Healthcare and Social Assistance
Activities: NIOSH Funded Research Grants
NIOSH sponsors research and training through its extramural programs, which complement the Institute's intramural programs. More information is available from the NIOSH Office of Extramural Programs.
Safety & Health for Home Care Workers in Social Assistance and Healthcare
Home care (HC) is one of the fastest growing industries in the U.S. and the trend will increase in the next decades. This reflects numerous factors: traditionally in-hospital medical procedures now performed at home, advances in technologies, healthcare cost containment, improved infection control, and the desire of most Americans to be cared for at home. At the same time, the U.S. population is living longer with multiple chronic conditions that require increasingly complex medical and personal home care. Little consideration has been given to the home as a workplace or to the occupational safety and health (OSH) hazards of HC workers. The objective of the proposed study is to assess qualitatively and quantitatively a broad range of OSH hazards experienced by HC workers, with a focus on aides, and to work with HC agencies, unions, and frontline workers to identify and disseminate effective OSH interventions. The research will build on a previous NIOSH funded study, 2004-2008, and will expand an active network of HC industry and labor partners.
Project Contact: Margaret M. Quinn
University of Massachusetts-Lowell
Margaret_Quinn@uml.edu
NIOSH Contact: Linda Frederick
Office of Extramural Programs
LFrederick@cdc.gov
(404) 498-2530
Project Period: 07/01/2010 – 06/30/ 2014
Center for the Promotion of Health in the New England Workplace (Overall Center)
The Center for the Promotion of Health in the New England Workplace (CPH-NEW) implements and evaluates multiple models for integrating health promotion with occupational health interventions, with a strong emphasis on musculoskeletal, cardiovascular, and mental health outcomes; the underlying role of work organization; and the importance of worker involvement in program design and implementation. The Center is a joint initiative of the University of Massachusetts Lowell (Work Environment, Community Health, Nursing) and the University of Connecticut (Occupational & Environmental Medicine, Occupational Health Psychology, Allied Health), with numerous private and public sector partners.
Project Contact: Laura A. Punnett
University of Massachusetts-Lowell
Laura_Punnett@uml.edu
NIOSH Contact: Adele Childress
Office of Extramural Programs
AChildress@cdc.gov
(404) 498-2556
Project Period: 08/01/2011 – 07/312016
Partnership to Improve Workplace Safety for In-Home Care Workers
This study will build the evidence necessary to advance and challenge existing paradigms for home care worker safety and well-being through innovative partnerships, design and testing of appropriate sexual harassment and workplace violence prevention interventions.
Project Contact: Nancy E. Glass
Johns Hopkins University
nglass@son.jhmi.edu
NIOSH Contact: Linda Frederick
Office of Extramural Programs
LFrederick@cdc.gov
(404) 498-2530
Project Period: 09/01/22008 – 08/31/ 2013
Whole Glove Permeation/Penetration of Organic Liquids with a Dextrous Robot Hand
A dextrous robotic hand with moving fingers will serve as a better model for permeation/penetration of moderately volatile and nonvolatile organic compounds. Performing tests on gloves using this dextrous robotic hand will increase protection to workers.
Project Contact: Shane Que Hee
University of California-Los Angeles
squehee@ucla.edu
NIOSH Contact: Viji Potula
Office of Extramural Programs
VPotula@cdc.gov
(404) 498-2551
Project Period: 09/01/2009 – 08/31/2012
Durable Visible Light-Activated Antiviral Coatings for Fabrics Used for Personal Protective Equipment
Our goal is to develop suitable combinations of dyes, attachment methods and filtration media which will inactivate more than 99.9% of a challenge inoculum of influenza virus within one hour under normal conditions of use. The proposed research will enhance the efficiency of the antiviral effect and will permit development of cost-effective methods for commercial manufacture of the devices while retaining the antiviral properties. We have demonstrated initial feasibility of this technology against a variety of microorganisms, including influenza virus, Staphylococcus aureus, and methicillin-resistant S. aureus [MRSA] and showed direct comparison of singlet oxygen generation to antimicrobial activity.
