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Useful Links & Resources (page 1)

In this section, we list current resources available about health care worker safety. The resources include: fact sheets, checklists, policies, websites, journal articles or annotated references and tool kits. The resources are organised according to the following categories:

1. International Best Practice for Health Care Worker Safety (General)
2. Best Practice Documents for Health Care Worker Safety in Resource Limited Settings (General)

 1.International Best Practice for Health Care Worker Safety (General)

New South Wales Nurses Association. Policy on HIV/AIDS and Other Blood Borne Pathogens [online]

• This policy, endorsed in 2004, sets out what is necessary for the care of patients and nurses with regard to HIV, including rights, responsibilities and necessary education.

Joint Commission Resources, Inc. ( United States) An Affiliate of the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO) Protecting Those Who Serve: Health Care Worker Safety

• Book to purchase. From website: "[This book] will help all health care organizations understand and focus on health care worker safety. Using Joint Commission Environment of Care standards and Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) requirements as a foundation, this book discusses many valuable strategies and tips for ensuring health care worker safety in a variety of organizations."

WorkSafeBC. Injury Prevention Resources for Health Care - Infectious Diseases and Respiratory Illnesses

• This Canadian website has links to tools, publications, and other resources to help prevent the most common injuries and illnesses in the health care industry. Include information on SARS; preventing HIV, hepatitis B and C exposure at work; a self-assessment tool for protecting health care workers from infectious diseases; guidelines for infection prevention and control in the physician's office; a protocol for managing exposures to bloodborne pathogens; handwashing, cleaning, disinfection and sterilization; hand hygiene; tuberculosis protection; respirator selection.

Australian Government Department of Health and Ageing, Infection control guidelines for the prevention of transmission of infectious diseases in the health care setting

• This document outlines the principles involved in, and the procedures necessary for, the prevention of the transmission of infectious diseases in the health care setting, referred to as infection control or infection control procedures.

International Council of Nurses n.d., Factsheet: ICN on occupational stress and the threat to world health.

• A brief note which discusses the impact of stress on nurses and strategies to deal with stress in the workplace.

International Council of Nurses 1999, Factsheet: ICN on mobilising nurses for HIV/AIDS prevention and care [Online].

• A brief note which discusses how nurses can help to prevent the spread of HIV and provide care for people living with HIV.

New South Wales Health Department 2007, Infection Control Policy [Online], Policy Directive PD2007_036.

• "This document outlines the broad principles of infection control for the NSW public health system, licensed private hospitals, extended care organisations, and day procedures centres. It is intended as a framework within which the NSW health service can develop comprehensive operational infection control policies and procedures appropriate to their own health organisation."

Australasian Society of HIV Medicine (ASHM) Prehospital Care Workers and Blood-borne Viruses resource

• “ASHM has developed this eight-page publication for Australian Prehospital Care Workers. It contains information about the three major blood-borne viruses, namely Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV), hepatitis B (HBV) and hepatitis C (HCV), and the practical application of standard precautions required to reduce the risk of transmission whilst providing care in first aid and emergency situations.”
  More information ... 

 2.Best Practice for Health Care Worker Safety in Resource Limited Settings (General)

International Labour Organization and World Health Organization (2005) Joint ILO/WHO Guidelines on Health Services and HIV/AIDS

"The purpose of these guidelines is to promote the sound management of HIV/AIDS in health services, including the prevention of occupational exposure. Furthermore, the purpose is to ensure that health-care workers have decent, safe and healthy working conditions, while ensuring effective care that respects the needs and rights of patients, especially those living with HIV/AIDS.”

The guidelines outline the 10 key principles from the Code of Practice HIV/AIDS and the World of Work (ILO 2001.) They then make recommendations under the following chapter headings:

• Legal and policy framework
• The health sector as a workplace
• Occupational safety and health
• Exposure incident management
• Care treatment and support
• Knowledge education and training

The second half of the 78 page booklet contains 12 fact sheets with practical information on aspects of hazards and risk prevention and control measures to protect health workers.

Engender Health Infection Prevention: A Reference Booklet for Health Care Providers

 "Infection Prevention: A Reference Booklet for Health Care Providers is a quick desk reference on important infection prevention (IP) topics: handwashing, gloving, aseptic technique, use and disposal of sharps, instrument processing, housekeeping, and waste disposal. Designed for use by a wide range of health care workers in low-resource settings, this comprehensive booklet introduces the importance of good IP practices and provides step-by-step instructions for performing critical IP procedures."

The booklet, which is available as a stand-alone document and as part of Infection Prevention: Multimedia Package, is based on EngenderHealth's Infection Prevention Curriculum: A Training Course for Health Care Providers and Other Staff of Hospitals and Clinics. The reference booklet is available in English, French, and Spanish.

