A Qualitative Study of Barriers to Personal Protective Equipment Use among Laundry Workers in Government Hospitals, Hawassa, Ethiopia.

Background: The need to reduce the transmission of infectious diseases makes the use of personal protective equipment and safety medical devices compulsory among hospital laundry staff. The practice, however, remains to be low among hospital laundry staff members. Globally, not many studies seem to have been carried out to sufficiently tell us about the barriers to personal protective equipment use among hospital laundry workers. Related studies in Ethiopia are even fewer. This study assessed the barriers to personal protective equipment use among laundry staff of government hospitals in Hawassa City, Southern Ethiopia, 2019. Methods: Two qualitative data-gathering methods-focus group discussions and key informant interviews-were used to collect data for this study. Eight focus group discussions were conducted with hospital laundry workers. Similarly, six key informant interviews were held with Infection Prevention and Patient Safety Officers. Thematic analysis was performed using Open Code 4.02. Result: Organizational- and individual-level barriers such as unavailability of essential personal protective equipment, a disharmonious work environment, low perception of susceptibility, and belief about personal protective equipment interference with work performance were identified as the major barriers to personal protective equipment use in the present study. Conclusion: Organizational- and individual-level barriers have been identified as causes for the low level of personal protective equipment use among hospital laundry workers. Therefore, improving institutional supplies in quantity and quality may have a positive implication for the improvement of infection prevention practices in the study area. Also, designing sustainable strategies and raising laundry workers' awareness of a safe work environment may lead to the improvement of infection prevention practices.

Managing a highly important service.

As facilities managers take more responsibility for the hospital laundries, Murray Simpson, chief executive of the TSA (Textile Services Association), the trade association for the laundry, dry cleaning, and textile rental industries in the UK, highlights the major issues that need to be addressed--ranging from effective stock control, to making sure nurses' uniforms are washed at sufficiently high temperatures to prevent them harbouring bacteria, to ensure that Government targets on hygiene and efficiency are met.

Impact of ergonomics risk among workers in clothes central distribution service in a hospital.

BACKGROUND: In health care services, the workers from laundry and linen services are exposed to various occupational hazards, including the ergonomic risk. Were decided to study the effect of ergonomic factors at work in the musculoskeletal system for employees in this sector. METHODS: Cross-sectional study conducted in a mid-sized general hospital in Brazil. Site visit was conducted to apply recognition of occupational hazards and work activities flow. Medical evaluation of twenty-one workers was performed for designing the health status of them, focusing on orthopedic disorders. RESULTS: Their activities are to distribute clothes in all units of hospital care in order to organize and maintain supplies. The principal complaints were back pain (43%) and shoulder pain (24%). The ergonomic risk happens due to repeated movements of lumbar flexion in sealing, raising the arms above shoulder level in storage and transportation of loads on the distribution of clean clothes. CONCLUSIONS: The complaints by workers are consistent with the overloads identified in the evaluation of jobs. It is recommended to adjust anthropometrically the sealing workplace; the availability of stairs; the implantation of trolleys with four swivel wheels; short breaks during the workday; and to stretch the muscles before and during work.

Externalización del Servicio de Catering en el ámbito de las entidades asistenciales / The outsourcing of the Catering Service in the area of nursing entities

La externalización de actividades asistenciales ha dejado de ser algo extraño o poco efectivo, pasando a resultar una opción muy útil y usual en los diversos centros sanitarios del país. Así lo consideran los autores de este trabajo, los cuales justifican dicho outsourcing en el sector privado por la mejora objetiva de la eficiencia. La externalización de los servicios complementarios se inició hace ya muchos años, especialmente en los servicios de lavandería, limpieza y alimentación. El objetivo de este artículo es dar a conocer las diversas ventajas de la externalización del servicio de Catering en entidades asistenciales de carácter privado (AU)

The outsourcing of nursing activities has ceased to be something strange or ineffective; and has become a very useful and usual option in different health centres around the country. This is a what the authors of this work believe, justifying outsourcing in the private sector with the objective of improving efficiency. The outsourcing of complementary services began many years ago, particularly in the laundry, cleaning and food services. The objective of this article is to explain the different advantages for outsourcing the Catering service in private nursing entities (AU)

[General services]. / Servicios Generales.

The present article describes the activity performed by the medical support services and, more specifically, by operational services (which include mainly cleaning, laundry, and non-patient transport) and catering. We outline the normal activity of these services and then provide details of how they were affected on 11 March and subsequent days. Data relating to the Rehabilitation Centers and Ophthalmology Institute are not included as they were not significantly affected from the point of view discussed herein.

Hereford Hospital: a 65 m Pounds PFI development project.

The new 340-bed acute general hospital at Hereford is one of a growing number of innovative PFI healthcare projects where Sodexho is a leading consortium member. The company is an equity partner with a 30-year contract to provide support services.

[Vertical integration and contracting-out in generic hospital services in Spain]. / Integración vertical y contratación externa en los servicios generales de los hospitales españoles.

OBJECTIVES: This study examines the factors that influence make or buy decisions corresponding to four generic services (housekeeping, laundry, food services, and maintenance and security) in Spanish hospitals (3,160 transactions in 790 hospitals). METHODS: The empirical estimation of a logistic model based on hospital utility maximization is presented. Factors included in the model are not only those related to transaction costs, but also those related to public intervention and the political dimension. RESULTS: A total of 55.7% of hospitals contracted-out at least one of the generic services. The services most frequently contracted-out were housekeeping and maintenance and security(45.1 and 32.5%, respectively). In contrast, the services (94.3% and 80.1%, respectively). Hospital size (economies of scale), measured by the number of beds, was one of the most important factors influencing make or buy decisions. CONCLUSIONS: We find evidence that economies of scale are related to a higher level of vertical integration, while specialization and for-profit objectives favor the decision to contract-out. The choice of organizational model for laundry services presents a different pattern from that of the other three services. Empirical results show that some asset specificity could be present in laundry services.