Exploring Work Satisfaction and Characteristics of Iraqi Pharmacist Workforce

Abstract The objectives of this study were to describe work characteristics of Iraqi pharmacists, to compare pharmacist job satisfaction between private and public sectors and to assess factors influencing job satisfaction level. This cross-sectional study of pharmacists, their work sites and work satisfactions used an electronic questionnaire that was posted on Facebook pharmacy professional group from June to September 2018. The participants included pharmacists from all 18 Iraqi provinces. We used multiple linear regression to identify predictors of general job satisfaction among 13 pharmacist characteristics. We received 658 usable surveys. Approximately half (47.24%) of respondents indicated dissatisfaction with their primary workplace. Job performance, patient contact, satisfaction with manager, income and expectation satisfactions were significantly related with work satisfaction. Pharmacists working in the private sector had significantly more control over their workplace and higher satisfaction with manager, income and general satisfactions compared to those working in public sector. Pharmacists work in diverse settings across the public healthcare system, community pharmacies, private drug bureaus and academia. About half of them are dissatisfied with their primary workplace. The private sector has more satisfaction rate compared to the public sector. Thus, officials need to improve job environments in the public sector.

Occupational injury rates among Norwegian farmers: A sociotechnical perspective.

INTRODUCTION: This study addressed relative injury risk among Norwegian farmers, who are mostly self-employed and run small farm enterprises. The aim was to explore the relative importance of individual, enterprise, and work environment risks for occupational injury and to discuss the latent conditions for injuries using sociotechnical system theory. METHOD: Injury report and risk factors were collected through a survey among Norwegian farm owners in November 2012. The response rate was 40% (n = 2,967). Annual work hours were used to calculate injury rates within groups. Poisson regression using the log of hours worked as the offset variable allowed for the modeling of adjusted rate ratios for variables predictive of injury risk. Finally, safety climate measures were introduced to assess potential moderating effects on risk. RESULTS: Results showed that the most important risk factors for injuries were the design of the workplace, type of production, and off-farm work hours. The main results remained unchanged when adding safety climate measures, but the measures moderated the injury risk for categories of predominant production and increased the risk for farmers working with family members and/or employees. An overall finding is how the risk factors were interrelated. CONCLUSIONS: The study identified large structural diversities within and between groups of farmers. The study drew attention to operating conditions rather than individual characteristics. The farmer's role (managerial responsibility) versus regulation and safety climate is important for discussions of injury risk. Practical Applications: We need to study sub-groups to understand how regulation and structural changes affect work conditions and management within different work systems, conditioned by production. It is important to encourage actors in the political-economic system to become involved in issues that were found to affect the safety of farmers.

Occupations by Proximity and Indoor/Outdoor Work: Relevance to COVID-19 in All Workers and Black/Hispanic Workers.

INTRODUCTION: This paper describes the occupations in the U.S. that involve close contact with others and whether the work is outdoors or indoors (risk factors for COVID-19), including the distribution of Black and Hispanic workers over these occupations. METHODS: U.S. data released from 2014 to 2019 on employment, proximity to others at work, outdoor or indoor work, and Black and Hispanic worker percentages for occupations were used. Occupations were assigned to 6 categories defined as a low, medium, or high physical closeness (proximity) at work and outdoor or indoor work. A total of 3 of the 6 categories represent a higher risk for exposure to SARS-CoV-2: medium-proximity indoor, high-proximity outdoor, and high-proximity indoor exposure. RESULTS: A high proportion of U.S. workers may be at higher risk for exposure to SARS-CoV-2 because their occupations involve either high proximity to others indoors and outdoors (25.2%, 36.5 million workers) or medium-proximity indoors (48%, 69.6 million workers). There is a differential distribution of proximity and outdoor/indoor work by occupation, which disproportionately affects Black and Hispanic workers in some occupations. CONCLUSIONS: Implementation of COVID-19 preventive measures in work settings should be based on occupation-specific risk factors, including the extent of proximity to others and whether the work is conducted outdoors or indoors. It is important that communication messages are tailored to the languages and preferred media of the workforce.