JHPIEGO. Infection Prevention Guidelines for Healthcare Facilities with Limited Resources Authors: Tietjen L, Bossemeyer D, McIntosh N March 2003

"The intent [of this manual] is to provide the user a quick reference to what the essentials are without having to consult other sources. In addition, the manual has been designed to provide the information and recommendations in a simple, easily understandable format so that users can find what they want, when they want it. The infection prevention principles and scientific information, on which this manual is based, are universally applicable. In selecting the material, the emphasis has been on choosing those practices and procedures that are doable even in the poorest settings. Ones designed to minimize cost and the need for expensive technology or fragile equipment while at the same time assuring a high degree of safety....

The material in this manual is divided into four parts:

• Fundamentals of infection prevention
• Processing instruments, gloves and other items
• Implementing infection prevention in healthcare facilities,
• Nosocomial infections"

The Safe Injection Global Network (SIGN)

• SIGN, launched in 1999, is a network for the prevention of injection-associated infections. To find out more about SIGN, you can visit the website or you can subscribe to the weekly SIGN newsletter (SIGN Post) by sending an email to sign@who.int

Pacific Regional Infection Control Network (PICNet) [Website]

• PICNet is a new website being developed for Pacific Island Countries and Territories for communication and sharing of experiences, particularly how to be innovative with limited resources to ensure patient and health care worker safety from infectious diseases.

International Federation of Infection Control. Infection Control: Basic Concepts and Practices", 2nd edition [online]

• From website: "This handbook is the result of a co-operation between international experts on infection control. It is the intention that this booklet should be a foundation on which local policies and procedures are developed. The recommendations in this handbook are generally applicable to all healthcare units, but should be particularly useful to hospitals where resources are limited."

International Federation of Infection Control. "Infection Control Information Resources: 4th Edition" by Nizam Damani, 2006 [online]

• "The aim of the IFIC Information Resources in Infection Control is to provide key references, publications and website addresses to infection control practitioners worldwide."

World Health Organization and International Labour Organization, 2005, Joint Guidelines on Health Services and HIV/AIDS,  [Online and printed booklet ISBN number: 92-2-117553]

• Guidelines to promote safety for both healthcare providers and patients, increase opportunities for HIV-related services and reduce the impact of stigma and discrimination. Includes the 10 key principles of HIV/AIDS and the world of work, recommendation on different aspects of health service provision and 12 fact sheets on aspects of hazards and risk prevention and control measures to protect health care workers.

World Health Organization, Regional Office for Africa, Commonwealth Regional Health Community Secretariat, East, Central and Southern African College of Nursing, 2001, Infection Prevention and Control Policies and Toolkit

The toolkit consists of:

Manual of Infection Prevention & Control Policies and Guidelines

World Health Organization Aide-Memoire for a strategy to protect health workers from infection with bloodborne viruses. [pdf 40kb]

• A brief note with checklist of key elements to improve health care worker safety. (2 pages).

World Health Organization Aide-Memoire for infection prevention and control in a health care facility [pdf 179kb]

• A brief note with checklist and a table of core interventions to improve infection control in health care facilities. (2 pages).

World Health Organization n.d., Factsheet 11:HIV and the workplace and universal precautions [Online].

• Guidelines on creating a safe working environment, universal precautions, safe decontamination of equipment and planning and management of supplies and other resources. (9 pages).

Dr. Una V. Reid, Organization of infection prevention and control [doc 49kb]. This extract from the Ministry of Health, Trinidad and Tobago Manual of Infection Prevention and Control Policies and Guidelines (2006), covers:

• Components of Infection Prevention and Control
• Roles and responsibilities of the Infection Prevention and Control Committee and the Infection Prevention and Control Officer (IPCO)
• Relationship of the Infection Prevention and Control Policies and Guidelines and Total Quality Management/Continuous Quality Improvement

World Health Organization (2006) Taking stock: Health worker shortages and the response to AIDS

• “In August 2006, the World Health Organization (WHO) launched a coordinated global effort to address a major and often overlooked barrier to preventing and treating HIV: the severe shortage of health workers, particularly in low and middle-income countries. Called ‘Treat, Train, Retain’ (TTR), the plan is an important component of WHO’s overall efforts to strengthen human resources for health and to promote comprehensive national strategies for human resource development across different disease programmes. It is also part of WHO’s effort to promote universal access to HIV/AIDS services. TTR will strengthen and expand the health workforce by addressing both the causes and the effects of HIV and AIDS for health workers.”

Global Health Workforce Alliance 

• "The Global Health Workforce Alliance is a partnership dedicated to identifying and implementing solutions to the health workforce crisis. It brings together a variety of actors, including national governments, civil society, finance institutions, workers, international agencies, academic institutions and professional associations. The Alliance is hosted and administered by the World Health Organization.” The website has articles and resources on maintaining the health workforce, including the Kampala declaration from the first Global Forum on Human Resources for Health held in March 2008.

Tawfik L and Kinoti S The impact of HIV/AIDS on the health workforce in developing countries

• Background paper prepared for The World Health Report 2006 - working together for health.

Useful Links & Resources (cont.)

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