ABSTRACT
There are high levels of sexual harassment in health care systems. Also, workplace violence occurs against ethnic and racial minorities. This study aimed to identify the frequency of and the factors contributing to and preventing sexual and racial harassment in the workplace towards health professionals in Iran. This cross-sectional study was conducted on 6500 out of 57000 health workers who were selected by multistage random sampling from some teaching hospitals in Iran. Data were collected using the questionnaire of [workplace violence in the health sector] developed by the International Labor Organization, International Council of Nurses, World Health Organization, and Public Services International. According to the findings, the frequencies of sexual harassment and racial harassment were, respectively, 4.7% and 12% for the 12 months prior to the study [2011]. Among healthcare workers, nurses reported the highest rate of violence. The most important contributing factors in sexual and racial harassment were lack of security facilities [45.8%] and people's ignorance of employees' tasks [55.7%]. The presence of security force, safety measures in the wards, and guards were noted as the most important preventive factor to harassment. Based on the results, the frequency of sexual and racial harassment is low, which can be attributed to underreporting due to cultural sensitivity or fear. So, identifying the reasons for refusal to report harassment, developing a clear mechanism for reporting and providing the necessary trainings to health workers are essential in order to deal with harassment
ABSTRACT
Injuries resulting from sharp and cutting objects and exposure to patients' blood and other body fluids are considered as one of the most important occupational hazards facing health care personnel due to exposure to blood-borne viruses such as Hepatitis B and C and HIV. The aim of this study is to investigate occupational hazards that involve safe handling of sharp and penetrating objects by nursing staff working in paediatrics hospitals of Tehran University of Medical Sciences [2006-2009]. In this descriptive study, nursing personnel employed at the paediatrics hospitals of Tehran University of Medical Sciences were selected. Data were collected through a self-administered questionnaire containing two parts; part one was related to demographic information and part two focussed on details of injurious incidents. The collected data were analyzed using SPSS software, version 16. The study population reported 134 needle stick injuries[134HCWs exposure group, 380 HCW1s not exposure group]. The incidence rate of NSI was 26.07% [8.17% per year]. In most cases, needles [40.3%] and vein catheters [28.36%] were accounted for injuries. IV access [31.33%] and recapping of needles [20.9%] were most common action resulted to exposure. There was no statistically significant difference in demographic variables except in work experience between two groups. Based on the findings of this study, the incidence rate of NSI among HCWs working in paediatrics wards was less than those of other studies in different countries. This might be related to inadequate reporting, and also our results emphasize the importance of training and education of nursing personnel for reporting needle stick injuries.