Hospital Employee Health – April 1, 2024

NIOSH Redoubles Emphasis on HCW Mental Health Crisis

The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health is making good on its promise to restore the battered medical workforce, which is threatening an exodus from the bedside after suffering years of moral injury, belligerent patients, and declining mental health.

HIV Needlestick: Low Risk, High Anxiety

Worst-case scenario: a healthcare worker experiences a needlestick and is exposed to the blood of an HIV-positive patient. All things considered, there is a less than 1% chance that the healthcare worker will acquire HIV from a known positive needlestick. Despite those odds, many healthcare workers do not feel particularly lucky right after a needlestick.

As Predicted, Measles Returns in Unvaccinated

As this report was filed, a measles outbreak was underway at a Florida elementary school, prompting a bizarre letter to parents and guardians by the state Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo, MD, PhD. Ladapo has a history of taking antivaccine positions.

Veteran Speaker and Consultant on the Struggles of Healthcare Workers

Kathy Espinoza, MBA, MS, CPE, CIE is a frequent speaker on work culture, including work-life balance, motivation and overcoming adversity, and the science of ergonomics in a variety of settings. Hospital Employee Health asked Espinoza to comment on the conditions healthcare workers are currently facing.

Wellness Walking: As Few as 2,600 Steps Cuts Mortality

Considerable attention has been paid to daily step counts (SC) as a device to encourage walking and reduce the risk of cardiovascular events. However, minimal or optimal levels of SC have not been well characterized, and the influence of walking intensity, sex, and the SC device have not been fully elucidated.