Project Contact: Josef Stephan Schneider
Laam Science, Inc.
josef.schneider@laamscience.com
NIOSH Contact: Viji Potula
Office of Extramural Programs
VPotula@cdc.gov
(404) 498-2551
Project Period: 07/01/2010 – 06/30/2012
Steps to Health: Targeting Obesity in the Health Care Workplace
The primary purpose of this proposal is to compare effectiveness of two worksite weight management programs. The aim is to help employees of a large health system and university achieve weight loss and maintain healthy weights over a three-year period. The two programs are grounded in health promotion theories but different in focus. These groups will be compared with an observational comparison group of employees who meet eligibility criteria but do not take part in the controlled trial. They will also assess whether the two programs decrease obesity-related injuries in the workplace and estimate the costs of the two programs relative to their effectiveness. Further secondary objectives will evaluate the long-term changes in social-cognitive factors, diet and physical activity. The study will utilize the power of the Duke Occupational Health and Safety Surveillance system, a comprehensive data repository originally established through a grant from NIOSH. This information system will greatly facilitate evaluation of the impact of the programs, especially reduce health care costs including those relating to workplace injuries.
Project Contact: Truls Ostbye
Duke University
truls.ostbye@duke.edu
NIOSH Contact: Linda Frederick
Office of Extramural Programs
LFrederick@cdc.gov
(404) 498-2530
Project Period: 06/01/2010 – 05/31/2015
Cardiometabolic Risk of Shift Work: Sleep Loss vs. Circadian Disprution
The proposed study will be the very first of its kind and will therefore represent a pioneer effort that should provide important information for the design of future studies on a grander scale. The design combines the advantages of measurements under real life conditions with chronic exposure to actual shift work with the rigor and accuracy of laboratory assessments. The use of University of Chicago employees guarantees the feasibility of this approach. A follow up period of 3 years is consistent with job stability in this working environment. It is possible that the results of this University of Chicago study may not be fully generalizable to all shift workers but the PI believes that the study will provide a wealth of important information that is largely lacking at the present time because the roles of sleep duration versus circadian misalignment in the cardio-metabolic risk of shift work have only been examined using self-report and simple relatively insensitive end points. This research may be considered “translational” because it aims to test whether their laboratory findings on the intrinsic adverse cardio-metabolic effects of circadian misalignment are relevant to shift workers in the real world. The findings of this research are expected to greatly increase our understanding of physiologic tolerance to shift work, and provide the basis for the development of methods for the early detection of adverse health effects and coping strategies for the millions of Americans engaged in shift work.
Project Contact: Eve Van Cauter
University of Chicago
evcauter@medicine.bsd.uchicago.edu
NIOSH Contact: Adele Childress
Office of Extramural Programs
AChildress@cdc.gov
(404) 498-2556
Project Period: 09/01/2009 – 08/31/2014
A Multi-Site Intervention to Reduce Violence in Hospital Emergency Departments
The purpose of this intervention study is to reduce violence against emergency department workers (ED). The effectiveness of a multi-dimensional intervention will be tested in six hospitals in Ohio and Michigan. The primary aims are to reduce violence from patients and visitors, decrease stress disorder symptoms and loss of productivity after assaults and threats, and increase employees’ feelings of safety and confidence in managing aggressive patients and visitors. This project is responsive to the RFA, Workplace Violence Prevention Research. Because ED violence is a serious problem, this study is essential to advance progress in preventing violence in the health care sector. An important element of the project is to sustain the project and develop collaborations among the hospitals and researchers.
Project Contact: Donna Gates
University of Cincinnati
donna.gates@uc.edu
NIOSH Contact: Linda Frederick
Office of Extramural Programs
LFrederick@cdc.gov
(404) 498-2530
Project Period: 09/01/2008 – 08/31/2012
Preventing Blood and Body Fluid Exposures during Surgical Procedures
The effect of surgical team members repeatedly working together on risk of BBFE in the OR has never before been studied. Understanding the effect of past collaborations and the familiarity among team members it produces has both practical and theoretical implications. A protective effect of past collaborations may suggest that surgical teams be assembled to include members who have previously worked together to some minimum degree, and when this is not possible, to make team members aware that working with others unfamiliar to them raises their risk of BBFE. This may also have implications for training surgical teams as units. The proposed analysis of the role of past collaborations may improve the current understanding of the effect of job tenure on risk of injury outcomes in a variety of settings. That is, working with the same coworkers repeatedly over time may be a social phenomenon that partly explains a protective effect of "experience," which is commonly conceived of as the property of an individual.
