A questionnaire to measure safety climate, fatigue, stress, violations and errors

This document contains psychometric data for an instrument that was used to measure safety climate, fatigue, stress, violations and errors in an aviation maintenance setting [Fogarty, G. J. & Buikstra, E. (2008). A test of direct and indirect pathways linking safety climate, psychological health, and unsafe behaviours. International Journal of Applied Aviation Studies, 8 (2), 199-210]. The document also contains the items used to form the various scales

Evaluation of the health careers in the Bush Health Careers Workshops 1994 - 2002

[Summary]: Seventy people from rural backgrounds, who as secondary school students had attended a Year 10 Health Careers Workshop between 1995 and 1999, were interviewed by telephone in 2004 to determine what impact the workshop attendance had on their course and career choices. Approximately one quarter of the participants had also attended a Year 12 workshop. Results from two written questionnaires administered in 2002 and 2005 and from the telephone interviews showed that workshop attendance consolidated career interest in the health industry. At the end of 2004 over 90% of respondents were either employed in the health industry or studying to do so. Students who applied to attend a Year 10 workshop had expressed interest at that time of pursuing a health professional career such as nursing, medicine or physiotherapy. The workshops provided exposure to the variety of additional health related disciplines and some students used this information to modify their course and career plans within the industry. Even those who did not subsequently enrol in a health related course recognised the value of the workshop program. In fact without a single exception interviewees found the workshops to be extremely rewarding. The vast majority indicated that attendance had a major impact on their course and career decisions. A significant number of workshop participants have subsequently guided others in their course choice and career decisions. The majority of the participants who had left their rural communities to complete tertiary education will provide rural and regional health care as they have either returned and are working in rural or regional areas or intend doing so in the future. As a result of the selection process for workshop attendance, the study could not demonstrate definitively that the Health Careers Workshops Program contributed to the recruitment of health professionals. However, it has shown that the Program contributed significantly not only to the retention of those interested in the health industry but to the return of trained health professionals to rural and regional areas. The benefit to the health industry from these workshops has been substantial in relation to the small amount of funds invested

Workforce issues in nursing in Queensland: 2001 and 2004

[Abstract]: Aims and objectives: The aim of the study was to identify the factors impacting upon nursing work and to use the results to inform strategic planning of the Queensland Nurses Union. Background: In 2001 and 2004, a study was undertaken to gather data on the level of satisfaction of nurses with their working life. This paper reports the 2004 results on workload, skill mix, remuneration and morale. Where applicable, the results are compared to 2001 data. Methods: A questionnaire was mailed to 3000 Assistants-in-Nursing, Enrolled and Registered Nurses in October 2004. All participants were members of the Queensland Nurses Union. The results are reported in three sectors – public, private and aged care. A total of 1349 nurses responded to the survey, a response rate of 45%. Results: Nurses in the 2004 study believed: their workload was heavy; their skills and experience poorly rewarded; work stress was high; morale was perceived to be poor and, similar to 2001, deteriorating; the skill mix was often inadequate; and the majority of nurses are unable to complete their work in the time available. Nursing morale was found to be associated with autonomy, workplace equipment, workplace safety, teamwork, work stress, the physical demand of nursing work, workload, rewards for skills and experience, career prospects, status of nursing, and remuneration. Conclusion: Overall the findings of the study are consistent with those determined by the 2001 survey. Relevance to clinical practice. The findings of this study indicate the importance of factors such as workplace autonomy, teamwork, the levels of workplace stress, workload and remuneration on nursing morale. The data also indicate that workplace safety and workplace morale are linked. These findings provide information for policy makers and nurse managers on areas that need to be addressed to retain nurses within aged care, acute hospital and community nursing

