Legal Aspects of Recognizing COVID-19 As an Occupational Disease in The Republic of Croatia

Occupational diseases are diseases directly induced by work and working conditions. In the Republic of Croatia, according to the procedure set out by law, occupational diseases are reported and recognized by the Croatian Health Insurance Fund and registered and monitored in the Registry of Occupational Diseases kept by the Croatian Institute for Public Health – Department of Occupational Health. Diagnoses are under responsibility of occupational medicine specialists and are carried out according to modern occupational health criteria, which include determining the clinical picture of the disease and the damage caused by the work process. The recognition of COVID-19 as an occupational disease is extremely important for the worker considering the financial and pension benefits according to the applicable laws and regulations. Most workers who have had COVID-19 as a professional disease do not get the disease recognized as an occupational disease while they are sick. The length of the acute disease is shorter than the process of application and evaluation of occupational disease. However, the recognition of COVID-19 as an occupational disease may be important for the future. Should any of the complications (e.g. post COVID-19 syndrome) arise in the future, the worker holds their rights under health insurance. The scientific and healthcare community is still in the process of evaluating and recognizing complications of COVID-19 disease and their long-term impact on health and work ability. © 2022, University of Zagreb, Faculty of Mining, Geology and Petroleum Engineering. All rights reserved.

Satisfaction with working from home during COVID-19 pandemic

At the beginning of COVID-19 pandemic, the number of people who worked from home increased drastically. New working conditions were not standardized, and work efficiency depended on the possibility of separating work from household and family obligations. Although there is no solid evidence of the negative impact of remote work on the workers'health during the pandemic, it was observed that women were more tired or depressed than men, while men maintained a better balance between private and work time. The aim of this research was to determine the satisfaction of Croatian workers who started working from home at the beginning of COVID-19 pandemic, and to examine the relationship between satisfaction and age and gender. It is a cross-sectional study, in which 232 (121 male and 111 female) employees of a telecommunications company were involved. Each participant filled out a questionnaire once, immediately after eight months of working from home. The majority (59.9%) of the participants were satisfied while working from home. No difference in satisfaction was found between men and women (χ2(1)=1.179, P=0.278) and younger and older participants (U=6347.0, P=0.821). Dissatisfaction of the participants was related to longer working hours (χ2(2)=14.015, P<0.001), disturbance by household members (χ2(2)=14.601, P<0.001) and inability to separate private from work time (χ2(1)= 28.917, P<0.001). Significantly more men (79.3%) compared to women (67.6%) believed they could separate work from private time, (χ2(1)=4.139, P=0.042). The majority (89.0%) of participants would like to continue working from home permanently (27.1%) or occasionally (72.9%) after the end of the pandemic.Workers who are not satisfied with remote work or find it difficult to separate work from private time should improve the quality of working environment in homes, harmonize household and family obligations with work obligations or consider returning to their usual place of work regardless of age and gender. © 2022 Hrvatski Lijecnicki Zbor. All rights reserved.

Burnout and its predictors during pandemic in health workers from South-East European countries

Introduction. Workplace factors during COVID-19 pandemic impose significant risk to occupational health in health workers (HWs). This cross-sectional study analyzes associations of burnout with job demands/resources among HWs and compares findings between 12 South-East European (SEE) countries during the pandemic. Methods. The actual on-line survey was conducted during autumn 2020 by SEE Network on Workers' Health (SEENWH) with SEE Health Network. Job demands and burnout were measured by Hospital Experience Scale and Maslach Burnout Inventory. Hospital Survey on Patient Safety Culture and the English version of the Questionnaire sur les Ressources et Contraintes Professionnelles were used for job resources assessment. Total sample involved 4.621 HWs (78.4% females, aged 43.7±10.7 yrs, tenure 18.8±11.4 yrs) from SEE countries. Ethical issues of the study were approved by SEENWH. Results. Data showed significant differences in emotional exhaustion between SEE countries: Albania 21.7, Bosnia and Herzegovina 21.9, Bulgaria 23.8, Croatia 23.7, Israel 13, Moldova 22.9, Montenegro 22.4, RN Macedonia 24.1, Romania 18.2, Serbia 20.1, Turkey 20.4 (Welch F = 17.98, p<0.001). Cross-country differences were also registered in job demands/resources. Regression models, controlling for gender, age, tenure, working hours/week, night shifts, showed job demands (R2=.37, ΔR2=.35) and job resources (R2=.18, ΔR2=.16) as significant predictors of emotional exhaustion. Conclusion. There is an urgent need for implementation of country-specific preventive measures towards burnout prevention and improvement of work ability in HWs during pandemic.

The relationship between job demands, job engagements, and burnout among healthcare workers during the COVID-19 pandemic

INTRODUCTION: The Covid-19 pandemic has placed unprecedented psychosocial pressure on healthcare workers. Despite this, this study has assessed the relationship between job demands, job engagements, and burnout among healthcare workers and compared findings between countries. METHODS: This cross-sectional self-reported online survey among 1266 HCWs (78% females, aged 42.9±10.8 years) from RN Macedonia, Croatia, and Bosnia and Herzegovina during 2020 was carried out. The following study questionnaires: MBI, the Hospital Experience Scale, the Hospital Survey on Patient Safety Culture, and QRCP the Questionnaire Sur Les Ressources et Contraintes Professionnelles were used. All examinees per job contacts divide into three groups: those who had no COVID-19 positive contact, self-isolated patients, and only positive COVID-19 patients. RESULTS: Comparison findings indicated a high level of burnout in each country without significant differences (the mean of EE in Croatia was 23.70, in RN Macedonia 24.08, and B&H 21.88;and mean of DP in Croatia 6.75: in RN Macedonia 6.28: in B&H 5.98, P>0.05 ), and insufficient number of HCWs, too. In an inversion, they were HCWS with the lowest level of dedication to work tasks than others. There was a significant correlation between job dissatisfaction and: EE (0.534, P<0.000), DP (0.535, P<0.000), and night working shift (0.299, P<0.000). CONCLUSION: It is necessary to provide a sufficient number of HCWS, reduce night working and psycho- support, and strengthen job satisfaction among HCWS who have only contact with COVID 19 patients.

Work Engagement, Job Demands and Burnout among Croatian Health Care Workers during the Coronavirus Disease 2019 Pandemic

Introduction: As the world is fighting COVID-19 pandemic, health care workers (HCWs) keep struggling with increased stress at work and consequential mental health disorders. The aim of our study was to assess workplace characteristics and the development of burnout in HCWs during COVID-19 pandemic. Materials and Methods: This study was designed, developed and ethically approved by the South East European (SEE) Network on Workers' Health in cooperation with SEE Health Network. During the autumn of 2020, an online anonymous survey was conducted among HCWs in Croatia. A total sample of 300 HCWs answered the Maslach Burnout Inventory, Utrecht Work Engagement Scale and Job Demands and Resources Questionnaires. Results: Hospital nurses made up the majority (68.0%) of participants. The highest level of job demands (3.92±0.63) was at physical level: excessive workload at a hospital or unit, time pressure, and lack of staff and supplies. No significant correlations were found between physical job demands and age, gender, work tenure and working hours. The highest significant positive correlation was found between organisational job demands and emotional exhaustion (r=0.455, P<0.001). Emotional job demands moderately and positively correlated with depersonalization (r=0.373, P<0.001). Conclusions: HCWs’ workplaces have significantly changed during the COVID-19 pandemic and become substantially hazardous for mental health. Preventive measures need to be implemented urgently and should be primarily focused on excessive workload reduction with additional emotional support to reduce burnout rates and preserve HCW’s work ability.