Project Contact: Douglas J. Myers
Duke University
douglas.myers@duke.edu
NIOSH Contact: Linda Frederick
Office of Extramural Programs
LFrederick@cdc.gov
(404) 498-2530
Project Period: 09/01/2009 – 08/31/2012
Efficacy of Light-Activated Anti-Microbial Fabrics against Human Pathogens
The Specific Aim of this proposal is to test the ability of Light-Activated Anti-Microbial (LAAM)-coated fabrics to biologically inactivate three model pathogens, Influenza A H1N1 swine, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) and cowpox virus. We have chosen to test influenza A H1N1 swine because it is a pathogen of great current concern and RSV because RSV is a common cause of hospital-acquired respiratory disease in children and the elderly. We will test cowpox virus because it is closely related to variola virus, which is the causative agent of smallpox and a risk for deliberate release by bioterrorists. The Specific Aim will be addressed via completion of the following milestones:
- Demonstrate efficacy of LAAM-coated fabric against RSV
- Demonstrate efficacy of LAAM-coated fabric against cowpox virus.
- Demonstrate efficacy of LAAM-coated fabric against Influenza A H1N1 swine virus.
- Confirm that inactivation of these viruses is irreversible and is due to the action of reactive oxygen species.
Accomplishment of these milestones will allow testing of real world applications of the fabric coating against these viruses as well as additional pathogens, which will be the goal of the Phase II studies.
Project Contact: Josef S. Schneider
Laam Science, Inc.
josef.schneider@laamscience.com
NIOSH Contact: Viji Potula
Office of Extramural Programs
VPotula@cdc.gov
(404) 498-2551
Project Period: 09/01/22011 – 02/29/2012
Development and Evaluation of a Comprehensive Hospital Violence Surveillance System
The project proposes to design and implement a comprehensive violence surveillance system that captures episodes of workplace violence inflicted on hospital workers by patients and visitors. The work will take place in two large medical systems and involve six hospitals. The implementation of these surveillance systems will provide needed details about the incidence and circumstances of Type II violence experienced by hospital workers for the purposes of developing tailored prevention strategies.
Project Contact: Lisa A. Pompeii
University of Texas Health Science Center Houston
lisa.pompeii@uth.tmc.edu
NIOSH Contact: Linda Frederick
Office of Extramural Programs
LFrederick@cdc.gov
(404) 498-2530
Project Period: 07/01/2010 – 06/30/2015
Work-Related Risks of Certified Athletic Trainers
This project will determine the incidence of work-related injury and musculoskeletal symptoms using a retrospective cohort study, explore potential risk factors for these outcomes, and identify occupational exposures among certified athletic trainers. Little is known about the work exposures and musculoskeletal injuries of Athletic Trainers. This project will provide an opportunity to better understand the hazards faced by AT so that prevention measures can be identified.
Project Contact: Kristen Kucera
Duke University
kristen.kucera@duke.edu
NIOSH Contact: Linda Frederick
Office of Extramural Programs
LFrederick@cdc.gov
(404) 498-2530
Project Period: 09/01/2010 – 08/31/2013
Minimizing Cancer Risk in Shift Workers
Because mechanisms that link shift work to breast cancer risk are similar for other cancers, the findings from this proposal are likely to affect not only breast cancer but other cancers and the risk in men as well. Thus, the researchers expect that the impact of these results will extend well beyond the specific aims proposed. Ultimately, as time progresses and nurses’ become older, this data and the newly added battery of shift work questions will lay the foundation for a comprehensive and unique study of shift work on the health needs of older workers. Specifically, researchers will be in a unique position to better quantify the impact of lifetime exposure to shift work on various health outcomes in addition to studying the risk of cancer, further adding to the significant overall impact of this proposal.
Project Contact: Eva S. Schernhammer
Brigham And Women's Hospital
bwhgc@partners.org
NIOSH Contact: Adele Childress
Office of Extramural Programs
AChildress@cdc.gov
(404) 498-2556
Project Period: 08/01/2010 – 07/31/2015
A Web-Based Program to Prevent Mental Health Risks in Medical Examiners
The proposed project is specifically designed to address the needs of an under-researched and high risk sample of medical examiners, coroners, and personnel working in medical examiner and coroner offices. Initial research shows that employees of coroner and medical examiner offices are at elevated risk of PTSD and depression. The specific aims are to complete the development of the web-based intervention and to conduct preliminary evaluations of the efficacy of the web-based intervention. This will permit an initial evaluation of the effects of the treatment program. This offers the possibility of reducing occupational hazards for this group.
