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Understanding The Hospital Sharps Injury Reporting Pathway, Leslie Boden, Yolanta Petrofsky, Karen Hopcia, Gregory Wagner, Dean Hashimoto

Dean M. Hashimoto

Background: Patient-care workers are frequently exposed to sharps injuries, which can involve the risk of serious illness. Underreporting of these injuries can compromise prevention efforts.

Methods: We linked survey responses of 1,572 non-physician patient-care workers with the Occupational Health Services (OHS) database at two academic hospitals. We determined whether survey respondents who said they had sharps injuries indicated that they had reported them and whether reported injuries were recorded in the OHS database.

Results: Respondents said that they reported 62 of 78 sharps injuries occurring over a 12-month period. Only 28 appeared in the OHS data. Safety practices were positively …

Impact Of Organizational Policies And Practices On Workplace Injuries In A Hospital Setting, T. Tveito, G. Sembajwe, L. Bodden, J. Dennerlein, G. Wagner, C. Kenwood, A. Stoddard, S. Reme, K. Hopcia, Dean Hashimoto, W. Shaw, G. Sorensen

Dean M. Hashimoto

Objective: This study aimed to assess relationships between perceptions of organizational practices and policies (OPP), social support, and injury rates among workers in hospital units. Methods: A total of 1230 hospital workers provided survey data on OPP, job flexibility, and social support. Demographic data and unit injury rates were collected from the hospitals' administrative databases. Results: Injury rates were lower in units where workers reported higher OPP scores and high social support. These relationships were mainly observed among registered nurses. Registered nurses perceived coworker support and OPP as less satisfactory than patient care associates (PCAs). Nevertheless, because of the low …

Physical Activity And Body Mass Index: The Contribution Of Age And Workplace Characteristics, Candace Nelson, Gregory Wagner, Alberto Caban-Martinez, Orfeu Buxton, Cristopher Kenwood, Erika Sabbath, Karen Hopcia, Dean Hashimoto, Jennifer Allen, Glorian Sorensen

Dean M. Hashimoto

Background: The workplace is an important domain for adults, and many effective interventions targeting physical activity and weight reduction have been implemented in the workplace. However, the U.S. workforce is aging, and few studies have examined the relationship of BMI, physical activity, and age as they relate to workplace characteristics.

Purpose: This paper reports on the distribution of physical activity and BMI by age in a population of hospital-based healthcare workers and investigates the relationships among workplace characteristics, physical activity, and BMI.

Methods: Data from a survey of patient care workers in two large academic hospitals in the Boston area …