Authors

• Milan Milošević — University of Zagreb School of Medicine, Zagreb, Croatia — ORCID: 0000-0001-9008-7645
• Bojana Knežević — University Hospital Centre Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia — ORCID: 0000-0001-5525-3775

Keywords

work ability, health at work, health care workers

DOI

Full Text

The work, generally, and especially in the health care sector, has a key role in workers’ health due to specific factors in the workplace that can lead to injuries, occupational and work-related diseases or long-term health consequences. (1-3) While workplace dangers are divided into mechanical, thermal or electrical, hazards as biological, chemical and physical, efforts are defined as statodynamic and psychophysiological. The problem of preserving the health of health workers in relation with the dangers and hazards in most cases can be successfully solved by technical and technological solutions at the workplace, while areas psychophysiological and statodynamic efforts required objectification and appropriate intervention. Adequate work ability is compliance of workers biological characteristics with the job demands. The objective of work ability assessment of health care professionals is to preserve workers’ health, prevent of disabilities, occupational diseases and work related diseases and injuries. To preserve health and adequate work ability among health care workers there are measures at the organizational level and the individual level. Under the measures at the organizational level there are changes in the organization of work, involving employees in decision making and problem solving. They should include: the optimum number of employees in order to reduce work overload and time pressure to perform tasks; additional workers education on health and safety at work which is important for the prevention and removal of stress in order to preserve the health of employees as a key prerequisite for maintaining work ability. At the individual level, preventive measures should include appropriate health surveillance, with particular emphasis regarding workplace, working conditions, shift work and risk assessment.

Literature

1. Milosevic M, Golubic R, Knezevic B, Golubic K, Bubas M, Mustajbegovic J. Work ability as a major determinant of clinical nurses’ quality of life. J Clin Nurs. 2011;20(19-20):2931–8. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2702.2011.03703.x
2. Knezevic B, Milosevic M, Golubic R, Belosevic L, Russo A, Mustajbegovic J. Work-related stress and work ability among Croatian university hospital midwives. Midwifery. 2011;27(2):146–53. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.midw.2009.04.002
3. Golubic R, Milosevic M, Knezevic B, Mustajbegovic J. Work-related stress, education and work ability among hospital nurses. J Adv Nurs. 2009;65(10):2056–66. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2648.2009.05057.x