The Impact of an Aging Population in the Workplace.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the number of people 65 years of age or older living in the United States is projected to double by 2030 to 72 million adults, representing 20% of the total U.S. POPULATION: Evidence suggests that older Americans are working longer and spending more time on the job than their peers did in previous years. The increased number of older adults working longer is observed not only in the Unites States but also worldwide. There are numerous ramifications associated with the changing demographics and the expanding prevalence of an aging population in the workforce. Dynamics that arise include stereotyping and discrimination, longevity and on-site expert knowledge, variances in workplace behavior, a multigenerational employee pool, chronic disease management, occupational safety, and the application of adaptive strategies to reduce injury occurrences. Occupational health nurses play a pivotal role in implementing best practices for an aging-friendly workplace.

Overuse of Diagnostic Imaging for Work-Related Injuries.

Overuse of health care in the United States is a growing concern. This article addresses the use of diagnostic imaging for work-related injuries. Diagnostic imaging drives substantial cost for increases in workers' compensation. Despite guidelines published by the American College of Radiology and the American College of Occupational Medicine and the Official Disability Guidelines, practitioners are prematurely ordering imaging sooner than recommended. Workers are exposed to unnecessary radiation and are incurring increasing costs without evidence of better outcomes. Practitioners caring for workers and submitting workers' compensation claims should adhere to official guidelines, using their professional judgment to consider financial impact and health outcomes of diagnostic imaging including computed tomography, magnetic resonance imaging, nuclear medicine imaging, radiography, and ultrasound.

The Impact of Language and Culture Diversity in Occupational Safety.

Occupational health nursing plays a critical part in improving the safety of foreign labor workers. The development and implementation of safety training programs do not always regularly take into account language barriers, low literacy levels, or cultural elements. This oversight can lead to more injuries and fatalities among this group. Despite established health and safety training programs, a significant number of non-native English speakers are injured or killed in preventable, occupation-related accidents. Introducing safety programs that use alternative teaching strategies such as pictograms, illustrations, and hands-on training opportunities will assist in addressing challenges for non-English laborers. Occupational health nursing has an opportunity to provide guidance on this subject and assist businesses in creating a safer and more productive work environment.

Ebola Virus Disease.

Nurses are the largest group of health care providers and, therefore, are often at the forefront of epidemics: responding, treating, educating, and coordinating care as needed. But what happens when nurses are afraid of contracting an illness and decide to leave the workplace? The fear due to Ebola was in part caused by conflicting information around the proper use of personal protective equipment and need for quarantine. The nursing response to as well as the role occupational health nurses can play in diffusing the fear of contracting contemporary infectious diseases are discussed.

Total Worker Health: Implications for the Occupational Health Nurse.

Total Worker Health™ is defined as a "strategy integrating occupational safety and health protection with health promotion to prevent worker injury and illness and to advance worker health and well-being." This strategy aligns workplace safety with individual behaviors that support healthy lifestyles. The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010 presumes that incentive-oriented worksite health promotion provides a critical pathway to reduce group health costs. Because of their scientific and clinical backgrounds, professional nurses are well qualified to educate and assist individuals with healthy lifestyle choices. Occupational health nurses and patient advocates can shape wellness initiatives that best serve both employees and their employers.

Posttraumatic stress disorder in reserve veterans: important reintegration considerations for the occupational health nurse.

Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a serious mental health concern for returning U.S. military personnel who have a higher prevalence rate of PTSD than the general population. Among the military population, reserve service members are at increased risk of developing PTSD compared with full-time active duty service members mainly due to difficulty reintegrating into civilian life. Understanding the social risk factors along with the protective effects social support has on PTSD in veterans will provide occupational health professionals the opportunity to support reserve veterans with adjustment into post-deployment life. This literature review examines PTSD in reserve veterans, with a focus on occupational factors, social factors, guideline recommendations, available resources, as well as provides suggestions for occupational health nurses caring for reserve veterans returning to the workplace.

Shift work and employee fatigue: implications for occupational health nursing.

Long work hours and irregular shifts are part of the nation's 24-hour society and contribute to employee fatigue. Factors affecting employee fatigue are circadian rhythm, sleep quality and quantity, individual health, the environment, and work tasks. Employee fatigue contributes to accidents and injuries, and affects occupational performance, safety, and health. These findings should be used by occupational health nurses to address fatigue management and develop comprehensive fatigue management programs.

Respiratory protection competencies for the occupational health nurse.

Approximately 5 million workers employed at 1.3 million work settings are required to wear some form of respiratory protection as part of their jobs. Occupational health nurses can protect the respiratory health of America's workforce. In 2012, the American Association of Occupational Health Nurses Grants Committee Working Group conducted a nationwide survey of occupational health nurses to assess their knowledge, comfort, skills, and abilities relative to respiratory protection. The Working Group used the survey findings as a foundation for the development of respiratory protection competencies for occupational health nurses and a guide for the development of educational modules.