Project Contact: Elizabeth N. Brondolo
St. John's University
BRONDOLE@STJOHNS.EDU
NIOSH Contact: Viji Potula
Office of Extramural Programs
VPotula@cdc.gov
(404) 498-2551
Project Period: 09/01/2010 – 08/31/2012
UFG-Copper-Enabled Air Filters for Health Care Worker Protection
The proposed technology would provide an efficient, cost-effective and natural antimicrobial solution to reduce biological contaminants in residential, commercial and institutional buildings and improve IAQ. Expected benefits include:
- Decreased growth of pathogenic bacteria in HVAC units, resulting in increased IAQ and reduced transmission of airborne disease,
- Decreased growth of destructive and odor-causing bacteria,
- Decreased maintenance and filter replacement costs due to reduced growth of damaging microbes on air filters,
- A cost-effective and low maintenance solution to prevent microbe growth within HVAC systems which is highly effective across all microbe classes (including spores), and
- The use of a natural, recyclable material to supply an effective and long-lasting antimicrobial solution for HVAC systems.
Project Contact: Andrew J. Brutlag
Integran Technologies USA, Inc.
brutlag@integranusa.com
NIOSH Contact: Linda Frederick
Office of Extramural Programs
LFrederick@cdc.gov
(404) 498-2530
Project Period: 09/01/2011 – 02/29/2012
Using a System-Wide Database to Reduce Workplace Violence in Hospitals
The proposed project will advance scientific knowledge regarding workplace violence reduction in the following areas:
- Establish criteria for the content and format of standardized, database-generated reports of rates of workplace violence, based on the needs and specifications of hospital system safety, quality, [occupational health, security, nursing, human resources, and labor representatives]. This is a crucial first step in the translation of collected data into user-friendly, relevant format. Research Strategy
- Devise strategies for prioritizing violence reduction interventions, [using database-generated reports based on epidemiological analyses and a framework for hazard risk analysis]. This will enable hospital systems to study incidence rates over time, to recognize [groups] and work sites at risk for violence, and to see the nature of the violence that occurs. Such knowledge is necessary [so that] preventive efforts can be directed where they are most needed and can be most effective. This is especially crucial at the present time, when economic cutbacks are a major challenge to prevention work.
- Evaluate the effectiveness of [a randomized controlled] violence intervention based on [changes in database-generated violence incidence and injury rates based on the population-at-risk. [Such rates] represent a more accurate measure of intervention effectiveness than absolute numbers of incidents [and injuries] reported. [Intervention evaluation will be complemented by additional available database data, including OSHA logs, time lost, and restricted days, along with surveys of staff perceptions of work satisfaction and safety culture]. If the proposed aims are achieved, the products can fundamentally alter the way workplace violence in hospitals is monitored and managed. The foundation for this work is [the ongoing] collaboration between the research team and a [multi-site] hospital system with a system-wide electronic database [of worker reported] incidents of workplace violence. [Application of the database’s surveillance data to population based risk analysis and intervention allocation would represent a major step forward in workplace violence prevention. This project will also provide evaluation of one of the only randomized interventions to reduce workplace violence in hospitals.
Project Contact: Judith Arnetz
Wayne State University
jarnetz@med.wayne.edu
NIOSH Contact: Linda Frederick
Office of Extramural Programs
LFrederick@cdc.gov
(404) 498-2530
Project Period: 09/01/2011 – 08/31/2015
Pilot of Comprehensive Intervention to Improve Alertness in Nurses
This study tests an intervention that specifically targets the root causes of increased fatigue in nurses- inadequate and poor quality sleep. Because it measures both outcomes and processes, it will guide how these innovations can be moved into wider practice. If effective, this comprehensive alertness management intervention could be broadly implemented in hospital and other healthcare settings, and has the potential to increase both nurses’ health/safety and patient safety by reducing fatigue and increasing sleep.
Project Contact: Jeanne Geiger-Brown
University of Maryland-Baltimore
jgeiger@son.umaryland.edu
NIOSH Contact: Linda Frederick
Office of Extramural Programs
LFrederick@cdc.gov
(404) 498-2530
Project Period: 09/01/2011 – 08/31/2013
Developing an Intervention to Reduce Workplace Violence in Health Settings
The purpose of this research is to: (1) determine the prevalence, risk and protective factors related to workplace violence in psychiatric direct care providers, (2) collaboratively develop strategies to prevent workplace violence from patient to provider and from provider to provider using qualitative and quantitative methods.
Project Contact: Nanette Yragui
Washington State Department of Labor & Industries
yran235@Lni.wa.gov
NIOSH Contact: Linda Frederick
Office of Extramural Programs
LFrederick@cdc.gov
(404) 498-2530
Project Period: 09/01/2011 – 08/31/2013
Layered Thin Film Radiation Shields
- Design and make bi-layer shielding materials by tailoring the composition and amount of the ceramic particulate absorber materials.
