Health-care sector

IWH research that specifically involves health-care workplaces, workers, unions, employers and/or associations, as well as research on programs that specifically target the health-care sector, is collected together here. Not included here is IWH research that cuts across all or many sectors, even though it may be relevant to the health-care sector. For this reason, visitors are encouraged to explore beyond this page to find equally important information on the prevention of work injury and disability in health care.

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Participatory approach to health and safety in long-term care

Involve front-line staff when identifying and controlling hazards at long-term care homes. Those who do a job every day know the associated hazards best. A participatory approach can help prevent injuries.
Published: October 2, 2019
Journal article
Canadian Occupational Safety logo
IWH in the media

Lack of PPE related to healthcare workers’ anxiety, depression: report

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
Journal article
A health-care worker wearing a face mask and body covering
At Work article

Anxiety levels among health-care workers during COVID-19 linked to inadequate PPE

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
Journal article
Journal article

Early high-risk opioid prescribing practices and long-term disability among injured workers in Washington State, 2002-2013

Published: Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, May 2020
Canadian Society of Safety Engineers logo
IWH in the media

Understanding challenges in hospitals' workplace violence reporting systems

To address workplace violence, we need to understand the size of the problem. That requires having reporting systems that collect reliable and valid indicators of of workplace events, consistently over time and across workplaces. This is not easy, writes IWH's Dr. Peter Smith, drawing on two studies about reporting patterns and challenges at Ontario's hospitals.
Published: Contact, April 2020
Journal article
Journal article
Journal article

Time to return to work following workplace violence among direct healthcare and social workers

Published: Occupational and Environmental Medicine, March 2020
Workers Health & Safety Centre logo
IWH in the media

Workplace violence solutions for schools central to recent ETFO symposium

Participants from across Canada came together to discuss the most urgent health and safety concern facing education workers today—growing violence and harassment in schools. At the symposium, IWH Scientific Co-Director & Senior Scientist Dr. Peter Smith spoke of data showing the rise in workplace violence in Ontario is mainly experienced by women in the education sector.
Published: Workers Health & Safety Centre, February 2020