TY  - JOUR
PY  - 2015//
TI  - Environmental health and safety hazards experienced by home health care providers: a room-by-room analysis
JO  - Workplace health and safety
A1  - Polivka, Barbara J.
A1  - Wills, Celia E.
A1  - Darragh, Amy
A1  - Lavender, Steven
A1  - Sommerich, Carolyn
A1  - Stredney, Donald
SP  - 512
EP  - 522
VL  - 63
IS  - 11
N2  - The number of personnel providing in-home health care services is increasing substantially. The unique configuration of environmental hazards in individual client homes has a significant impact on the safety and health of home health care providers (HHPs). This mixed-methods study used data from a standardized questionnaire, focus groups, and individual interviews to explore environmental health and safety hazards encountered by HHPs in client homes. The participant sample (N = 68) included nurses, aides, therapists, and owners/managers from a variety of geographic locations. The most often-reported hazards were trip/slip/lift hazards, biohazards, and hazards from poor air quality, allergens, pests and rodents, and fire and burns. Frequency of identified key hazards varied by room, that is, kitchen (e.g., throw rugs, water on floor), bathroom (e.g., tight spaces for client handling), bedroom (e.g., bed too low), living room (e.g., animal waste), and hallway (e.g., clutter). <br><br>FINDINGS indicate the need for broader training to enable HHPs to identify and address hazards they encounter in client homes.<p />  <p>Language: en</p>
LA  - en
SN  - 2165-0799
UR  - http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/2165079915595925
ID  - ref1
ER  -