OHA can help by helping managers cope better with out-of-work. The nurse can participate in training line managers and managers on how best to use public health services, how to direct staff, what information is needed and what to do about it. By developing transparent referral procedures, ensuring medical confidentiality and respect for workers’ rights, OHA can do much to ensure that employees who are certified for lack of work feel comfortable in the process.
OH nurses with their close relationships with employees, knowledge of the work environment and health trends in the company are often well placed to advise management on how to prevent absenteeism. In my experience, referrals to therapists have limited application for work-related issues and achieve best results by informing the therapist, directing him to the company’s specialist doctor.
Planned rehabilitation strategies can help ensure that staff who were absent due to illness or injury could safely return to work. The nurse is often a key figure in the rehabilitation program, which, together with the manager and individual staff member, performs a risk assessment, develops a rehabilitation program, monitors progress and communicates with the person, the doctor in the area. line manager. Nurses have also become involved in the implementation of active rehabilitation strategies to detect early health changes before these conditions lead to absenteeism. Improving and maintaining capacity is beneficial to many groups, individuals, organizations and society, as it avoids costly truancy and other health care costs.
In many cases, an OH nurse must work in the organization as a customer advocate so that managers are fully aware of the value of improving staff health. OH nurses have the skills to do this work and can develop specific areas of interest.
Health and safety
OHA can play a role in developing health and safety strategies. If large organizations or high-risk organizations have their own internal health and safety professionals, OHA can work closely with these professionals to ensure that nurses’ expertise in health, risk assessment, health surveillance and environmental health management is fully utilized in the health sector. and a security strategy. Occupational Health nurses are trained in health and safety laws, risk management and occupational health risk management and can therefore make a useful contribution to overall health and safety management, with a particular focus on assessing health risks.
Risk identification
The nurse is often in close contact with staff and is aware of changes in the work environment. Nurses’ experience with health impacts gives them a good opportunity to participate in identifying hazards. Hazards can arise from new workflows or methods or informal changes in existing workflows and practices for which the nurse can easily identify and assess the likely risk. These activities require regular and frequent workplace visits by a occupational health nurse to keep knowledge and awareness of workflows and practices up to date.
Risk assessment
European law is increasingly focused on the approach to risk management. OHA is trained in risk assessment and risk management techniques, and depending on their level of knowledge and the level of complexity of risk assessment, the nurse can conduct risk assessments or participate in risk assessments in close collaboration with other professionals.
Advice on control strategies
Once involved in hazard detection and risk assessment, the occupational health nurse can provide advice and information on appropriate monitoring strategies, including health monitoring, risk awareness, monitoring and evaluation of management strategies, as part of her training and training.
Research and use of evidence-based practice
Specialized OHA uses research results in a wide variety of disciplines, including nursing, toxicology, psychology, environmental health and public health in their daily practice. The most important requirement for a health and safety nurse practitioner is her reading and critical assessment of the results of studies in these various disciplines, as well as the ability to process results based on a scientifically sound approach to her practice. Nursing research is already well established, and there is a small but growing body of data from occupational health researchers studying occupational health practices. THE OHA must ensure that they have the access and skills to base their practice on the best available evidence. At the company level, occupational health nurses can participate in management reports, such as trends in sick leave, accident statistics, performance needs assessment, health and evaluation of health and safety measures. Research skills and the ability to convey knowledge and information from published studies in practice are an important aspect of this role.
Ethics
OHA, along with other health, environmental and safety professionals in the occupational health group, have a privileged position in society. They have access to personal and medical information pertaining to company employees that would not be available to any other group. In accordance with the law, the company placed additional responsibilities on clinical specialists to protect and protect the interests of patients. The ethical standards of each discipline are set and applied by every professional organization. Violation of these codes of conduct may result in the exclusion of a specialist from the registry and the inability to practice. Nurses have a long and well-respected tradition in society to maintain patient trust in them.
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