Environmental Health and Safety Hazards Experienced by Home Health Care Providers: A Room-by-Room Analysis.

ABSTRACT: The number of personnel providing in-home health care services is increasing substantially. The unique configuration of environmental hazards in individual client homes has a significant impact on the safety and health of home health care providers (HHPs). This mixed-methods study used data from a standardized questionnaire, focus groups, and individual interviews to explore environmental health and safety hazards encountered by HHPs in client homes. The participant sample (N = 68) included nurses, aides, therapists, and owners/managers from a variety of geographic locations. The most often-reported hazards were trip/slip/lift hazards, biohazards, and hazards from poor air quality, allergens, pests and rodents, and fire and burns. Frequency of identified key hazards varied by room, that is

SUBMITTER: Polivka BJ 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4675459 | biostudies-literature | 2015 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature