AI Article Synopsis
- The study re-evaluates adherence to national guidelines aimed at protecting pregnant women in Trauma & Orthopaedic surgery, comparing current compliance to a previous assessment from 2018.
- Out of 146 NHS trusts surveyed, only 52% responded; among them, only 41.3% followed Health and Safety Executive guidance and 22.7% adhered to multiple national guidelines, highlighting significant gaps in compliance.
- Despite some improvement since 2018, many trusts still neglect to adhere to national guidelines, raising concerns about the safety of pregnant healthcare workers and emphasizing the need for better awareness and support for their specific health risks.
Article Abstract
Purpose: Trauma & Orthopaedic (T&O) surgery presents several occupational hazards to pregnant women and the unborn child. National bodies have produced guidelines to mitigate these risks as far as possible but individual trusts must be aware of them and implement them in their local policies. Our study aims to re-assess whether national guidelines for the protection of pregnant women are better adhered to nationally by providing a comparison to a previous study in 2018.
Methods: A national observational study of 146 NHS trusts in the UK was conducted. Each trust was asked to complete a freedom of information request regarding all orthopaedic guidelines relating to pregnant theatre staff, which specifically related to the protection of the mother and foetus from exposure to harmful activity in theatre. Compliance was ascertained by cross-checking local policies with national guidelines.
Results: 82/146 (52.0%) of NHS trusts responded to the Freedom of Information request. 31/75 (41.3%) respondents followed Health and Safety Executive (HSE) guidance for New and Expectant Mothers with 17/75 (22.7%) following multiple national guidelines. 16/75 (21.3%) NHS trusts do not follow any national guidelines in protecting new and expectant mothers from occupational hazards in the orthopaedic theatre setting.
Conclusions: Although an improvement has been made since 2018 in complying with national guidelines protecting new and expectant mothers from orthopaedic-related hazards, a sizeable proportion of NHS trusts do not comply with any national guidelines, putting employees at undue risk. There is a continued need for pregnant surgeons to be aware of and seek occupational health advice from dedicated professional bodies if the NHS trust does not provide specific guidance. Simultaneously, a sustained effort must be present to continue to inform NHS employers of their duty to protect new and expectant mothers and signpost them to relevant guidance.
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| http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.injury.2023.03.039 | DOI Listing |
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