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At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

Managing asthma in the workplace: an overview for occupational health nurses.

Occupational health nurses are the ideal members of the workplace team to initiate disease management programs for chronic illnesses; asthma is just one disease for which occupational health nurses can make a difference. Employees win by improving their health and quality of life, having better control of a chronic health condition, simply feeling better, and using time off for vacation rather than sick days. Employers win by having healthier employees who are absent less often and more productive at work, and who cost the company less for their health care. Occupational health nurses are the key link in this cost saving, productivity enhancing chain. Being proactive in this disease management role clearly establishes occupational health nurses' value in their organization.

Anti-Asthmatic Agents↗

Benchmarking medical absence: measuring the impact of occupational health nursing.

Occupational health nurses are in a unique position to influence medical absence costs through their focus on health promotion and restoration. Corporate management looks to occupational health nurses to maximize employee productivity and reduce costs through lowered disability claims, fewer on-the-job injuries, and improved absentee rates. Benchmarking provides the occupational health nurse with the diagnostic tools to measure and manage productivity, demonstrate results, and justify the resources needed to accomplish desired outcomes. Benchmarking assists the occupational health nurse in all standards of practice outlined by the AAOHN: Assessment, diagnosis, outcome identification, planning, implementation, evaluation, resource management, professional development, collaboration, research, and ethics.

Benchmarking↗

A conceptual model of occupational health nursing.

Occupational health nurses can practice and research in their profession better if they approach occupational health nursing with a well developed conceptual model. The Wilkinson Windmill Model is one conceptualization of occupational health nursing an occupational health nurse may use for guidance in practice, research, and education. The model consists of five primary components. This conceptual model may be a useful framework for understanding the role of the occupational health nurse in many different environments and may prove valuable as a tool for conducting research.

Humans↗

Occupational health surveillance, screening, and prevention activities in occupational health nursing practice.

Occupational health nursing practice is broad and encompasses surveillance, screening, and prevention activities as part of the scope of practice. While there has been some controversy about who is responsible for these activities, it is clear occupational health nurses play a pivotal role in overseeing, managing, implementing, and evaluating these programs. In fact, recent OSHA standards have included broad language that permits licensed health care professionals acting within their legal scope of practice to conduct medical and health surveillance activities. While the contributions of occupational health nurses are well documented, little is known about the degree and emphasis in practice related to surveillance, screening, and prevention programs. This study examined the scope of independent and interdependent practice by occupational health nurses related to these activities and found 71% of occupational health nurses had overall responsibility for program management, and the majority performed surveillance, screening, and prevention functions as independent practice. Physician supervision for any of these activities ranged from only 0% to 8% in reporting. The results of this study validate the independent functioning in scope of occupational health nursing practice related to surveillance, screening, and prevention activities while recognizing the contributions all providers make to a healthy work force.

Cross-Sectional Studies↗

The OSHA standard setting process: role of the occupational health nurse.

1. Occupational health nurses are the health professionals most often involved with the worker who suffers as a result of ineffective or non-existent safety and health standards. 2. Occupational health nurses are familiar with health and safety standards, but may not understand or participate in the rulemaking process used to develop them. 3. Knowing the eight basic steps of rulemaking and actively participating in the process empowers occupational health nurses to influence national policy decisions affecting the safety and health of millions of workers. 4. By actively participating in rulemaking activities, occupational health nurses also improve the quality of occupational health nursing practice and enhance the image of the nursing profession.

Guidelines as Topic↗

A century of practice. Occupational health nursing. 1988.

Occupational health nursing has grown and developed throughout the last century, from the influence of a few nurses in the late 19th century to 1988. Today's occupational health nurses have a significant impact on millions of workers across the United States and worldwide in multinational corporations. Nurses currently enjoy expanded roles, including involvement in the political arena and policy-making decisions, development of health promotion programs, research, and education, as well as providing more traditional but equally important employee health services, counseling, and teaching. The American workforce, as well as management teams, have seen the outcomes of quality occupational health nursing care and contributions throughout the years. The practice of American occupational health nursing which began in very humble surroundings and conditions in the 19th century continues to thrive in the space age of the 1980s and 1990s and to plan for the challenges of the 21st century.

