Health Care Workers

Ann Arbor, MI — Many people aren’t upfront with their doctors and other health care providers about some of their habits and behaviors, which likely reduces the quality of care they receive, results of a recent study show.

Secaucus, NJ — The rate of positive drug tests rose by double digits in five of 16 major U.S. workforce industry sectors from 2015 to 2017, according to a recent analysis by lab services provider Quest Diagnostics.

League City, TX — Physicians have surpassed nurses as the occupational group with the highest percentage of reported sharps injuries, recent data from the International Safety Center shows.

Washington — The chair of the renamed House Committee on Education and Labor, along with a likely 2020 presidential candidate, are among the lawmakers asking for an audit of the Department of Labor’s proposal to allow unsupervised 16- to 17-year-old workers to operate powered patient lifts.

Washington — Reusable respirators could prove a “viable option” for health care facilities’ respiratory protection programs, especially in preparation for a public health emergency, a new report from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine concludes.

Washington — Labor unions, the National Employment Law Project, and the National Council for Occupational Safety and Health are among the groups publicly opposing a Department of Labor proposed rule that would allow unsupervised 16- and 17-year-olds to operate powered patient lifts in hospitals, nursing homes or other long-term care facilities.

Washington — In an effort to help stem the rising rate of workplace violence against health care and social service workers, Rep. Joe Courtney (D-CT) has proposed legislation that would direct OSHA to issue a standard requiring employers in those industries to develop and implement workplace violence prevention plans.

Maywood, IL — Educating new doctors on emotional intelligence could provide a method to help stem an elevated rate of burnout in the profession, the results of a recent Loyola University Medical Center study suggest.

Atlanta — The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is seeking public comment on a draft updating two sections of existing guidance intended to assist health care administrators with “providing occupational infection prevention and control services to health care personnel,” according to a notice published in the Oct. 15 Federal Register.

Atlanta — Nearly 4 out of 5 health care providers received an influenza vaccination during the 2017-2018 flu season, according to a recently released annual report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.