veteran's affairs and the health and safety of nurses |
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HEATH & SAFETY
The American Nurses Association conducted an on-line health and safety survey in August, 2001. A total of 4, 826 nurses participated in the survey. The respondents represented a broad cross section of nurses with extensive frontline nursing experience- 70% had worked more than 10 years as a nurse and 61% spend more than half their time engaged in direct patient care activities. I would like to highlight just a few key findings regarding workplace health and safety concerns.
Eighty-eight percent (88%) of the nurses’ respondents reported that health and safety concerns influence their decisions to continue working in the field of nursing as well as the kind of nursing they choose to perform. Eighty-three percent (83%) of nurse respondents continue working despite experiencing back pain. Over three-quarters of the nurses surveyed (76%) indicated that unsafe working conditions do, in fact, interfere with their ability to deliver quality care.
The Department of Veterans Affairs has been historically viewed as a stable, secure and desirable workplace for potential employees. Just a few weeks ago, the American Nurses Association launched a proactive, multi-faceted campaign aimed at promoting safe patient handling and preventing musculoskeletal disorders (MSD) among nurses.
The campaign aims to stem the nation’s growing nursing shortage by reducing the number of nurses who are leaving the field because of unsafe lifting practices and resulting back pain. This campaign will be launched with a Safe Patient Handling Conference, to be held at the Tampa Veterans’ Health Administration Patient Safety Center of Inquiry and the University of South Florida in March of 2004.
The ANA has partnered with Audrey Nelson, PhD, RN, FAAN, director of the Tampa Veterans’ Health Administration Patient Safety Center of Inquiry, in implementing the goals of the campaign.
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