). 39% of the employees were hit within the last 12 months. About one third of the participants (34%) felt highly strained by recurring aggressions. 38% reported that they were trained at the workplace for dealing with these critical incidents and 81% felt supported by their co-worker after such an incidence. De-escalation training and supervision had a positive effect on experienced stress (OR 0.6, 95% CI: 0.4 to 0.8).
Conclusion
Violence towards nursing and healthcare personnel occurs frequently. Every third respondent felt severely stressed by violence and aggression. Occupational support provisions to prevent and provide aftercare for cases of violence and agression reduced the risk of incidences and of perceived stress. Research is needed on occupational support provisions that reduce the risk of staff experiencing verbal and physical violence and the stress that is associated with it.
Einleitung Durch die SARS-CoV-2-Pandemie hatten besonders Beschäftigte im Gesundheitsdienst ein erhöhtes Infektionsrisiko. COVID-19 kann auch nach einem asymptomatischen oder milden Verlauf zu längerfristigen Beschwerden oder starken gesundheitlichen Einschränkungen führen. Ziel der Studie ist die Erfassung von Erkrankungsverläufen und Langzeitfolgen von COVID-19.
Abstract: Several studies have investigated the relationship between working time and health; however, an adequate comparison of this relationship among full-time and part-time workers is still missing. Therefore, this study aimed to fill this gap in the literature. We investigated several aspects of working time: weekly overtime, monthly on-call duties, monthly shift work, and adherence to breaks. To assess health, we investigated sleeping problems, cognitive irritation, and emotional exhaustion. Data were collected from 812 hospital physicians. We tested our assumptions with a group comparison using structural equation modeling. Overtime and adherence to breaks were shown to be health-relevant factors, particularly for full-time workers, whereas night and weekend shifts were more relevant for part-time workers’ health. On-call duties were less relevant for both groups. The inclusion of time pressure and autonomy caused different changes. The results of this study illustrate that personal needs should be considered when scheduling working time to promote health.
Zusammenfassung Hintergrund Friseur*innen arbeiten häufig in strukturbelastenden Körperhaltungen und haben ein erhöhtes Risiko für arbeitsbedingte Muskel-Skelett-Beschwerden (MSB). MSB verursachen in Deutschland circa ein Fünftel der Arbeitsunfähigkeitstage im Friseurhandwerk. Um das Ausmaß der Verbreitung von MSB bei Friseur*innen in Deutschland zu bestimmen, wurde eine Prävalenzstudie durchgeführt. Methode Die Studie war eine bundesweite Befragung im Querschnittsdesign, woran 889 Friseur*innen teilnahmen (Rücklauf 41 %). Die 12-Monate-Prävalenz von MSB wurde mit dem Standardised Nordic Questionnaire erfasst. Die Analyse der erhobenen Daten erfolgte deskriptiv und interferenzstatistisch. Ergebnisse Insgesamt 91 % der Befragten hatten in mindestens einer Körperregion MSB. Die am häufigsten von MSB bzw. schweren MSB (mind. 30 Tage/Jahr und beruflich beeinträchtigt) betroffenen Körperregionen sind Nacken (70 %; 25 %), unterer Rücken (65 %; 25 %), Schultern (61 %; 23 %) und oberer Rücken (58 %; 22 %). Beschwerden in diesen Bereichen führten auch am häufigsten zu beruflichen Beeinträchtigungen. Faktoren wie das weibliche Geschlecht, ein hohes Alter, Adipositas, viele Berufsjahre und Selbstständigkeit sind mit schweren MSB assoziiert. Schlussfolgerung Diese Studie liefert erste Daten für die Prävalenz von MSB in verschiedenen Körperregionen bei Friseur*innen in Deutschland. Die Ergebnisse weisen auf eine hohe Belastung des Muskel-Skelett-Systems bei Friseur*innen hin. Daraus resultiert ein hoher Bedarf an Prävention von arbeitsbedingten MSB im Friseurhandwerk.
The purposes of this study were to investigate the potential predictors of personal burnout among staff working with people with intellectual disabilities and to investigate whether personal burnout is associated with health and work-related outcomes. A cross-sectional survey was carried out in 2011 in 30 residential facilities in northern Germany (N = 409, response rate 45%). The German standard version of the Copenhagen Psychosocial Questionnaire was used. In a multiple logistic regression analysis, we identified factors which were predictive of personal burnout, such as work–privacy conflict (OR = 1.04, 95% CI 1.03, 1.05), emotional demands (OR = 1.03, 95% CI 1.01, 1.05), role conflicts (OR = 1.02, 95% CI 1.02, 1.03), job insecurity (OR = 1.03, 95% CI 1.01, 1.05) and feedback (OR = 0.98, 95% CI 0.97, 0.99). These factors explained 49% of the total variance. Higher levels of personal burnout were significantly correlated with higher rates of intention to leave the job and cognitive stress symptoms (p < .01). Low values of personal burnout were associated with greater job satisfaction, good general health, and higher satisfaction with life (p < .01). The present study indicates that improving the psychosocial work environment at the organizational level may reduce personal burnout and may also diminish unfavorable outcomes, such as intention to leave or job dissatisfaction.