Home and Workplace Neighborhood Socioeconomic Status and Behavior-related Health: A Within-individual Analysis.

BACKGROUND: The influence of individual and home neighborhood socioeconomic status (SES) on health-related behaviors have been widely studied, but the majority of these studies have neglected the possible impact of the workplace neighborhood SES. OBJECTIVE: To examine within-individual associations between home and work place neighborhood SES and health-related behaviors in employed individuals. METHODS: We used participants from the Swedish Longitudinal Occupational Survey of Health who responded to a minimum of two surveys between 2012 and 2018. Data included 12,932 individuals with a total of 35,332 observations. We used fixed-effects analysis with conditional logistic regression to examine within-individual associations of home, workplace, as well as time-weighted home and workplace neighborhood SES index, with self-reported obesity, physical activity, smoking, excessive alcohol consumption, sedentary lifestyle, and disturbed sleep. RESULTS: After adjustment for covariates, participants were more likely to engage in risky alcohol consumption when they worked in a workplace that was located in the highest SES area compared to time when they worked in a workplace that was located in the lowest SES area (adjusted odds ratios 1.98; 95% confidence interval: 1.12 to 3.49). There was an indication of an increased risk of obesity when individuals worked in the highest compared to the time when they worked in the lowest neighborhood SES area (1.71; 1.02-2.87). No associations were observed for the other outcomes. CONCLUSION: These within-individual comparisons suggest that workplace neighborhood SES might have a role in health-related behaviors, particularly alcohol consumption.

COVID-19 risk management at the workplace, fear of infection and fear of transmission of infection among frontline employees.

OBJECTIVES: We compared COVID-19 risk management, fear of infection and fear of transmission of infection among frontline employees working within eldercare, hospital/rehabilitation, psychiatry, childcare and ambulance service and explored if group differences in fear of infection and transmission could be explained by differences in risk management. We also investigated the association of risk management with fear of infection and fear of transmission of infection among eldercare personnel. METHODS: We used cross-sectional questionnaire data collected by the Danish labour union, FOA . Data were collected 5½ weeks after the first case of COVID-19 was registered in Denmark. Data for the first aim included 2623 participants. Data for the second aim included 1680 participants. All independent variables were mutually adjusted and also adjusted for sex, age, job title and region. RESULTS: Fear of infection (49%) and fear of transmitting infection from work to the private sphere (68%) was most frequent in ambulance service. Fear of transmitting infection during work was most frequent in the eldercare (55%). Not all differences in fear of infection and transmission between the five areas of work were explained by differences in risk management. Among eldercare personnel, self-reported exposure to infection and lack of access to test was most consistently associated with fear of infection and fear of transmission, whereas lack of access to personal protective equipment was solely associated with fear of transmission. CONCLUSION: We have illustrated differences and similarities in COVID-19 risk management within five areas of work and provide new insights into factors associated with eldercare workers' fear of infection and fear of transmission of infection.

Working Conditions and Mental Health Status Related With Occupational Injury of Korean Outdoor Workers.

OBJECTIVE: This study investigated the working conditions and mental health status linked to occupational injury among Korean outdoor workers. METHODS: Socioeconomic and occupational characteristics were collected using self-reported questionnaires from 26,468 paid workers selected using the 5th Korean Working Conditions Survey. The relationships among mental health issues, occupational injury, and working outdoors were estimated by logistic regression. RESULTS: Outdoor workers were relatively older with lower educational levels and income, worked longer, and had greater exposure to occupational hazards, higher occupational injury rate, significantly higher risk of sleep disturbances, and higher occupational injury rates due to sleep disturbances than non-outdoor workers. CONCLUSIONS: There was a significant relationship among working outdoors, sleep quality, and mental health-related issues due to exposure to occupational hazards. Specific occupational health and safety strategies are needed to protect the mental health of outdoor workers.

Factors affecting job satisfaction in long-term care unit managers, directors of care and facility administrators: A secondary analysis.

