Determinants of day care teachers' job satisfaction.

Background: Although job satisfaction is among the most widely researched topics, relatively little research has been done on this issue as it relates to early childhood educators. This study was designed to contribute significantly to the deficient body of knowledge about working conditions and job satisfaction of day care teachers, in particular with regard to differences in job satisfaction depending on day care centres' ownership.

Methods: Analyses were based on cross-sectional comparison of 469 questionnaires (42.

Burnout intervention studies for inpatient elderly care nursing staff: systematic literature review.

Background: Staff providing inpatient elderly and geriatric long-term care are exposed to a large number of factors that can lead to the development of burnout syndrome. Burnout is associated with an increased risk of absence from work, low work satisfaction, and an increased intention to leave. Due to the fact that the number of geriatric nursing staff is already insufficient, research on interventions aimed at reducing work-related stress in inpatient elderly care is needed.

Lumbar-load analysis of manual patient-handling activities for biomechanical overload prevention among healthcare workers.

Manual patient handling commonly induces high mechanical load on the lower back of healthcare workers. A long-term research project, the 'Third Dortmund Lumbar Load Study' (DOLLY 3), was conducted to investigate the lumbar load of caregivers during handling activities that are considered 'definitely endangering' in the context of worker's compensation procedures. Nine types of handling activities in or at a bed or chair were analysed.

Radiation exposure of eyes, thyroid gland and hands in orthopaedic staff: a systematic review.

Background: Various procedures, especially minimal invasive techniques using fluoroscopy, pose a risk of radiation exposure to orthopaedic staff. Anatomical sites such as the eyes, thyroid glands and hands are more vulnerable to radiation considering the limited use of personal protective devices in the workplace. The objective of the study is to assess the annual mean cumulative and per procedure radiation dose received at anatomical locations like eyes, thyroid glands and hands in orthopaedic staff using systematic review.

Frequency and consequences of violence and aggression towards employees in the German healthcare and welfare system: a cross-sectional study.

Objectives: In this study, the frequency and consequences of aggressive assaults on employees in the German healthcare and welfare system were investigated.

Design: A retrospective cross-sectional study.

Setting: Employees in the German healthcare system and their experiences of violence and aggression were examined in this study.

Radiation exposure and adverse health effects of interventional cardiology staff.

To the best of our knowledge, this chapter constitutes the first systematic review of radiation exposure to eyes, thyroid, and hands for Interventional Cardiology (IC) staff. We have concluded from our review that these anatomical locations are likely to be exposed to radiation as a result of the limited use of personal protective equipment (PPE) among IC staff as shown in Fig. 8.

Psychosocial work-related predictors and consequences of personal burnout among staff working with people with intellectual disabilities.

The purposes of this study were to investigate the potential predictors of personal burnout among staff working with people with intellectual disabilities and to investigate whether personal burnout is associated with health and work-related outcomes. A cross-sectional survey was carried out in 2011 in 30 residential facilities in northern Germany (N = 409, response rate 45%). The German standard version of the Copenhagen Psychosocial Questionnaire was used.

Comparison of different non-invasive methods for detection of allergic asthma.

Non-invasive methods to assess inflammation of lower airways are induced sputum (IS), exhaled nitric oxide (eNO), and exhaled breath condensate (EBC). Here we focused on the assessment of airway inflammation with a panel of non-invasive methods in health care workers (HCWs) with suspected latex allergy with and without current allergic respiratory symptoms about 10 years after the latex ban in German health care facilities. Seventy-seven non-smoking subjects were examined by skin prick test and specific IgE measurements, eNO, IS, and EBC.

[Tuberculosis infection control - recommendations of the DZK].

The epidemiological situation of tuberculosis (TB) in Germany has improved considerably during the past few years. However, those in unprotected contact with infectious tuberculosis patients frequently and/or over longer periods of time and/or intensively continue to have a higher risk for TB infection. Rapid diagnosis, prompt initiation of effective treatment, and adequate infection control measures are of particular importance to prevent infection.

Infectious diseases in healthcare workers - an analysis of the standardised data set of a German compensation board.

Introduction: Healthcare workers (HCW) are exposed to infectious agents. Disease surveillance is therefore needed in order to foster prevention.

Methods: The data of the compensation board that covers HCWs of non-governmental healthcare providers in Germany was analysed for a five-year period.

Interferon-gamma release assays for the tuberculosis serial testing of health care workers: a systematic review.

Background: Interferon-gamma release assays (IGRAs) are increasingly used in the tuberculosis (TB) screening of health care workers (HCWs). However, comparatively high rates of conversions and reversion as well as growing evidence of substantial within-subject variability of interferon-gamma responses complicate their interpretation in the serial testing of HCWs.

Methods: We conducted a systematic review on the repeat use of the two commercial IGRAs, the QuantiFERON-TB Gold or In-Tube version (QFT) and the T-SPOT.

Predictive value of interferon-γ release assays and tuberculin skin testing for progression from latent TB infection to disease state: a meta-analysis.

Background: Given the current lack of effective vaccines against TB, the accuracy of screening tests for determining or excluding latent TB infection (LTBI) is decisive in effective TB control. This meta-analysis critically appraises studies investigating the positive and the negative predictive value (PPV and NPV, respectively) from a test-determined LTBI state for progression to active TB of interferon-γ release assays (IGRAs) and the tuberculin skin test (TST).

