DANGER! Crisis Health Workers at Risk

Abstract

The occupational hazards of health workers (HWs) in standard work environments have been well defined in both the developed and developing world during routine working conditions. Less defined are the hazards to HWs during pandemics, epidemics, natural disasters, wars, conflicts, and other crises. How do crises affect the infrastructure of medical systems? What are the distinct needs of the patient population during crises? What are the peculiarities of the Crisis Health Worker (CHW)? What are the known CHWs’ occupational risks? What are the protective factors? By means of a PubMed search, we synthesized the most relevant publications to try to answer these questions. Failures of healthcare infrastructure and institutions include CHW shortages, insufficient medical supplies, medications, transportation, poorly paid health workers, security concerns, and the absence of firm guidance in health policy. Healthcare needs affecting the patient population and CHWs include crisis-induced injury and illness, hazardous exposures, communicable diseases, mental healthcare, and continuity of care for pre-crisis medical conditions. CHWs’ occupational hazards include supply deficiencies, infectious disease transmission, long working hours, staff shortages, financial reimbursements, mental fatigue, physical exhaustion, and inconsistent access to clean water, electricity, and Internet. CHWs suffer from injuries and illnesses that range from immediate, debilitating injuries to chronic, unforeseen effects like mental fatigue, physical exhaustion, anxiety, burnout, and even post-traumatic stress syndrome (PTSD). Protective factors include personal traits such as adaptability and resilience as well as skills learned through structured education and training. Success will be achieved by constructively collaborating with local authorities, local health workers, national military, foreign military, and aid organizations.

Granulometric Characterization of Wood Dust Emission from CNC Machining of Natural Wood and Medium Density Fiberboard

“…Therefore, complementary analysis methods should be used for wood dust with a larger dimensional span. Only then is it possible to detect and quantify the content of the finest dust particles and, thus, to estimate the occupational health risks accordingly [30,31].…”

“…Several studies reported very similar particle size distributions between pine and oak; others reported that hardwood dust is finer than softwood dust [25]. Depending on the treatments to which wood has been subjected before machining, dust can contain preservatives, additives, or adhesives [30][31][32][33][34][35][36][37][38]. The greatest occupational risk is caused by the finest dust particles (inhalable fraction), which, when dispersed in the ambient air, can lead to serious short-term and long-term human health problems [39,40].…”

Accidente laboral y estresores de la organización del trabajo en el personal de salud: una mirada desde la seguridad y la salud en el trabajo: revisión narrativa

“…Esto compromete la salud mental y provoca agotamiento físico y emocional 8 . Se puede pensar que quienes laboran en condiciones de crisis son inmunes a lesiones o enfermedades, ya que su trabajo es curar enfermos y heridos, pero realmente son muy vulnerables 9 .…”

“Too Many Jobs and Not Enough Hands”: Immigrant and Refugee Community Health Workers at the Frontlines of the COVID-19 Pandemic

“…However, as frontline health workers, CHWs were extremely vulnerable to experiences of burnout, compassion fatigue, and moral distress. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC, 2020) described the onset of COVID-19 as a “fast-moving public health crisis.” Frontline health personnel operating during public health crises are at disproportionate risk for experiencing poor mental health, including emotional distress and burnout (Deng & Naslund, 2020; Harrell et al, 2020). Burnout is characterized by emotional exhaustion, cynicism or depersonalization, and poor professional efficacy (Harrell et al, 2020; Maslach et al, 2001).…”