Occupational Health Hazards to Medical and Paramedical Staff

In order to deliver quality health care to the community and experience medicine as rewarding career, professionals in healthcare sector also need to be healthy. According to International Labour Organisation (ILO)/World Health Organisation (WHO) declaration on health services 2005, Health care workers are all persons involved in actions whose main intent is to enhance health. They comprise all those individuals who provide health facilities, such as doctors, nurses, pharmacists, laboratory technicians, support workers such as finance officers, cooks, drivers, cleaners and security. Healthcare workers also include persons involved in long term care, community based care, home care and informal caregivers. Nosocomial infections are cross infections acquired from one patient by another or by doctors, nurses and other hospital staff while at work. The various risk factors to which healthcare professionals are exposed to are categorized as Biological, Chemical, Physical, Psychosocial, Electrical and Ergonomic. Trachoma, Leprosy, AIDS and Tetanus are some of the Surface infections to which health workers are exposed whileEmerging infectious diseases include SARS, H1N1, MERS, Chikngunya, Zika virus etc. A number of infectious diseases are avoidable if proper preventive measures like Hand wash (How and when), masks, sanitization, vaccination and post exposure treatments are followed by medical staff. Moreover, medical and paramedical staff with healthy habits is more likely to inculcate healthy behaviour in their patients.

Keywords: Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS), Acute Respiratory Infections, Anaesthetic Drugs, Biohazard Level (1, 2, 3, 4), Cleaning and Disinfectants, Cytotoxic Dugs, Droplet Infection and Nuclei, Ebola Virus Disease, External and Internal Stressor, Hepatitis Viruses C, D, E and G, HIV Infection