Methods: We searched MEDLINE, EMBASE, and Cochrane bibliographies for relevant articles.

Frequent bending--an underestimated burden in nursing professions.

Objectives: The aim of the present study was to quantify the total duration per shift in which nurses work in a forward bending position over 20°. Furthermore, the influence of several factors on the occurrence of sagittal trunk inclinations in nurses was investigated.

Methods: Trunk postures were recorded for nine nursing home nurses from four German nursing homes and 18 hospital nurses from seven hospitals using the CUELA measurement system.

[Tuberculosis infection control--recommendations of the DZK].

The epidemiological situation of tuberculosis (TB) in Germany has improved considerably during the past few years. However, those in unprotected contact with infectious tuberculosis patients frequently and/or over longer periods of time and/or intensively continue to have a higher risk for TB infection. Rapid diagnosis, prompt initiation of effective treatment, and adequate infection control measures are of particular importance to prevent infection.

[Burnout among elderly care staff. A review of its prevalence].

Provision of inpatient elderly care is characterized by factors that favor the onset of burnout, with psychosomatic complaints, a drop in performance, periods of absence due to sickness, and early retirement from the sector regularly being observed in this respect. This study summarizes the research of the past 11 years, regarding the prevalence of burnout among inpatient elderly care employees. A total of 24 studies were identified during a systematic database search conducted in May 2011.

Educators' working conditions in a day care centre on ownership of a non-profit organization.

Background: Working conditions of nursery school teachers have not been scrutinized thoroughly in scientific research. Only a few studies have so far examined work-load and strain in this profession. Preferably, subjective perceptions should be corroborated by data that can be quantified more objectively and accurately.

High effectiveness of pandemic influenza A (H1N1) vaccination in healthcare workers from a Portuguese hospital.

Objectives: Vaccination of healthcare workers (HCWs) was made a high priority during the phase six pandemic of the novel influenza A H1N1 (pH1N1) virus. We surveyed adherence to pH1N1 vaccination and the incidence of pH1N1 infection between vaccinated and unvaccinated HCWs.

Methods: Employees at the S.

Active tuberculosis among health care workers in Portugal.

Objective: To determine the incidence of active tuberculosis (TB) in a cohort of health care workers (HCWs).

Methods: Descriptive study of active TB cases identified in an occupational health screening of 6,112 HCWs between 2005 and 2010. Cases of active TB were defined as those in which Mycobacterium tuberculosis was identified by direct microscopy or culture; those in which there were symptoms or clinical signs of TB and necrotizing granuloma, as detected by histology; and those in which the radiological findings were consistent with active TB.

Psychological stress and strain in dialysis staff: a systematic review.

Unlabelled: BACKGROUNG: As the number of dialysis patients increases, the psychological stress and strain suffered by dialysis personnel is of growing importance. For this reason a systematic review of the international literature was performed.

Methods: A search of relevant databases for original studies or reviews published after 1990 resulted in 20 articles.

[The prevalence of latent tuberculosis infections among health-care workers--a three-country comparison].

Introduction: Health-care workers are regularly screened for tuberculosis. To date, there has been no systematic analysis of the results of such a screening. A TB network for company doctors was created when interferon-γ release assays (IGRAs) were introduced in order to systematically collate their experience with IGRAs in preventive check-ups.

Systematic review of cost and cost-effectiveness of different TB-screening strategies.

Background: Interferon-γ release assays (IGRAs) for TB have the potential to replace the tuberculin skin test (TST) in screening for latent tuberculosis infection (LTBI). The higher per-test cost of IGRAs may be compensated for by lower post-screening costs (medical attention, chest x-rays and chemoprevention), given the higher specificity of the new tests as compared to that of the conventional TST. We conducted a systematic review of all publications that have addressed the cost or cost-effectiveness of IGRAs.

Specificity of a whole blood IGRA in German nursing students.

Background: Interferon-gamma release assays (IGRA) are used for tuberculosis (TB) screening in healthcare workers (HCWs). However, data on specificity of IGRA in serial testing of HCWs is sparse. Therefore the specificity and the negative predictive value of the IGRA - QuantiFERON-TB Gold In-Tube (QFT) - in German nursing students was investigated.

Self-reported adverse reactions in 4337 healthcare workers immunizations against novel H1N1 influenza.

Purpose: The use of the 2009 H1N1 vaccine has generated much debate concerning safety issues among the general population and physicians. It was questioned if this is a safe vaccine. Therefore, we investigated the safety of an inactivated monovalent H1N1 pandemic influenza vaccine

Methods: We focused on the H1N1 pandemic influenza vaccine Pandemrix® and applied a self reporting questionnaire in a population of healthcare workers (HCWs) and medical students at a major university hospital.

[New recommendations for contact tracing in tuberculosis].

In 2007, the German Central Committee against Tuberculosis (DZK) published recommendations for contact tracing that introduced the new interferon gamma release assays (IGRAs). Meanwhile, substantial progress has been made in documenting the utility of IGRAs. Because IGRAs are usually superior to the tuberculin skin test (TST) in detecting latent TB infection (LTBI) with respect to sensitivity and specificity in adult contact populations that are at least partially BCG vaccinated, it is now recommended that instead of two-step testing only IGRAs be used.