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Mental health nurses' encounters with occupational health services
This is a pre-copyedited, author-produced version of an article accepted for publication in Occupational Medicine following peer review. Under embargo until 16 June 2019. The version of recordJ. Oates, J. Jones, and N. Drey, ‘Mental health nurses’ encounters with occupational health services’, Occupational Medicine, kqy084, (2018), is available online at: https://doi.org/10.1093/occmed/kqy084.Background: Staff wellbeing is vital to the functioning of the UK National Health Service (NHS). Mental health nurses with personal experience of mental illness can offer a professionally and personally informed insight into the occupational health service offered by their employer. Aims: To investigate mental health nurses’ views of occupational health provision in the NHS, based on their personal experience. Methods: A qualitative interview study using a purposive sample of mental health nurses with personal experience of mental illness. Results: Twenty-seven mental health nurses met the inclusion criteria. Thematic analysis identified three themes: comparisons of ‘relative expertise’ between the mental health nurse and the occupational health clinician; concerns about ‘being treated’ by a service at their work; and ‘returning to work’. Conclusion: Occupational health provision in mental health settings must take account of the expertise of its staff. Further research, looking at NHS occupational health provision from the provider perspective is warranted.Peer reviewe
National survey of occupational therapy managers in mental health
This study, part of the College of Occupational Therapists' Mental Health Project, surveyed occupational therapy managers in mental health to gather data about them, the services they managed and their opinions on current and future issues of importance. A questionnaire was sent to the 184 managers who it was believed worked in mental health and it achieved a 65.2% response rate.
The majority of the 120 respondents were female, with Head II therapists between the ages of 31 and 40 forming the largest group. Two-thirds had additional qualifications and 71% had worked in mental health for more than 11 years. In addition to managing occupational therapy services, 86% carried a caseload or managed other services. Aspects of professional management were ranked highest in a list of tasks undertaken. Contradictions were noted in the managers' opinions on recruitment and retention of staff and the importance of staff supervision. The managers displayed commitment to the principles and philosophy of occupational therapy and a determination to demonstrate its effectiveness through research and evidence-based practice.
This study contributed to the position paper on the way ahead for occupational therapy in mental health (Craik et al 1998a) and provided information for occupational therapy managers to assist them to review their role
Occupational health surveillance immigrant suvey report February 2013
Survey statistics from various immigrant groups pertaining to health, education, worker compensation and work injury
Occupational Health
Health at work and healthy work environments are among the most valuable assets of individuals, communities and countries. Nowadays, new broader approach is promoted, recognizing the fact that occupational health is a key, but not a unique element of workers’ health. Workers health is a public health approach to resolving the health problems of working populations including all determinants of health recognized as targets of risk management. It focuses on primary prevention of occupational and work-related diseases and injuries, protection and promotion of the health of workers. The major component of occupational safety and health system or infrastructure is occupational health service. The Basic Occupational Health Services (BOHS) are an essential service for protection of people's health at work, for promotion of health, well-being and work ability, as well as for prevention of ill-health and accident. BOHS should provide the services available to all workers, addressing to local needs and adapted to local conditions and existing resources. The development of occupational health system and policy requires strengthen governmental stewardship and ensure continuous political commitment to occupational health. OH policy should provide the development of legislation and standards in the field as well as effective mechanisms for financing of occupational health services. The expected results should be ensuring access to basic occupational health services for all workers with establishing essential requirements for service provision and providing the quality assurance systems for occupational health services
Occupational therapy in mental health: A review of the literature
This review of the literature was conducted as part of the development of a position paper on the way ahead for research, education and practice in occupational therapy in mental health. It included publications over the past decade and concentrated on the British Journal of Occupational Therapy. Recognising experience from other countries would be beneficial, aspects of the literature from the National Journals in American, Canada and Australia which were most relevant to practice in the UK were included. The shortage of articles on mental health was conspicuous and their diverse topics and descriptive nature were notable. In the UK literature, the clinical subjects featured most often were dementia, work rehabilitation, community mental health and forensic psychiatry, with other subjects either appearing infrequently or not being included. The literature from the other countries also explored new roles for occupational therapy, reflecting the changes in the delivery of mental health services. In the American Journal of Occupational Therapy there was concern about the declining number of occupational therapists working in mental health. The review identified major themes in the literature and posed questions for education, research and practice in occupational therapy and formed the foundation for the position paper
Routine dipstick urinalysis in daily practice of Belgian occupational physicians
BACKGROUND: Little work has been done to assess the quality of health care and the use of evidence-based methods by occupational physicians in Belgium. Therefore, the main objective is to describe one aspect of occupational health assessments, namely the common use of dipstick urinalysis, and to compare the current practice with international guidelines.
METHODS: A self-administered questionnaire was mailed to 211 members of the Scientific Association of Occupational Medicine in the Dutch speaking part of Belgium.
