Work-related stress management between workplace and occupational health care.

BACKGROUND: Work-related stress has been evaluated as one of the most important health risks in Europe. Prevention of work related stress and interventions to reduce risk factors for stress in the workplace are conducted together by the enterprise and occupational health services. OBJECTIVE: The aim of the study was to examine the experiences of Finnish occupational physicians on the stress management with enterprises. METHODS: From the Finnish Association of Occupational Health Physicians membership list 207 physicians responded to self-administered anonymous questionnaire. The data were analysed using SPSS 17.0. RESULTS: The client enterprises contacted occupational health services frequently about work-related stress. Collaboration between occupational health and enterprises was strongest in companies' own occupational health services and generally with most experienced physicians. Occupational health services and enterprises shared responsibility for managing work-related stress. CONCLUSIONS: Professional experience and close contact with organisation management favours successful stress management between occupational health and enterprises.

Finnish occupational health nurses' view of work-related stress: a cross-sectional study.

Occupational stress at work has been increasingly recognized as a major risk factor for chronic disease and poor quality of work life among employees. The purpose of this study was to examine how occupational health nurses in Finland manage work-related stress. A descriptive cross-sectional study design was used with a sample of 354 Finnish occupational nurses who responded to the survey. No specific standardized tools to assess or handle work-related stress in occupational health services or their client companies were identified. Open-ended interviews together with burnout questionnaires were the most frequently used methods to assess the stress of employees. Interventions were directed at individual employees. A need for standardized stress assessment instruments and stress management by work organizations was found. Methods to cope with work-related stress should be developed by the occupational health team and companies' health resources departments to ensure the adoption of common protocols.

Work-related stress management by Finnish enterprises.

Work-related stress has become one of the major problems in working societies and it increases employees' risk of disease. Its importance has been emphasized also due to its' great socio-economic consequences. Different stress management and worksite interventions have been implemented, however, the actual practices in companies have been assessed little. The purpose of this study was to examine how enterprises in Finland manage work-related stress. An assessment of work-related stress methods was conducted in 40 enterprises acting in the metropolitan area of Finland in May 2010 by a questionnaire. The concept of work-related stress was well known by participants. Enterprises rarely had their own work-related stress management protocol even though all of the workplaces had experienced work-related stress at some point. The collaboration between the workplace and occupational health services varied. Companies easily placed the responsibility for work-related stress assessment and handling on occupational health services. Workplaces have to pay more attention to work-related stress and related issues. The easiest way to do this is to collaborate with occupational health services. Protocols for collaboration should be developed jointly using the available models which have been established as cost-effective.

How occupational health care professionals experience evidence-based guidelines in Finland: a qualitative study.

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES: Evidence-based guidelines are currently the most relevant source of information in practice. The adherence to and use of guidelines is often influenced by attitudes towards the guidelines themselves, which have not been sufficiently explored in occupational health. This study examines the attitude of Finnish occupational nurses' and doctors' attitudes towards evidence-based guidelines. METHODS: Ten occupational doctors and eight occupational nurses were interviewed in Southern Finland on their attitudes towards evidence-based guidelines in 2009. RESULTS: The nurses were not very familiar with the concept of evidence-based medicine. Rather, they used recommendations developed in their workplace or by their employer. The evidence base of these recommendations was not clear. The doctors considered the evidence-based guidelines reliable and practical, but did not always act according to them. Participants felt that they did not have time to check guidelines during their working hours. Participants wished for clearer, shorter guidelines on occupational health care topics, which would help in their practical daily work and clarify roles in teamwork. CONCLUSIONS: Based on these positive attitudes, the use of guidelines may be more common than it seems. The viewpoints of all occupational health professional groups should be taken into account in guideline development, particularly on the availability and usability of the guidelines.

Finnish occupational physicians' and nurses' experience of work related stress management: a qualitative study.

Work-related stress has a strong influence on the health of workers. Occupational health care has an important role in assessing and managing this stress in collaboration with enterprises. The methods to reduce stress can be directed at the individual and at the organization as a whole. There is little information about stress handling methods in occupational health practices. This study aims to investigate these practices in Finnish occupational health physicians' and nurses' work. The data were generated through semi structured interviews of ten voluntary occupational physicians and eight occupational nurses in the metropolitan area of Finland in June 2009. The work-related stress was experienced as difficult to handle. There was no specific protocol for handling work-related stress in practice. Stress reduction activities were mostly randomly directed at the individual or the organizational level. Activities remained mainly on the individual level and were rarely allocated to the organization. There is a need for structured guidelines on how to manage work-related stress to assure standardized action on both the individual and organizational level. The roles of the physician, nurse and psychologist should be clarified in teamwork. Their collaborative activities should be directed also to the organisational level.

Evaluation of the practice guidelines of Finnish Institute of Occupational Health with AGREE instrument.

Guidelines for occupational physicians are increasing in number. Their quality and content is varied and they may even provide conflicting recommendations. Earlier studies show that guidelines directed at professionals in occupational health use scientific evidence unsystematically or inadequately. This article assesses the guidelines of the Finnish Institute of Occupational Health (FIOH). We selected a random sample of 29 guidelines from all those published by FIOH, which were assessed by four people individually using the AGREE instrument. The items were scored in six domains: scope and purpose of the guideline, stakeholder involvement, rigour of guideline development, clarity and presentation, application, and editorial independence. Mean domain scores were calculated according to AGREE instructions. The guidelines presented their scope and purpose well; the mean domain score was 62%. Their clarity and presentation was fairly good, mean domain score 47%. The stakeholder involvement's mean domain score was 33%. The other domains scored low: applicability domain, 15%, rigour of guideline development, 9%, and editorial independence, 7% only. The rigour and reporting of guideline development seems to be the main challenge for future guideline production in FIOH. A common structure for guideline preparation is needed.