COVID-19 vaccination reduces the proportion of cases with severe progression among persons insured by the Berufsgenossenschaft für Gesundheitsdienst und Wohlfahrtspflege Objective: Health care workers are at increased risk of infection with SARS-CoV-2 at work. We therefore investigated the development of vaccination rates among health care workers in Germany and the proportion of cases with severe COVID-19 progression in an ecological study. Methods: PubMed, Google Scholar, Google and the websites of the Robert Koch Institute and the German Medical Journal were searched for relevant publications on vaccination willingness and rates in Germany from January 2021 to September 2022. Furthermore, we evaluated reports on suspected cases of occupational diseases caused by SARS-CoV-2 in a database of the Berufsgenossenschaft für Gesundheitsdienst und Wohlfahrtspflege (BGW) as of August 2022. To estimate the severity of COVID-19, we analysed the proportion of hospitalised cases and cases resulting in compensation payments for injury and death. Results: Although vaccination willingness was low at the beginning of the vaccination campaign, the vaccination rate increased steadily during 2021. Recent surveys show vaccination coverage rates of well over 90 %. By August 2022, a total of 280,926 suspected cases due to COVID-19 had been reported to BGW. The proportion of cases resulting in hospitalisation decreased from 4.3 % in 2020 to 0.026 % in 2022, and the proportion of deaths also decreased from February 2020 to July 2022. However, the vaccination status of persons insured by BGW is not recorded in these statistics. Conclusions: Although the vaccination status is unknown, BGW data suggest that the severity of COVID-19 cases steadily decreased with increasing vaccination coverage. Keywords: health care workers – occupational disease – COVID-19 – vaccination willingness
Close contact with asymptomatic children younger than three years is a risk factor for a primary cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection. In pregnant women, such primary infection increases the risk of CMV-induced feto- or embryopathy. Daycare providers have therefore implemented working restrictions for pregnant daycare workers (DCWs) in accordance with legislation and guidelines for maternity protection. However, little is known about the infection risk for DCWs. We therefore compared the prevalence of CMV antibodies of pregnant DCWs to that of female blood donors (BDs).In a secondary data analysis, the prevalence of anti-CMV IgG among pregnant DCWs (N=509) in daycare centers (DCCs) was compared to the prevalence of female first-time BDs (N=14,358) from the greater region of Hamburg, Germany. Data collection took place between 2010 and 2013. The influence of other risk factors such as age, pregnancies and place of residence was evaluated using logistic regression models.The prevalence of CMV antibodies in pregnant DCWs was higher than in female BDs (54.6 vs 41.5%; OR 1.6; 95%CI 1.3-1.9). The subgroup of BDs who had given birth to at least one child and who lived in the city of Hamburg (N=2,591) had a prevalence of CMV antibodies similar to the prevalence in pregnant DCWs (53.9 vs 54.6%; OR 0.9; 95%CI 0.8-1.2). Age, pregnancy history and living in the center of Hamburg were risk factors for CMV infections.The comparison of pregnant DCWs to the best-matching subgroup of female first-time BDs with past pregnancies and living in the city of Hamburg does not indicate an elevated risk of CMV infection among DCWs. However, as two secondary data sets from convenience samples were used, a more detailed investigation of the risk factors other than place of residence, age and maternity was not possible. Therefore, the CMV infection risk in DCWs should be further studied by taking into consideration the potential preventive effect of hygiene measures.Hintergrund: Enger Kontakt zu asymptomatischen Kindern unter drei Jahren gilt als Risikofaktor für eine primäre Cytomegalievirus (CMV)-Infektion. Eine Primärinfektion während der Schwangerschaft kann zu einer CMV bedingten Feto- und Embryopathie führen. In Übereinstimmung mit dem Mutterschutzgesetz gibt es daher Tätigkeitsbeschränkungen für schwangere Erzieherinnen in Kindertagesstätten (KiTa), die Anti-CMV negativ sind. Bisher ist jedoch wenig über das tatsächliche Infektionsrisiko in KiTas bekannt. Wir haben deshalb die Prävalenz von CMV-Antikörpern bei schwangeren Erzieherinnen mit derjenigen von Blutspenderinnen verglichen.Methoden: In einer Gelegenheitsdatenanalyse wurde die Prävalenz von Anti-CMV IgG bei schwangeren Erzieherinnen von KiTas (N=509) mit derjenigen von neuen Blutspenderinnen (n=14,358) aus Hamburg und Umgebung verglichen. Die Daten wurden zwischen 2010 und 2013 erhoben. Der Einfluss anderer Risikofaktoren wie Alter, Schwangerschaft und Wohnort wurde mittels logistischer Regression überprüft. Ergebnisse: Schwangere Erzieherinnen hatten eine höhere CMV-Antikörper-Prävalenz als Blutspenderinnen (54,6 vs. 41,5%; OR 1,6; 95%CI 1,3–1.9). Blutspenderinnen mit mindestens einem Kind und Wohnort in Hamburg (n=2,591) hatten eine ähnlich hohe Prävalenz wie die Erzieherinnen (53,9 vs. 54,6%; OR 0,9; 95%CI 0,8–1.2). Alter, Schwangerschaften und Wohnort in Hamburg waren Risikofaktoren für eine CMV-Infektion.Schlussfolgerungen: Der Vergleich mit der wahrscheinlich am besten geeigneten Gruppe ergab kein erhöhtes Risiko für CMV-Infektionen bei Erzieherinnen in KiTas. Da jedoch lediglich Gelegenheitsdaten für die sekundäre Datenanalyse verwendet wurden, sollte das Infektionsrisiko für Erzieherinnen unter Berücksichtigung von möglichen Risikofaktoren genauer untersucht werden. Ferner sollte der protektive Effekt von Präventionsmaßnahmen untersucht werden.
