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Purpose: Occupational safety and health (OSH) professionals are often the point of contact for health and safety policies derived in the workplace, and the handling of incidents in their aftermath. As chronic pain affects 20% of people, many pain-awareness campaigns and educational activities target healthcare professionals. However, initiatives directed toward OSH professionals are also important to aid in prevention and rehabilitation efforts. The objective of this study was to describe knowledge and attitudes of OSH students with regard to chronic pain. Methods: A web-based cross-sectional study was conducted amongst a convenience sample of 88 students enrolled in the distance learning OSH undergraduate certificate program at the Université du Québec en Abitibi-Témiscamingue (Quebec, Canada). Results: Although 30% of students were already employed within OSH or human resources and 40% reported intervening in cases involving chronic pain in their line of work, 56% of respondents had received no training on chronic pain and its treatment in the past five years. Only 14% chose to take the optional 45 hr course dedicated to pain within the program. OSH students also exhibited poorer knowledge and more negative attitudes toward people suffering from chronic pain when compared to other groups assessed in the province of Quebec, including healthcare professionals, chronic pain patients, and people not suffering from chronic pain ( p ≤0.0002). Half of the respondents (51.9%) were not aware that chronic pain affects 1 in 5 adults. Conclusion: Our study demonstrates a need for pain education within OSH training programs and through continuing education.

BackgroundThe Coronavirus 2019 disease (COVID‐19) brought many healthcare systems around the world to the point of collapse all the while putting the lives of healthcare workers at risk. This study forgoes an institutional look at healthcare to center individual healthcare personnel in Malawi to better understand (1) how the worldviews of healthcare workers impact their work in the context of COVID‐19, (2) how COVID‐19 impacted healthcare workers, and (3) the unique conditions faced by being a healthcare worker in a low‐income nation.MethodsThis research uses a hermeneutic phenomenological approach to qualitative methodology involving in‐depth interviews (n = 15) with healthcare workers, traditional healers, and hospital leadership. The data collected were inductively coded and analyzed using the framework method, producing rich descriptions on how COVID‐19 impacted the lifeworlds of healthcare workers in Malawi.ResultsThe findings reveal many of the struggles healthcare workers faced due to misaligned government policy and perceived proximity to COVID‐19; outline their needs such as wanting better resources, funds, wages, and public health communication; and, exemplify the significant role that personal biases, worldviews, and sense of fear played in how healthcare workers perceived and interacted with COVID‐19.ConclusionMuch of what was said echoes beyond borders, reflecting common global sentiments felt by healthcare personnel, and offers directions to explore building policies, strategies, and plans in preparation for any future disease outbreaks.

Introduction : le développement professionnel continu du personnel infirmier est un enjeu d’actualité. Contexte : le Questionnaire-Professional Development Nurses (Q-PDN) a été conçu dans l’optique de comprendre les opinions et les croyances du personnel infirmier face au développement professionnel continu, afin d’améliorer la qualité des soins et d’optimiser la satisfaction en emploi. Objectifs : adapter le Q-PDN au contexte canadien-français selon les lignes directrices reconnues. Méthode : les étapes du processus d’adaptation transculturelle de Beaton et al . (2000) ont été suivies afin de produire un outil adapté au contexte canadien-français. Résultats et discussion : cette étude fait état des différentes étapes nécessaires pour l’adaptation transculturelle de l’outil Q-PDN au contexte canadien-français. À la suite de l’adaptation, des ajustements mineurs ont été apportés. Quelques commentaires généraux ont souligné la clarté et la simplicité du questionnaire. Conclusion : cette première étape de l’adaptation transculturelle canadienne-française du Q-PDN a permis le développement d’un outil permettant d’identifier les lacunes et les priorités d’action pour favoriser le Développement professionnel continu des infirmières.