International archives of occupational and environmental health
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Int Arch Occup Environ Health · Jan 2019
Coping strategies in secondary traumatization and post-traumatic growth among nurses working in a medical rehabilitation hospital: a pilot study.
Secondary traumatization and post-traumatic growth have been recognized as psychological reactions that might occur among the medical staff in general, and among nurses in particular. Nurses in the field of medical rehabilitative care might reveal such reactions as their work involves stress and traumatic situations. Coping strategies might either alleviate or exacerbate work-related stress experienced by nurses. The aims of the current study were to explore the link between secondary traumatization and post-traumatic growth exhibited by nurses in the field of medical rehabilitative care, and to examine the link between problem-focused coping strategies and emotion-focused coping strategies to secondary traumatization and post-traumatic growth. ⋯ Nurses employed in a medical rehabilitation hospital who cope via problem-focused strategies as well as emotion-focused strategies in their work, might reveal secondary traumatization but might simultaneously benefit from post-traumatic growth.
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Int Arch Occup Environ Health · Jul 2018
Study of the validity of a job-exposure matrix for the job strain model factors: an update and a study of changes over time.
The objectives of the study were to construct a job-exposure matrix (JEM) for psychosocial work factors of the job strain model, to evaluate its validity, and to compare the results over time. ⋯ This study demonstrated that company size in addition to occupation may improve the validity of JEMs for psychosocial work factors. These matrices may be time-dependent and may need to be updated over time. More research is needed to assess the validity of JEMs given that these matrices may be able to provide exposure assessments to study a range of health outcomes.
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Int Arch Occup Environ Health · Jul 2018
Associations of psychosocial working conditions with health outcomes, quality of care and intentions to leave the profession: results from a cross-sectional study among physician assistants in Germany.
Numerous epidemiological studies among health care staff have documented associations of adverse psychosocial working conditions with poorer health-related outcomes, a reduced quality of patient care and intentions to leave the profession. The evidence for physician assistants in Germany remains limited though. ⋯ Our results are in line with previous findings among health care staff and provide specific and novel evidence for physician assistants. Interventions aiming at the improvement of working conditions seem needed given their potential adverse consequences in terms of employee health, quality of care, and personnel policy.
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Int Arch Occup Environ Health · Apr 2018
Environmental and biological measurements of isoflurane and sevoflurane in operating room personnel.
The present study aimed to compare the concentration of isoflurane and sevoflurane in the individual's breathing zone and ambient air of operating rooms (ORs), to investigate the correlation between breathing zone levels and urinary concentrations, and to evaluate the ORs pollution in the different working hours and weeks. ⋯ The occupational exposure of OR personnel to isoflurane and sevoflurane was lower than national recommended exposure limits. The urinary isoflurane could be a good internal dose biomarker for monitoring of occupational isoflurane exposure. Considering the accumulation of anesthetic waste gases in the studied ORs, real-time air monitoring is better to be done at the end of the work shift.
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Int Arch Occup Environ Health · Nov 2017
Short-term annoyance from nocturnal aircraft noise exposure: results of the NORAH and STRAIN sleep studies.
The German Aerospace Center (DLR) investigated in the NORAH sleep study the association between a distinct change in nocturnal aircraft noise exposure due to the introduction of a night curfew (11:00 p.m.-5:00 a.m.) at Frankfurt Airport and short-term annoyance reactions of residents in the surrounding community. Exposure-response curves were calculated by random effects logistic regression to evaluate the aircraft noise-related parameters (1) number of overflights and (2) energy equivalent noise level LASeq for the prediction of short-term annoyance. Data of the NORAH sleep study were compared with the STRAIN sleep study which was conducted by DLR near Cologne-Bonn Airport in 2001/2002 (N = 64), representing a steady-state/low-rate change. ⋯ Results confirm the importance of both acoustical parameters for the prediction of short-term annoyance due to nocturnal aircraft noise. Quantitative annoyance models that were derived at steady-state/low-rate change airports cannot be directly applied to airports that underwent a distinct change in operational and noise exposure patterns.