- Using calibrated dosimeters and controls, test the radiation attenuation characteristics using well-established and well-accepted ASTM test protocols.
- Compare and contrast the attenuation with lead based radiation shielding materials.
Project Contact: Ashok Khandkar
Bloxr, LLC
ashok.khandkar@gmail.com
NIOSH Contact: Viji Potula
Office of Extramural Programs
VPotula@cdc.gov
(404) 498-2551
Project Period: 09/01/2011 – 02/21/2012
Work, Stress, and Health 2011: Work and Well-Being in an Economic Context
The Work, Stress, and Health conference series is designed to address the constantly changing nature of work and the implication of these changes for the healthy, safety and well-being of workers. The 2011 conference will focus on the economic aspects of occupational stress and health and the approaches to address those concerns.
Project Contact: Gwendolyn P. Keita
American Psychological Association
gkeita@apa.org
NIOSH Contact: Steve Potula
Office of Extramural Programs
SPotula@cdc.gov
(404) 498-2551
Project Period: 05/01/2011 – 04/30/2012
AAOHN 2011 Global Summit - OHN Contributions to a Healthy Workforce
The AAOHN 2011 Global Summit is designed to promote healthy workers and workplaces and excellence in occupational health nursing practice through knowledge exchange and information dissemination. The Summit will focus, from an OHN leadership and management perspective, on global efforts around OHN roles, education and training, research, evidence-based best practice, and workforce issues. The overarching goal for the conference is to improve services to the global workforce through advancing the practice of occupational health nursing and exploring the impact that the profession has on the global health of workers. The conference will provide a forum for discussion by OHN educators, researchers, and practitioners on the roles and contributions of occupational health nurses in achieving healthy workplaces around the world and for exploring innovative strategies to enhance and sustain OHN best practices in global, diverse settings. By bringing together a broadly based group of U.S. and international health care researchers, occupational health nursing practitioners, and educators to exchange information, the Summit will:
- provide participants with key didactic information relevant to the occupational health nurse professionals working globally in the field;
- o examine models of OHN training, research, evidence-based best practice, and workforce issues from a global perspective;
- o discuss creative and innovative approaches to achieve healthy workplaces around the world, providing information that can enhance and sustain OHN best practices in global, diverse settings;
- o address focused topics on occupational health policy, reduction of health risks and health disparities, integration of occupational health and primary health care, and role of the occupational health nurse;
- o discuss strategies to address global mental health issues in the workplace and provide an
- opportunity to obtain focused information about the Carter Center’s global Mental Health
Program;
- o compile a knowledge base of global OHN practice models, OHN contributions to global
healthy workplaces, and strategies for future collaborative efforts for dissemination to OHNs, other occupational health (OH) professionals, OH managers, OH policy makers, and OH organizations throughout the world.
Project Contact: Margaret C. Thompson
American Association of Occupational Health Nurses
mcthomps@comcast.net
NIOSH Contact: Adele Childress
Office of Extramural Programs
AChildress@cdc.gov
(404) 498-2556
Project Period: 05/01/2011 – 04/30/2012
National Conference for Workplace Violence Prevention and management in Healthcare
This is a conference grant application to organize a national conference on workplace violence in the health care setting. It will be multidisciplinary with representatives from medicine, nursing, pharmacy and psychiatry/psychology. The proposed conference is specifically relevant to the National Occupational Research Agenda (NORA) specific plan and strategy to promote safe and healthy workplaces. Transcripts for the panel discussion will be summarized and documented in the conference's final report. The final report will address the 3rd specific aim by reflecting the state of the science for WPV research relating back to the 2000 WPV summit report.
Project Contact: Gordon Lee Gillespie
University of Cincinnati
gordon.gillespie@uc.edu
NIOSH Contact: Steve Inserrss
Office of Extramural Programs
SInserra@cdc.gov
(404) 498-2552
Project Period: 07/01/2011 – 06/30/2012
Oregon Healthy Worklife Center
The Center's theme is Intervention Effectiveness, focused on team-based and technology-based interventions to promote and protect health. These interventions are linked to a conceptual model that predicts they will lead to changes in psychological processes that are mediators of behavior change— focused particularly on improved social support and reduced job stress-that will in turn produce improved lifestyle choices, safer work practices, and better psychological and physical health.
Project Contact: Wyndham K. Anger
Oregon Health & Science University
anger@ohsu.edu
NIOSH Contact: Adele Childress
Office of Extramural Programs
AChildress@cdc.gov
(404) 498-2556
Project Period: 09/01/2011 – 08/31/2014