AIM: To identify demographic-, individual- and organisational-level predictors of job satisfaction among managers in residential long-term care (LTC) facilities. BACKGROUND: Job satisfaction predicts turnover among managers in LTC settings. However, factors affecting job satisfaction among LTC facility managers remain poorly understood. METHODS: A secondary analysis of data from Phase 2 of the Translating Research in Elder Care programme including 168 managers (unit managers, directors of care and facility administrators) from 76 residential LTC homes in three Canadian provinces. Michigan Organizational Assessment Questionnaire Job Satisfaction Subscale was used to measure job satisfaction. Predictors of job satisfaction determined using general estimating equations. RESULTS: The efficacy subscale of burnout was positively predicted job satisfaction at the individual level (B = .104, p = .046). At the organisational level, social capital (B = .224, p = .018), adequate orientation (B = .166, p = .015) and leadership (B = .155, p = .018) were associated with higher job satisfaction. CONCLUSIONS: These data suggest that improving LTC managers' self-perceived efficacy, leadership, social capital and adequate orientation may enhance their job satisfaction. IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING MANAGEMENT: Predictors of managers' job satisfaction are modifiable and therefore may be amenable to intervention.

Calidad de vida en trabajadores de mediana edad tras intervenciones en el puesto de trabajo: una revisión sistemática / Middle aged sorkers' quality of life after workplace interventions: a systematic review

INTRODUCCIÓN: Actualmente se está produciendo un acusado cambio demográfico en el que se observa un envejecimiento en la población activa. De hecho alrededor del 50% tiene 45 o más años. Resultando por tanto un desafío y una necesidad para nuestra sociedad el tratar de mejorar la calidad de vida de los trabajadores de mediana edad. OBJETIVO: Identificar y evaluar si la realización de intervenciones en el lugar de trabajo mejoran la calidad de vida de los trabajadores de mediana edad. METODOLOGÍA: Se ha realizado una revisión bibliográfica sistemática basada en la literatura publicada desde el 2004 hasta diciembre de 2018 en varias bases de datos científicas: MEDLINE, EMBASE, LILACS, SCIELO y SCOPUS. RESULTADOS: La búsqueda produjo un total de 372 registros y tras la aplicación de la fórmula de búsqueda y criterios de exclusión e inclusión, se seleccionaron un total de 11 artículos (10 ensayos clínicos y 1 estudio de cohortes). Se evidenciaron resultados estadísticamente significativos en distintas intervenciones en el lugar de trabajo que lograron mejorar la calidad de vida de los trabajadores. CONCLUSIONES: La evidencia recopilada en esta revisión sistemática resulta consistente respecto a la capacidad que tienen las intervenciones que fomentan la salud y el bienestar en el lugar de trabajo para mejorar la calidad de vida de los trabajadores de mediana edad. Sin embargo sería recomendable la realización de nuevos estudios para poder ampliar este campo de conocimiento

INTRODUCTION: There is currently a marked demographic change in which the active population is in aging process. Actually around 50% is 45 or older. It is therefore a challenge and a necessity for our society to try to improve the quality of life of middle-aged workers. OBJECTIVE: To identify and evaluate if the implementation of interventions improve the quality of life of middle-aged workers at the workplace. METHODS: A systematic review based on the literature published since 2004 until December 2018 has been carried out in several scientific databases: MEDLINE, EMBASE, LILACS, SCIELO and SCOPUS. RESULTS: 372 records were obtained and a total of 11 articles were selected (10 clinical trials and 1 cohort study) after the search formula application and the exclusion and inclusion criteria. There were statistically significant results in different workplace interventions that managed to improve worker's quality of life. CONCLUSIONS: The evidence compiled in this systematic review is consistent with the capacity of interventions that promote health and well-being at the workplace to improve the quality of life of middle-aged workers. It would however, be advisable to carry out new studies in order to expand this field of knowledge

Psychological resilience in New Zealand registered nurses: The role of workplace characteristics.

