RESUMO
The Healthy Hospital Project, an international collaboration, aimed to strengthen Ecuador's capacity to promote healthier and safer hospitals by reducing occupational transmission of infectious diseases. Team members conducted a needs assessment to identify workplace hazards and health risks in three hospitals. A survey of health care workers' knowledge and practices of occupational health (OH) and infection control (IC) revealed positive practices such as a medical waste disposal program and widespread dissemination of health information. Challenges identified included a high frequency of recapping needles and limited resources for workers to apply consistent IC measures. The survey revealed underreporting of needlestick injuries and limited OH and safety (OHS) training. Therefore, project collaborators organized a training workshop for health care workers that aimed to overcome the identified obstacles by integrating interdisciplinary local, national, and international stakeholders to build capacity and institutionalize work-related infection prevention and control measures. The knowledge transferred and experience gained led to useful hospital-based projects and serves as a basis for implementation of other OHS projects nationwide. International interdisciplinary, interinstitutional collaboration in OHS and IC can build capacity to address OHS concerns in health care.
Assuntos
Pessoal de Saúde , Controle de Infecções/métodos , Cooperação Internacional , Doenças Profissionais/prevenção & controle , Serviços de Saúde do Trabalhador/organização & administração , Equador , Reutilização de Equipamento , Educação em Saúde/normas , Humanos , Controle de Infecções/organização & administração , Eliminação de Resíduos de Serviços de Saúde/normas , Ferimentos Penetrantes Produzidos por Agulha/epidemiologia , Doenças Profissionais/epidemiologia , Saúde OcupacionalRESUMO
The Healthy Hospital Project, an international collaboration, aimed to strengthen Ecuador's capacity to promote healthier and safer hospitals by reducing occupational transmission of infectious diseases. Team members conducted a needs assessment to identify workplace hazards and health risks in three hospitals. A survey of health care workers' knowledge and practices of occupational health (OH) and infection control (IC) revealed positive practices such as a medical waste disposal program and widespread dissemination of health information. Challenges identified included a high frequency of recapping needles and limited resources for workers to apply consistent IC measures. The survey revealed underreporting of needlestick injuries and limited OH and safety (OHS) training. Therefore, project collaborators organized a training workshop for health care workers that aimed to overcome the identified obstacles by integrating interdisciplinary local, national, and international stakeholders to build capacity and institutionalize work-related infection prevention and control measures. The knowledge transferred and experience gained led to useful hospital-based projects and serves as a basis for implementation of other OHS projects nationwide. International interdisciplinary, interinstitutional collaboration in OHS and IC can build capacity to address OHS concerns in health care.
El objetivo del Proyecto Hospitales Saludables, resultado de una colaboración internacional, fue fortalecer la capacidad del Ecuador de promover hospitales más saludables y seguros al reducirse la transmisión ocupacional de las enfermedades infecciosas. Los miembros del equipo realizaron una evaluación en tres hospitales para detectar los peligros y los riesgos para la salud en el lugar de trabajo. Tras llevar a cabo una encuesta de conocimientos y prácticas de los trabajadores sanitarios en lo que se refiere a salud ocupacional y control de infecciones, se encontraron aspectos positivos, como un programa de eliminación de desechos médicos y la difusión generalizada de información sanitaria. En cuanto a los retos, se detectó una alta frecuencia de volver a colocar el protector de la punta de la aguja antes de desecharla y recursos limitados para que los trabajadores puedan aplicar uniformemente medidas de control de infecciones. En esa misma encuesta se reveló que se notificaba una cantidad menor de la real de pinchazos en los dedos y una capacitación limitada en salud y seguridad ocupacionales. Por consiguiente, como parte del proyecto y con miras a superar los obstáculos señalados, se organizó un taller de capacitación para los trabajadores sanitarios en el cual participaron los interesados directos locales, nacionales e internacionales en diferentes disciplinas, a efectos de desarrollar capacidades e institucionalizar medidas de control y prevención de infecciones relacionadas con el trabajo. Los conocimientos transferidos y la experiencia adquirida dieron lugar a proyectos útiles basados en hospitales y sirven de base para ejecutar otros proyectos de salud y seguridad ocupacionales en todo el país. La colaboración interdisciplinaria e interinstitucional a nivel internacional en salud y seguridad ocupacionales y control de infecciones tiene el potencial de desarrollar capacidades para atender estos problemas en las actividades de atención ...
