Health-care sector

Published: Canadian Journal of Psychiatry, January 2021

We have heard a lot about the importance of personal protective equipment (PPE) and infection control procedures (ICP) in reducing workplace COVID-19 transmission. A new study, conducted jointly with the Occupational Health Clinics for Ontario Workers (OHCOW), set out to explore their importance in protecting workers' mental health. In this presentation, Dr. Peter Smith shares results from two surveys, one conducted among health-care workers and the other among the broader Canadian workforce. The findings provide important insights into the additional benefits of adequate design and implementation of employer-based infection control practices—beyond reducing COVID-19 transmission.

Published: November 2020

While personal protective equipment (PPE) and infection control procedures are often discussed as measures to reduce virus transmission, we also need to understand their importance in the context of mental health, especially since the mental health impacts of COVID-19 may linger beyond the pandemic, writes IWH Senior Scientist Dr. Peter Smith in The Conversation.

Published: The Conversation, September 2020

Canadian health-care workers say they lacked adequate COVID-19 precautions during the pandemic’s first wave and new research finds this also contributes to poorer mental health. Workers Health & Safety Centre shares findings from a study by IWH and Occupational Health Clinics for Ontario Workers (OHCOW), published in the Canadian Journal of Psychiatry.

Published: Workers Health & Safety Centre, September 2020

How consistently and reliably are hospital violence incidents reported in Ontario? An IWH research team surveyed workers at six hospitals in the province in 2017. Despite mandatory reporting, the results showed great variation in reporting patterns.

Published: August 2020

Published: Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics, August 2020

Published: Osteoporosis International, June 2020

Sixty per cent of health-care workers in Canada reported anxiety at levels surpassing an accepted threshold for clinical screening for the condition. This is most prevalent among those whose needs for personal protective equipment have not been met, Jim Wilson reports on a study by Institute for Work & Health and the Occupational Health Clinics for Ontario Workers.

Published: Canadian Occupational Safety, June 2020

Published: BMC Musculoskeletal Disorders, June 2020

Nearly six in 10 surveyed health-care workers in Canada reported anxiety levels surpassing an accepted threshold for clinical screening for the condition. Workers who reported more unmet PPE needs also reported higher levels of anxiety, according to a study by OHCOW.

Published: May 2020