AIM: To investigate the impact of workplace factors on psychological resilience in registered nurses. BACKGROUND: Nursing is characterized by persistent workplace adversity. Psychological resilience has been postulated as a means to mitigate the effects of workplace adversity. There is little research that examines the role of workplace factors (i.e., practice environment and bullying) in shaping resilience. METHODS: A cross-sectional survey was conducted among 480 registered New Zealand nurses. Psychological resilience was self-reported using the CD-RISC-10, while practice environment and workplace bullying were self-reported using PES-NWI and NAQ-R, respectively. RESULTS: For every point increase in PES-NWI and NAQ-R, there was an increase of 2.84 points (95%CI = 1.79, 3.89; p-value = <0.001) and a decrease of 0.07 points (95% CI = -0.12, -0.03; p-value = 0.002) in resilience, after controlling for demographic and job-related characteristics. These two factors explained for 12.6% of the variation in resilience. About 25.8% of registered nurses experienced bullying. CONCLUSION: Workplace factors are associated with psychological resilience in registered nurses. IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING MANAGEMENT: Nurse managers are key to transforming health care work environments to promote positive outcomes for nurses, the organisation and patient outcomes. Future efforts to promote psychological resilience in registered nurses need to enhance the practice environment and reduce workplace bullying.

Health and productivity at work: which active workstation for which benefits: a systematic review.

In order to reduce sedentary behaviour at work, research has examined the effectiveness of active workstations. However, despite their relevance in replacing conventional desks, the comparison between types of active workstations and their respective benefits remains unclear. The purpose of this review article is thus to compare the benefits between standing, treadmill and cycling workstations. Search criteria explored Embase, PubMed and Web of Science databases. The review included studies concerning adults using at least two types of active workstations, evaluating biomechanical, physiological work performance and/or psychobiological outcomes. Twelve original articles were included. Treadmill workstations induced greater movement/activity and greater muscular activity in the upper limbs compared with standing workstations. Treadmill and cycling workstations resulted in elevated heart rate, decreased ambulatory blood pressure and increased energy expenditure during the workday compared with standing workstations. Treadmill workstations reduced fine motor skill function (ie, typing, mouse pointing and combined keyboard/mouse tasks) compared with cycling and standing workstations. Cycling workstations resulted in improved simple processing task speeds compared with standing and treadmill workstations. Treadmill and cycling workstations increased arousal and decreased boredom compared with standing workstations. The benefits associated with each type of active workstation (eg, standing, treadmill, cycling) may not be equivalent. Overall, cycling and treadmill workstations appear to provide greater short-term physiological changes than standing workstations that could potentially lead to better health. Cycling, treadmill and standing workstations appear to show short-term productivity benefits; however, treadmill workstations can reduce the performance of computer tasks.

Skin cancer risk perception and sun protection behavior at work, at leisure, and on sun holidays: a survey for Danish outdoor and indoor workers.

BACKGROUND: To prevent occupational skin cancer, it is essential that the sun-protective behavior of outdoor workers is adequate. The aim is to study the sun-protective behavior of Danish outdoor workers at work, at leisure, and on sun holiday and compare it to that of indoor workers. METHODS: This is a cross-sectional study, based on a 53-item survey completed by Danish outdoor (n = 380) and indoor workers (n = 119) in 2016-2017. Status as outdoor or indoor worker was decided based on self-report and behavioral differences were tested using (paired) t tests and multiple regression adjusted for age, sex, educational level, history of smoking, and skin type. RESULTS: Danish outdoor workers at work use sun protection less than they do at leisure and on sun holiday (α < .05) where their sun protection behavior is similar to that of indoor workers. The proportion of Danish outdoor workers that always/often use sun protection at work is for shade seeking around noon 4.2%, sunscreen 34.5%, wide-brimmed hat 25.3%, and long trousers and shirt with sleeves 42.4%. Of Danish outdoor workers, 49.5% do not think about the risk of occupational skin cancer and 11.8% think the risk is insignificant, 32.4% think that the use of sun protection is of low or no importance, 84.2% consider sunburn important as skin cancer risk factor still 88.9% have a history of sunburn at work, > 80.0% agree that risk of skin cancer is reduced by the use of sun protection, and only 4.0% dismiss the possibility of sun protection use at work. CONCLUSIONS: Skin cancer risk and use of sun protection at work are largely neglected in Danish outdoor workers, more so than at leisure and on sun holiday where their risk behavior resembles that of indoor workers. This indicates an untapped workplace preventive potential.

