Citation

Thomas NI, Brown ND, Hodges LC, Gandy J, Lawson L, Lord JE, Williams DK. AAOHN J. 2006; 54(1): 24-31.

Affiliation

Jacksonville Neurology Clinic, North Little Rock, AR, USA.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2006, American Association of Occupational Health Nurses, Publisher Healio)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

16438093

Abstract

The Central Arkansas Veterans Healthcare System (CAVHS) spends $1 million annually on occupational illnesses and injuries. To address the problem of injuries among hospital employees, a retrospective case-control study was conducted to examine select risk factors for work-related injuries (WRI) among CAVHS employees. Study methods included a review of employee health charts and computer and manual databases from 1997 to 2002 (N = 2,050). The researchers found that WRI increased with age; WRI occurred more often in women than in men; WRI was greater among maintenance and custodial staff compared to direct caregivers, and less among clerical staff; WRI occurred less often in part-time than full-time staff; and WRI increased with increasing body mass index. Developing standards, guidelines, and policies for preplacement screening, preventive measures, training, and education may help to minimize WRI and associated costs.