Occupational health: health workers



Material fact

About 54% of health workers in low - and middle-income countries have latent TB, which is 25 times the rate of the general population.

In Africa, 44 to 83 percent of clinical nurses suffer from chronic low back pain, compared with 18 percent of office workers.

Globally, 63% of health workers report experiencing some form of violence in the workplace.

During the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, 23% of frontline healthcare workers worldwide suffer from depression and anxiety, and 39% suffer from insomnia. In addition, medical professionals around the world are at higher risk of suicide.

Unsafe working conditions lead to occupational diseases, injuries at work and absenteeism, resulting in significant economic costs to the health sector (estimated at up to 2 per cent of health expenditure).

To date, however, only 26 of WHO's 195 Member States have developed policy instruments and national programmes to govern the occupational health and safety of health workers.

summarize

Health workers are all persons engaged in work activities whose primary purpose is to improve health, including doctors, nurses, midwives, public health professionals, laboratory technicians, health technicians, medical and non-medical technicians, personal care workers, community health workers, therapists and practitioners of traditional medicine. It also includes health management and support personnel such as cleaners, drivers, hospital administrators, district health managers and social workers, as well as other occupational groups engaged in health-related activities as defined by the International Standard Classification of Occupations (ISCO-08).

Health workers are the backbone of all functioning health systems. While promoting the right of everyone to health care, health workers should also have the right to healthy and safe working conditions in order to maintain their own health.

Health workers face a range of occupational risks, including infection, unsafe patient handling, hazardous chemicals, radiation, heat and noise, psychosocial hazards, violence and harassment, injuries, lack of adequate safe drinking water, sanitation and hygiene measures.

Protecting the health and safety of health workers should be part of the health sector's core business: protecting and restoring health without causing harm to patients and staff.

Safeguarding the health, safety and well-being of health workers prevents work-related illness and injury, while improving the quality and safety of care, human resources for health and environmental sustainability in the health sector.

Ensure the health, safety and well-being of health workers

Protecting the health and safety of health workers contributes to increased health worker productivity, job satisfaction and retention. While taking into account specific working conditions and occupational hazards in the health sector, this also helps to bring health facilities into compliance with national laws and regulations on occupational health and safety. Unsafe working conditions can lead to occupational diseases, work-related injuries and absenteeism, resulting in significant economic costs to the health sector. For example, in 2017, the UK health care and social services sector spent the highest annual costs of all sectors on occupational diseases and injuries, estimated to be equivalent to $3.38 billion (1).

Globally, improving the health, safety and well-being of health workers reduces the costs of occupational injuries (estimated at up to 2% of health spending) and helps minimize patient harm (estimated at up to 12% of health spending) (2). In addition, implementing key interventions to protect the health and safety of health workers helps to improve the resilience of health services in the face of outbreaks and public health emergencies, and helps to strengthen the performance of health systems by: 1) preventing occupational and work-related injuries; 2) Protect and promote the health, safety and well-being of health workers, thereby improving the quality and safety of patient care, health workforce management and environmental sustainability.

Policy action

Only one third of countries have some kind of national policy instrument to protect the health, safety and well-being of health workers. Based on the experience of these countries, the following policy interventions have been shown to be beneficial in protecting health workers:

Introduce new regulations, standards and codes of good practice and update existing regulations, standards and codes of good practice to protect health workers' health and safety;

Protecting the health and safety of health workers as an integral part of health care management at all levels;

(b) Establish mechanisms and strengthen capacities to manage occupational health and safety in the health sector at the national, sub-national and facility levels;

(b) Expand coverage of appropriate occupational health services for health workers, including risk assessment and management, health monitoring, vaccination and psychosocial support;

Establish partnerships with employers' organizations and health workers' organizations to improve working conditions.

Responsibilities and rights

While employers have the overall responsibility to ensure that all necessary preventive and protective measures are taken to minimize occupational risks, health workers have the responsibility to cooperate with management and participate in measures to protect their health, safety and well-being.

Health workers have the right to leave work environments where they have reasonable grounds to believe that there is an imminent and serious risk to their life or health. When health workers exercise this right, they should be protected from any undue consequences;

Who's response

In 2022, the World Health Assembly adopted resolution WHA74.14 on protecting, securing and investing in the health and care workforce, calling on Member States to "take the necessary steps to safeguard and protect health and care workers at all levels". The Global Action Plan for Patient Safety 2021-2030, adopted by the 74th World Health Assembly, prioritizes action for health worker safety as a priority for patient safety.

Who's work to protect the health, safety and well-being of health workers includes:

Developing norms and standards for occupational risk prevention in the health sector;

Advocacy and networking to enhance the protection of the health, safety and well-being of health workers;

Support countries in developing and implementing occupational health programmes for health workers at national, sub-national and health facility levels.