Workplace Breastfeeding Support Varies by Employment Type: The Service Workplace Disadvantage.

BACKGROUND: The majority of women are returning to work full-time after childbirth, and support within their place of employment may influence intention and duration for breastfeeding, but more research is needed. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to explore the influence of employment type on breastfeeding duration upon return to work by examining informal (i.e., verbal encouragement) and direct (i.e., lactation space, flexible time) factors of support. METHODS: This was a retrospective survey of women's returning-to-work experiences while breastfeeding. Survey contents included respondent demographics as well as questions surrounding perceptions of employer support, work environment, and goal/satisfaction regarding breastfeeding. Data were analyzed via crosstabs and chi-square goodness of fit tests. RESULTS: A total of 1,002 women completed the survey. Significant differences were seen across different employment types. Women within the professional/management industry were most likely to receive informal and direct support for breastfeeding upon return to work. Women within the service industry and production/transportation industry reported receiving the lowest levels of informal and direct support. CONCLUSION: Workplace support varies by employment type and women in the service and production/transportation industry appear to be at a disadvantage compared with other employment types. There is a need for more breastfeeding support programs to be developed that target specific workplace characteristics.

[Comparative hygienic evaluation of work conditions in sulphate cellulose production, with consideration of modern mechanization].

Comparative evaluation covered work conditions in contemporary sulphate cellulose productions with various levels of mechanization and automation. Findings are that major work hazards for cellulose production workers are: polluted workplace air with chemical complex (methylsulphurous compounds, chlorine, chlorine dioxide, alkaline aerosol) in concentrations exceeding MAC, heating microclimate, noise. Levels of workplace air pollution with chemical hazards and transitory disablement morbidity parameters are considerably lower in highly automated production.

[Evaluation of workplace air pollution with fluor compounds and their contents of biologic media in aluminium production workers].

The authors estimated fluorine compounds content of workplace air in electrolysis workshops of aluminium production, for various electrolysis technologies. The data cover results of physical and chemical analysis and material constitution of produced toxic dust complexes, urinary excretion levels of fluorine ion and fluorides accumulation in hair of aluminium production workers.

[Biologic monitoring of chlorine organic hydrocarbons in vinyl chloride and polyvinyl chloride production].

The authors presented data of chemical analytic control of chlorine compounds level in workplace air of vinyl chloride and polyvinyl chloride production, and biomonitoring results of vinyl chloride and 1.2-dichloroethane metabolite - thiodiacetic acid urinary level in workers of this production. Findings are exceeded hygienic norms on maximal concentrations of 1.2-dichloroethane in a workshop for vinyl chloride production from 1.0 to 2.85 MACs and of vinyl chloride in a workshop for polyvinyl chloride production from 2.06 to 5.52 MACs. Urinary levels of thiodiacetic acid were assessed in workers of vinyl chloride and polyvinyl chloride production in dependence on occupation, length of service and post-contact time.

[Work conditions and diseases prevalence among female migrants].

The article deals with problems associated with health of female migrants arriving from Tadzhikistan to Russian Federation, with consideration of physical (manual), mental exertion, social and everyday factors.

The Person Centered approach in Gerontology: New validity evidence of the Staff Assessment Person-directed Care Questionnaire / El enfoque centrado en la persona en Gerontología: nuevas evidencias de validez del Cuestionario de Atención Dirigida a la Persona para la Evaluación de Profesionales