Hospital violence and the role of the occupational health nurse.

Between 1993 and 1999, an average of 1.7 million violent workplace incidents were recorded per year. Of the nonfatal injuries and lost days due to occupational violence, 32% occur in the health care setting. The annual incidence rate for violence against nurses is 22 incidents per 1,000 nurses. When an occupational health professional analyzes an exposure, engineering controls, administrative controls, and personal protective equipment policies are drafted to ensure the future safety of employees. This literature review identifies best practice controls used to protect health care workers from violence in the workplace.

Perceived competence and comfort in respiratory protection: results of a nationwide survey of occupational health nurses.

In response to the Institute of Medicine (2011) report Occupational Health Nurses and Respiratory Protection: Improving Education and Training, a nationwide survey was conducted in May 2012 to assess occupational health nurses' educational preparation, roles, responsibilities, and training needs in respiratory protection. More than 2,000 occupational health nurses responded; 83% perceived themselves as competent, proficient, or expert in respiratory protection, reporting moderate comfort with 12 respiratory program elements. If occupational health nurses had primary responsibility for the respiratory protection program, they were more likely to perceive higher competence and more comfort in respiratory protection, after controlling for occupational health nursing experience, highest education, occupational health nursing certification, industry sector, Association of Occupational Health Professionals in Healthcare membership, taking a National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health spirometry course in the prior 5 years, and perceiving a positive safety culture at work. These survey results document high perceived competence and comfort in respiratory protection. These findings support the development of targeted educational programs and interprofessional competencies for respiratory protection.

The effect of oil spills on workers involved in containment and abatement: the role of the occupational health nurse.

The Deepwater Horizon oil spill is the most recent manmade disaster to challenge occupational health nurses caring for a unique worker population. The effects of oil spills on wildlife, marine life, and the ecosystem are well studied and documented, but the effects on workers who contain and abate such disasters are not. These workers can suffer from a multitude of illnesses and injuries, such as ataxia, migraines, and various lung diseases, which can be a challenge for occupational health nurses.

Contingent workers.

Contingent workers compose a large portion of the U.S. work force. Contingent workers include temporary employees, contracted employees, day laborers, and freelancers. The skill level and educational requirements for their jobs vary from basic to highly advanced. Construction, housekeeping, engineering, and nursing have such positions. U.S. contingent workers are more likely to engage in occupations associated with increased risk of injury, and a variety of factors increase their risk of work injuries, particularly those leading to death. This article focuses on select occupational health and safety issues affecting contingent workers and their implications for occupational health nurses.

Substance abuse among registered nurses.

The stressful conditions under which nurses work, due in part to the nursing shortage, are among the risk factors that contribute to nurses' abuse of illicit drugs. Nurses differ from the general population in that they work in an environment where they not only have access to controlled substances, but also are exposed to death and dying, the stress of which can increase the risk of drug abuse. However, practicing while impaired places patients' lives at risk and decreases staff morale.

The aging nurse.

With the aging of the current nursing work force, nursing leaders must develop strategies to maintain current employment levels and improve availability of nurses to care for patients. One way to maintain current levels is to retain older nurses at the bedside by adapting the current working environment to meet the needs and the limitations associated with aging. This article includes a review of literature on the effects of aging on the human body, cognitively, physically, and psychosocially; current trends in the aging population; the advantages and disadvantages of employing aging nurses; retention strategies to keep aging nurses at the bedside; methods to adapt the work environment to aging nurses' needs; policies that address the needs of aging nurses; and implications for occupational health nursing practice. This article is limited to aging as it relates to nurses employed in hospitals.

Stress response in female veterans: an allostatic perspective.

Women serving in the military face many sources of stress, such as separation from home and family, sexual harassment and assault, and deployment to traumatic war zones. Some women are vulnerable to the effects of these stressors, resulting in deleterious mental and physical health outcomes. Understanding these risks through the theoretical model of allostasis can help identify those who will be most vulnerable and help healthcare providers prevent some negative outcomes and improve rehabilitation for some women when they return stateside. Women may be more likely than men to present with mental health problems such as posttraumatic stress disorder and depression after military service. They also may be at increased risk, based on their war-zone stress response, for disparate illness such as medically unexplained illness, cancer, and heart disease. The need for care for these women is expected to increase as more women are deployed to conflicts.

Piperidine-containing beta-arylpropionic acids as potent antagonists of alphavbeta3/alphavbeta5 integrins.

The synthesis and SAR of a new class of piperidine-based alphavbeta3/alphavbeta5 integrin antagonists is described. Replacement of an amide bond in a prototype isonipecotamide by a C-C isostere, and adjustment of the spacer length between the carboxylic acid and basic moieties, led to low nanomolar antagonists of alphavbeta3 and/or alphavbeta5 integrins with excellent selectivity versus alpha(IIb)beta3.