title: Complexity of occupational exposures for home health-care workers: nurses vs. home health aides.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To identify occupational exposures for home health-care nurses and aides.
  
  
  BACKGROUND
  Home health-care workers' occupational injury rates in the USA are higher than the national average, yet research on causative exposures and hazards is limited.
  
  
  METHODS
  Participants were interviewed about annual frequency of occupational exposures and hazards. Exposure and hazard means were compared between home health-care nurses and aides using a Wilcoxon two-sample test.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A majority of the sample was over 40 years old and obese, potentially increasing injury risks. Home health-care nurses performed more clinical tasks, increasing exposure to blood-borne pathogens. Home health-care aides performed more physical tasks with risk for occupational musculoskeletal injuries. They also dispensed oral medications and anti-cancer medications, and were exposed to drug residue at a frequency comparable to home health-care nurses. Both groups were exposed to occupational second-hand smoke.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Establishing employee safety-related policies, promoting healthy lifestyle among staff, and making engineered tools readily available to staff can assist in decreasing exposures and hazards.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Implications for nursing management include implementation of health-promotion programmes, strategies to reduce exposure to second-hand smoke, ensuring access to and education on assistive and safety devices, and education for all staff on protection against drug residue.
authors.affiliation: College of Nursing, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH, USA.
authors.forename: Beverly
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Hittle
authors.affiliation: Department of Environmental Health, College of Medicine, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH, USA.
authors.forename: Noma
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Agbonifo
authors.affiliation: Department of Environmental Health, College of Medicine, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH, USA.
authors.forename: Rassull
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Suarez
authors.affiliation: Department of Environmental Health, College of Medicine, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH, USA. daviskg@ucmail.uc.edu.
authors.forename: Kermit G
authors.initials: KG
authors.lastname: Davis
authors.affiliation: College of Nursing, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH, USA.
authors.forename: Tangela
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Ballard
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001826:Body Fluids; D055884:Chemical Hazard Release; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D018576:Home Health Aides / Q000523:psychology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009139:Musculoskeletal Abnormalities / Q000209:etiology / Q000523:psychology; D064691:Nurses, Community Health / Q000523:psychology*; D016273:Occupational Exposure / Q000592:standards*; D016272:Occupational Health / Q000592:standards*; D060051:Occupational Injuries / Q000209:etiology; D014028:Tobacco Smoke Pollution / Q000009:adverse effects; D014481:United States
chemical_list: D014028:Tobacco Smoke Pollution
keywords: home health-care; home health-care aides; home health-care nurses; occupational exposures; occupational hazards