Background/Objective Person centered care is a novel approach which aims to improve care quality in services for older people requiring care. The aim of this work is the adaptation and validation of the Staff Assessment Person-directed Care (PDC) in a Spanish population. Method The PDC was applied to a sample of 1,339 direct care professionals from 56 elderly care homes. The psychometric properties were analyzed within the framework of Classical Test Theory and Item Response Theory models. Results The measure showed a high reliability provided by Cronbach's alpha (α = .96), the test-retest reliability (r = .88), and also an adequate Information Function (highest scores between theta values -2 and +2). The factorial structure of PDC is essentially unidimensional, and confirms the existence of two large dimensions which are in turn expressed in eight highly correlated factors. Especially notable in terms of validity evidence based on relations to others variables are the correlations of PDC with the The Person-centered Care Assessment Tool (r= .68), organizational climate (r = .67), emotional exhaustion (r= -.41) and personal accomplishment (r = .45). Conclusions The Spanish version of the PDC demonstrates adequate psychometric properties for its use in the evaluation of elderly care facilities, both for professional and research purposes (AU)

Antecedentes/Objetivos La atención centrada en la persona es un enfoque innovador que busca mejorar la calidad asistencial de los servicios para personas mayores que precisan cuidados. Ante el creciente interés hacia este enfoque es necesario contar con instrumentos de medida que permitan evaluar en qué grado los servicios gerontológicos llevan a cabo una atención centrada en la persona. El objetivo de este trabajo es la adaptación y validación del Staff Assessment Person-directed Care (PDC) en población española. Método Se llevó a cabo la traducción y adaptación del PDC al español y se aplicó a una muestra de 1.339 profesionales de atención directa, pertenecientes a 56 residencias para personas mayores. El estudio de las propiedades psicométricas se realizó desde el marco de la Teoría Clásica de los Tests y los modelos de Teoría de Respuesta a los Ítems. Resultados El coeficiente alfa de Cronbach fue de 0,97 y el coeficiente de fiabilidad test-retest de 0,89. La Función de Información indica que la prueba mide de forma precisa para un amplio rango de puntuaciones (valores θ entre -2 y + 2). La estructura factorial del PDC es esencialmente unidimensional, confirmándose la existencia de dos grandes dimensiones que se articulan a su vez en ocho factores muy correlacionados. En cuanto a la validez predictiva destacan las correlaciones del PDC con el The Person-centered Care Assessment Tool (r= 0,68), con el clima organizacional (r = 0,67) y con los factores del burnout, agotamiento emocional (r= -0,41) y realización personal (r = 0,46). Conclusiones La versión española del PDC confirma los resultados encontrados en otras poblaciones, presentando unas excelentes propiedades psicométricas para su uso en la evaluación de residencias de personas mayores, tanto con fines profesionales como de investigación (AU)

[Peculiarities of air pollution in the production of continuous glass fiber].

With the use of a one-stage method we have carried out hygienic studies of the air of work area of the production of continuous glass fiber. There was revealed the emission of epichlorohydrin, formaldehyde, ethane acid, hydrochloride, spray of mineral petroleum oil, fine glass fiber dust in air of the work area. There was established the combined effect of hazardous substances of unidirectional action with the summation effect on the body. Hazardous substances containing in glass fiber sizers in combination with dust of glass fiber against the background of microtraumatization of the hand skin contribute to the development of occupational skin neoplasms. The studies became the basis of the development of preventive measures aimed at the reduction of risks of the impact of the chemical factor impact on workers.

Tailoring Healthy Workplace Interventions to Local Healthcare Settings: A Complexity Theory-Informed Workplace of Well-Being Framework.

Many healthy workplace interventions have been developed for healthcare settings to address the consistently low scores of healthcare professionals on assessments of mental and physical well-being. Complex healthcare settings present challenges for the scale-up and spread of successful interventions from one setting to another. Despite general agreement regarding the importance of the local setting in affecting intervention success across different settings, there is no consensus on what it is about a local setting that needs to be taken into account to design healthy workplace interventions appropriate for different local settings. Complexity theory principles were used to understand a workplace as a complex adaptive system and to create a framework of eight domains (system characteristics) that affect the emergence of system-level behaviour. This Workplace of Well-being (WoW) framework is responsive and adaptive to local settings and allows a shared understanding of the enablers and barriers to behaviour change by capturing local information for each of the eight domains. We use the results of applying the WoW framework to one workplace, a UK National Health Service ward, to describe the utility of this approach in informing design of setting-appropriate healthy workplace interventions that create workplaces conducive to healthy behaviour change.