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- Larsson, Agneta, et al.
(författare)
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Identifying work ability promoting factors for home care aides and assistant nurses
- 2012
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Ingår i: BMC Musculoskeletal Disorders. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1471-2474. ; 13:1
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- In workplace health promotion, all potential resources needs to be taken into consideration, not only factors relating to the absence of injury and the physical health of the workers, but also psychological aspects. A dynamic balance between the resources of the individual employees and the demands of work is an important prerequisite. In the home care services, there is a noticeable trend towards increased psychosocial strain on employees at work. There are a high frequency of work-related musculoskeletal disorders and injuries, and a low prevalence of sustainable work ability. The aim of this research was to identify factors promoting work ability and self-efficacy in care aides and assistant nurses within home care services.This study is based on cross-sectional data collected in a municipality in northern Sweden. Care aides (n = 58) and assistant nurses (n = 79) replied to a self-administered questionnaire (response rate 46%). Hierarchical multiple regression analyses were performed to assess the influence of several independent variables on self-efficacy (model 1) and work ability (model 2) for care aides and assistant nurses separately.Perceptions of personal safety, self-efficacy and musculoskeletal wellbeing contributed to work ability for assistant nurses (R2adj of 0.36, p < 0.001), while for care aides, the safety climate, seniority and age contributed to work ability (R2adj of 0.29, p = 0.001). Self-efficacy was associated with the safety climate and the physical demands of the job in both professions (R2adj of 0.24, p = 0.003 for care aides), and also by sex and age for the assistant nurses (R2adj of 0.31, p < 0.001).The intermediate factors contributed differently to work ability in the two professions. Self-efficacy, personal safety and musculoskeletal wellbeing were important for the assistant nurses, while the work ability of the care aides was associated with the safety climate, but also with the non-changeable factors age and seniority. All these factors are important to acknowledge in practice and in further research. Proactive workplace interventions need to focus on potentially modifiable factors such as self-efficacy, safety climate, physical job demands and musculoskeletal wellbeing.
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| 2. |
- Larsson, Agneta, et al.
(författare)
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Perceptions of health and risk management among home care workers in Sweden
- 2013
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Ingår i: Physical Therapy Reviews. - 1083-3196 .- 1743-288X. ; 18:5, s. 336-343
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background: Municipal home care workers provide high-quality services to an increasing proportion of elderly people living in private homes. The work environments and working conditions of these workers vary to a great extent, implying rapid prioritymaking among both employers and employees to ensure that the work can be performed in a safe way. Objectives: This study aims to examine home care workers perceptions of health, risks, working conditions and risk management within their organisation. Method: The study was based on cross-sectional data collected from home care service staff' in a municipality in the north of Sweden. Nursing assistants and care aides(n=133) replied to a self-administered questionnaire. Descriptive statistics and between-group differences were analysed. Results: Home care work was perceived to require high levels of professional skill and ingenuity, a good psychosocial work situation, but required a high physical workload. The general health, the capacity and self-efficacy of the staff in relation to work were good. Difficulties in performing risk assessments and to follow safety regulations due to lack of time, equipment and information were identified.Conclusion: There is a need to increase participation in risk assessments among the staff, improve management support, structures and cooperation with other divisions of the social services and the medical care organisations.
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| 4. |
- Larsson, Agneta, et al.
(författare)
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Promoting a safety climate and safety activities for health and work ability in home care services workers
- 2011
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Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- Purpose: The present study aims to describe home care service workers' perceptions of safety climate and safety activities at work as well as working conditions, self-efficacy, and health and work ability. Relevance: High frequencies of work-related musculoskeletal disorders and injuries and low prevalence of sustainable work ability in home care services workers are of great concern. They are to provide high quality services to an increasingly proportion of elderly people living in private homes. In order to promote health and safety for the home care workers, increased focus should be on organisational, psychosocial and physical factors contributing to a healthy working environment. Participants: 158 nursing assistants and nursing aides divided in 18 work units participated in this study. They all met the criterion of having worked in the same home care services unit in the last 6 months. Their mean age was 46 years, the majority were women, and the distribution of nursing aides and nursing assistants was about 40/60%. Methods: This study is based on cross-sectional data gathered in February 2009 in home care services in a municipality in the North of Sweden. All the home-care work units shared the experiences of using a model for participatory risk management in home care services. Data were obtained through a comprehensive self-administered questionnaire, covering working conditions, safety climate, safety activities, self-efficacy, health and work ability. Analysis: Descriptive statistics as well as data on between-group differences are analysed. Results: In general, the results showed fairly good levels of safety climate but only moderate levels of safety activities and of perceived safety grade at work. These variables differed significantly between work units. Environmental barriers, such as lack of time and equipment, were given as reasons for not complying with safety rules or participating in proactive risk assessment. Besides a high frequency of musculoskeletal symptoms and high physical exposure at work, the home care workers in general reported being in good health and with good work ability. They also expressed high decision making latitude, skill discretion, social support and self-efficacy. Conclusions: To promote health and safety for the home care workers, interventions could build on the high levels of safety climate and proactive activities in single work units, proposing good solutions and safe behaviour. Focus need to be placed on improved safety climate, communication and coordination with all professionals forming the home care services setting. Also, on individuals' and work units' awareness of safe behaviour and on alternatives of actions in critical risk situations at work. This may act preventive on musculoskeletal well-being and a good working environment. Implications: There need to be an increase in means given to physical therapists in occupational health services, to work with these issues. The ergonomic skills and the safety climate of the front-line home care services workers need to be addressed, as well as the organisational prerequisites for workplace safety and health.
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