RESULTS: A total of 120 occupational physicians responded, giving a response rate of 57%. Dipstick urinalysis was a routine investigation for the vast majority of physicians (69%). All test strips screened for protein and in 90% also for blood. Occupational health services offered clinical tests to satisfy customer wants as international guidelines do not recommend screening for haematuria and proteinuria in asymptomatic adults. A lack of knowledge concerning positive testing and referral criteria was demonstrated in almost half of the study participants.
CONCLUSIONS: Belgian occupational physicians still routinely perform dipstick testing although there is no evidence to support this screening in healthy workers. To practice evidence-based medicine, occupational physicians need more instruction and training. Development and implementation of more guidelines is not only of use for the individual practitioner, it may also enhance professionalization and efficiency of occupational health care
The Role of Occupational Therapy in the Prevention and Management of Chronic Conditions at a Free Primary Care Clinic
The prevalence of chronic conditions is a growing public health concern in the U.S. The physical, social, and emotional impacts of chronic conditions are exacerbated by social and physical determinants of health, resulting in occupational injustice. This study took place at a free primary care clinic, the Ithaca Free Clinic (IFC), and set out to determine the need for occupational therapy services for the prevention and management of chronic conditions, supports and barriers to clients participating in occupational therapy services, and supports and barriers to providers referring to occupational therapy services. Results of this study indicate that clients with chronic conditions could benefit from occupational therapy to address the everyday impacts of their condition(s). Clients without chronic conditions could also benefit from occupational therapy to prevent the development of chronic conditions. Both personal health beliefs and social and physical environmental barriers impeded clients’ participation in occupational therapy services at the IFC. Referrals to occupational therapy services can be better facilitated by attending to internal barriers specifically at the IFC and educating other health professionals on the scope of occupational therapy. Outcomes of this study add to literature supporting occupational therapy intervention for this population and aid in advocating for this emerging practice area
The Missing Link – Regulating Occupational Health and Safety Support
This paper examines the need for Australian workplaces to have, or to have access to, sufficient occupational health and safety (OHS) knowledge, capability and specialised services to be able to fulfil their legal responsibilities and to effectively protect the health, safety and welfare of people at work. The paper is about the role, in all its diversity, of the providers of OHS ‘know-how’ and expertise, who go by an equally diverse range of names. As generalist OHS practitioners they are OHS ‘advisers’, ‘officers’, ‘coordinators’, ‘managers’ or ‘consultants’; as integrated services they are ‘occupational health (and safety) services’ or ‘units’, ‘preventive services’ or ‘OHS support’; and as specialist OHS professionals they are ergonomists, occupational hygienists, safety scientists or engineers, occupational physicians, occupational health nurses, occupational psychologists, occupational physiotherapists and occupational therapists. By whatever title, and the names are not mutually exclusive, this paper is concerned with providing access to OHS support, as well as the role and functions, organisation and funding, professional competence, quality and effectiveness of this support.
Nursing care of patients with disability in the sheltered workplace - a case study
The worldwide beginner of the occupational healthcare was an Italian physician who lived at the turn of seventeenth and eighteenth century. The establishment date of occupational health care in Poland is 1953. The main aim of occupational health services is to protect health of workers from the adverse effects of the working environment on the health of employees. The tasks of occupational health services may be performed by a nurse. In this study, a case of a 58-old man with moderate disability employed in a sheltered workplace is presented
Occupational Health Services Integrated in Primary Health Care in Iran
Introduction: A healthy workforce is vital for maintaining social and economic development on a global, national and local level. Around half of the world's people are economically active and spend at least one third of their time in their place of work while only 15% of workers have access to basic occupational health services. According to WHO report, since the early 1980s, health indicators in Iran have consistently improved, to the extent that it is comparable with those in developed countries. In this paper it was tried to briefly describe about Health care system and occupational Health Services as part of Primary Health care in Iran. Methods: To describe the health care system in the country and the status of occupational health services to the workers and employers, its integration into Primary Health Care (PHC) and outlining the challenges in provision of occupational health services to the all working population. Findings: Iran has fairly good health indicators. More than 85 percent of the population in rural and deprived regions, for instance, have access to primary healthcare services. The PHC centers provide essential healthcare and public-health services for the community. Providing, maintaining and improving of the workers' health are the main goals of occupational health services in Iran that are presented by different approaches and mostly through Workers' Houses in the PHC system. Conclusions: Iran has developed an extensive network of PHC facilities with good coverage in most rural areas, but there are still few remote areas that might suffer from inadequate services. It seems that there is still no transparent policy to collaborate with the private sector, train managers or provide a sustainable mechanism for improving the quality of services. Finally, strengthening national policies for health at work, promotion of healthy work and work environment, sharing healthy work practices, developing updated training curricula to improve human resource knowledge including occupational health professionals are recommended
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