Nurses worth listening to

[Executive Summary]: In 2001 the University of Southern Queensland (USQ) in conjunction with the Queensland Nurses’ Union (QNU) undertook a study of enrolled and registered nurse and assistant-in-nursing members. In Queensland, registered nurses (RNs) and enrolled nurses (ENs) are qualified to practice nursing and are licensed by the Queensland Nursing Council (QNC), an independent body responsible for the setting and maintaining of nursing standards in the State. Although not licensed by the QNC Assistants in Nursing (AINs) work within a nursing model of care. These workers may also have other titles such as Personal Care Assistants or Carers. Regardless of their title, they work under the direct or indirect supervision of a RN. The study was confined to nurses employed in the public sector (acute hospitals, community health), the private sector (acute hospitals and domicillary nursing) and the aged care sector (government and non-government). In 2004 a similar study was conducted. The major findings of the 2004 study were that nurses believed: • nursing is emotionally challenging and physically demanding • their workload is heavy and that their skills and experience as a professional nurse are poorly rewarded (remunerated or recognised) • work stress is high and morale is perceived to be poor and, similar to 2001, deteriorating • there are insufficient staff in their workplace and that the skill mix is inadequate • the majority of nurses are unable to complete their work to their level of professional satisfaction in the time available. While there were some changes between 2001 and 2004 (some could be seen as improvements, others deteriorations), the overwhelming impression one has, especially from the qualitative data, is of a workforce frustrated and unable to provide safe and quality care to their patients/clients within the time allocated

Pathoecology of Chiribaya Parasitism

The excavations of Chiribaya culture sites in the Osmore drainage of southern Peru focused on the recovery of information about prehistoric disease, including parasitism. The archaeologists excavated human, dog, guinea pig, and llama mummies. These mummies were analyzed for internal and external parasites. The results of the analysis and reconstruction of prehistoric life from the excavations allows us to interpret the pathoecology of the Chiribaya culture

Nurse Discharge Planning in the Emergency Department: A Toowoomba, Australia, Study

Aim. This study aimed to ascertain whether a model of risk screening carried out by an experienced community nurse was effective in decreasing re-presentations and readmissions and the length of stay of older people presenting to an Australian emergency department. Objectives. The objectives of the study were to (i) identify all older people who presented to the emergency department of an Australian regional hospital; (ii) identify the proportion of re-presentations and readmissions within this cohort of patients; and (iii) risk-screen all older patients and provide referrals when necessary to community services. Design. The study involved the application of a risk screening tool to 2139 men and women over 70 years of age from October 2002 to June 2003. Of these, 1102 (51.5%) were admitted and 246 (11.5%) were re-presentations with the same illness. Patients presenting from Monday to Friday from 08:00 to 16:00 hours were risk-screened face to face in the emergency department. Outside of these hours, but within 72 hours of presentation, risk screening was carried out by telephone if the patient was discharged or within the ward if the patient had been admitted. Results. There was a 16% decrease in the re-presentation rate of people over 70 years of age to the emergency department. Additionally during this time there was a 5.5% decrease in the readmission rate (this decrease did not reach significance). There was a decrease in the average length of stay in hospital from 6.17 days per patient in October 2002 to 5.37 days per patient in June 2003. An unexpected finding was the decrease in re-presentations in people who represented to the emergency department three or more times per month (known as 'frequent flyers'). Conclusions. Risk screening of older people in the emergency department by a specialist community nurse resulted in a decrease of re-presentations to the emergency department. There was some evidence of a decreased length of stay. It is suggested that the decrease in re-presentations was the result of increased referral and use of community services. It appears that the use of a specialist community nurse to undertake risk screening rather than the triage nurse may impact on service utilization. Relevance to clinical practice. It is apparent that older people presenting to the emergency department have complex care needs. Undertaking risk screening using an experienced community nurse to ascertain the correct level of community assistance required and ensuring speedy referral to appropriate community services has positive outcomes for both the hospital and the patient

Rural men and mental health: their experiences and how they managed

There is a growing awareness that a primary source of information about mental health lies with the consumers. This article reports on a study that interviewed rural men with the aim of exploring their mental health experiences within a rural environment. The results of the interviews are a number of stories of resilience and survival that highlight not only the importance of exploring the individuals' perspective of their issues, but also of acknowledging and drawing on their inner strengths. Rural men face a number of challenges that not only increase the risk of mental illness but also decrease the likelihood of them seeking and/or finding professional support. These men's stories, while different from each other, have a common thread of coping. Despite some support from family and friends participants also acknowledged that seeking out professional support could have made the recovery phase easier. Mental health nurses need to be aware, not only of the barrier to professional support but also of the significant resilience that individuals have and how it can be utilised

