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The hidden challenges of healthcare workers: What occupational hazards do they face?
Healthcare workers are often seen as the guardians of society, focusing on treating and caring for the sick. However, behind these professions, there are many little-known occupational hazards. According to the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, the challenges facing health care workers are not limited to a narrow category, but include biological hazards, psychosocial hazards and other multi-faceted difficulties.
The mental and physical health of medical workers is often neglected.
Biohazard Challenges
The daily lives of healthcare workers are filled with threats of biohazards, such as exposure to infectious diseases, blood-borne diseases, etc. These professionals have to come into frequent contact with patients, making them susceptible to infectious diseases such as tuberculosis and influenza. Many medical staff also face accidents such as needlestick injuries, which may cause them to be infected with diseases such as hepatitis and HIV.
Effective use of personal protective equipment (PPE) is the first line of defense for protecting healthcare workers from contracting disease.
Psychosocial impact
Occupational stress and burnout are quite common in the healthcare industry. Research shows that healthcare workers' mental health continues to suffer due to understaffing, long working hours and emotional labour with patients. This leads to an increased risk of alcohol abuse, depression and even suicide, problems that are more acute among healthcare workers than the general workforce.
Many healthcare workers face unreported violence in the course of their work, contributing to a growing problem of psychological trauma.
Challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic
During the COVID-19 pandemic, the mental health of healthcare workers has been affected like never before. Studies show that about 23% of medical workers experience anxiety symptoms, and the incidence of mental health problems has increased as the epidemic has intensified. This means that medical personnel not only have to face physical challenges, but also endure psychological burdens.
Abuse from patients
In addition to biohazards and psychological occupational stress, healthcare workers must also deal with abuse from patients. In a medical environment, tense atmosphere and unstable patients often make medical staff targets of attack. This betrayal of trust creates greater challenges for healthcare workers and impacts their work ethic and mental health.
Strategies for facing challenges
The challenges facing healthcare workers are multiple and must be addressed through effective strategies. First, organizations must provide adequate support and training to help medical staff master the skills of using personal protective equipment and ensure that their mental health is given adequate attention. In addition, promoting communication and teamwork between medical staff can also help reduce occupational stress and reduce incidents of violence against patients.
In the face of these challenges, how can we better support healthcare workers so that they can courageously serve every patient?