Faculty, Nursing↗

Occupational health nurses and occupational hygiene: a study of South African nurses' attitudes.

The objectives of this study were to assess the current occupational hygiene practices of occupational health nurses and to assess their attitudes to the identification and initial quantification of workplace hazards. A questionnaire was mailed to all occupational health nurses registered with the South African Society of Occupational Health Nurses. Responses were obtained from 221 (53.7%). Responders and non-responders did not differ on key characteristics. Only 14 (6%) of the respondents performed occupational hygiene tasks as part of their routine work and only 31 (14%) volunteered hazard identification and quantification as tasks that would significantly improve practice. Nevertheless, when asked directly, 120 (54%) agreed that occupational hygiene fell into the ambit of occupational health nursing. Over 70% were positive about receiving theoretical and practical hygiene training. Constraints to greater hazard identification included limited time and resources and concern about intruding into the domains of other practitioners. Sufficient numbers of occupational health nurses were interested in identifying hazards in the workplace for training courses to be planned and offered now; however, restraints to practice need to be clarified and removed for these new skills to be used effectively.

Attitude of Health Personnel↗

An EAP intervention protocol for occupational health nurses.

1. Occupational health nurses can use their skills and knowledge of core nursing principles to become key players within their organization is EAPs. 2. The five stages of EAP intervention are recognition, documentation, approaching the employee, offering assistance, and ongoing monitoring of health. 3. Occupational health nurses must be able to recognize not only direct changes in physical health, but also changes in work performance, social interaction, and mental health. 4. If an employee's health continues to deteriorate, even after intervention, occupational health nurses must be willing to confront employees with detailed information regarding the medical, psycho-social, and employment consequences of unchanged behavior.

Employee Grievances↗

Expectation and evaluation of occupational health nursing services, as perceived by occupational health nurses, employees and employers in the United Kingdom.

A structured questionnaire was used to investigate the relationship between expectation and evaluation of occupational health nursing services as perceived by providers (nurses) and receivers (employers and employees) in the United Kingdom. The response rate was 66.55% (254) from nurses, 51.32% (194) from employees and 44.97% (170) from employers. Data from 144 triads of nurse, employer and employee were used to test 13 null hypotheses, which were all rejected. The strong positive correlation between nurses', employers' and employees' expectations and evaluations indicates that, on the whole, their expectations were met. However, there were differences in the extent to which this was so and the level of expectation varied between groups. Nurses perceived themselves as not meeting their high expectations as well in non-traditional (care-supportive) as in traditional (care-orientated) services. On the whole, employers had significantly lower expectations than nurses, except in the area of care and treatment. Employees had high expectations of preventive services, but their lower evaluations indicate that these were not met. Discussion of these and other findings suggests that employers need education on the value and scope of occupational health nursing, and a model may assist nurses' conceptual understanding of it.

Adult↗

Occupational health nursing practice in Australia: what occupational health nurses say they do and what they actually do.

This study investigated current activities of occupational health nurses (OHN) in Australia related to the applicability of and their involvement in emergent role, wellness-based practices and traditional role and illness-based practices. A questionnaire encompassing the eight Areas of Practice as articulated by the Australian College of Occupational Health Nursing (ACOHN) competency standards was used to obtain data from 93 OHNs affiliated with ACOHN. More traditional role Areas of Practice such as treatment services, health assessment and rehabilitation services were seen as more applicable to their practice and a substantial amount of time was spent on them. Managing occupational health and safety (OH&S) service' was the only emergent area that was a substantial part of the OHN's role. Less time was devoted to other emergent and pro-active areas of OHN practice, such as illness and injury prevention, health promotion, health education and research into OH&S. While less time was allocated to emergent Areas of Practice, and they were ranked more lowly they were considered to be applicable to practice. The findings of this study suggest that OHNs in Australia may not be engaging fully in all Areas of Practice that have been articulated by the ACOHN, particularly emergent role activities. Although Australian OHNs perform all the activities articulated in the ACOHN Areas of Practice, their focus is still primarily illness and injury based, and also management. While the profession is supportive of emergent role activities, there is a need to debate possibilities, undertake research into barriers and supports for emergent role activities, more clearly articulate future directions for the OHN role, and develop strategies to support OHNs as they develop their professional role.

Adult↗