New insights into the manual activities of individuals from the Phaleron cemetery (Archaic Athens, Greece)

Until the early 5th century BC, Phaleron Bay was the main port of ancient Athens (Greece). On its shore, archaeologists have discovered one of the largest known cemeteries in ancient Greece, including a range of burial forms, simple pits, cremations, larnaces (clay tubs), and series of burials of male individuals who appear to have died violent deaths, referred to here as “atypical burials”. Reconstructing the osteobiographies of these individuals will help create a deeper understanding of the socio-political conditions preceding the rise of Classical Athens. Here, we assess the habitual manual behavior of the people of Archaic Phaleron (ca. 7th – 6th cent. BC), relying on a new and precise three-dimensional method for reconstructing physical activity based on hand muscle attachment sites. This approach has been recently validated on laboratory animal samples as well as on recent human skeletons with a detailed level of long-term occupational documentation (i.e., the mid-19th century Basel Spitalfriedhof sample). Our Phaleron sample consists of 48 adequately preserved hand skeletons, of which 14 correspond to atypical burials. Our results identified consistent differences in habitual manual behaviors between atypical burials and the rest. The former present a distinctive power-grasping tendency in most skeletons, which was significantly less represented in the latter (p-values of <0.01 and 0.03). Based on a comparison with the uniquely documented Basel sample (45 individuals), this entheseal pattern of the atypical burials was exclusively found in long-term heavy manual laborers. These findings reveal an important activity difference between burials typical for the Phaleron cemetery and atypical burials, suggesting that the latter were likely involved in distinctive, strenuous manual activities. The results of this pilot study comprise an important first step towards reconstructing the identity of these human skeletal remains. Future research can further elucidate the occupational profiles of these individuals through the discovery of additional well-preserved hand skeletons and by extending our analyses to other anatomical regions

Climate Change, Human Health, and Resilience in the Holocene

Climate change is an indisputable threat to human health, especially for societies already confronted with rising social inequality, political and economic uncertainty, and a cascade of concurrent environmental challenges. Archaeological data about past climate and environment provide an important source of evidence about the potential challenges humans face and the long-term outcomes of alternative short-term adaptive strategies. Evidence from well-dated archaeological human skeletons and mummified remains speaks directly to patterns of human health over time through changing circumstances. Here, we describe variation in human epidemiological patterns in the context of past rapid climate change (RCC) events and other periods of past environmental change. Case studies confirm that human communities responded to environmental changes in diverse ways depending on historical, sociocultural, and biological contingencies. Certain factors, such as social inequality and disproportionate access to resources in large, complex societies may influence the probability of major sociopolitical disruptions and reorganizations—commonly known as “collapse.” This survey of Holocene human–environmental relations demonstrates how flexibility, variation, and maintenance of Indigenous knowledge can be mitigating factors in the face of environmental challenges. Although contemporary climate change is more rapid and of greater magnitude than the RCC events and other environmental changes we discuss here, these lessons from the past provide clarity about potential priorities for equitable, sustainable development and the constraints of modernity we must address

Climate change, human health, and resilience in the Holocene

Climate change is an indisputable threat to human health, especially for societies already confronted with rising social inequality, political and economic uncertainty, and a cascade of concurrent environmental challenges. Archaeological data about past climate and environment provide an important source of evidence about the potential challenges humans face and the long-term outcomes of alternative short-term adaptive strategies. Evidence from well-dated archaeological human skeletons and mummified remains speaks directly to patterns of human health over time through changing circumstances. Here, we describe variation in human epidemiological patterns in the context of past rapid climate change (RCC) events and other periods of past environmental change. Case studies confirm that human communities responded to environmental changes in diverse ways depending on historical, sociocultural, and biological contingencies. Certain factors, such as social inequality and disproportionate access to resources in large, complex societies may influence the probability of major sociopolitical disruptions and reorganizations—commonly known as “collapse.” This survey of Holocene human–environmental relations demonstrates how flexibility, variation, and maintenance of Indigenous knowledge can be mitigating factors in the face of environmental challenges. Although contemporary climate change is more rapid and of greater magnitude than the RCC events and other environmental changes we discuss here, these lessons from the past provide clarity about potential priorities for equitable, sustainable development and the constraints of modernity we must address