ASSESSMENT OF HOSPITAL PRACTICE TO MAINTAIN NURSING STAFF HEALTH AND SAFETY

Maintaining a safe environment reflects a level of compassion and vigilance for worker welfare that is as important as any other aspect of competent health care. It depends mostly on the ability of hospital to manage health and safety system this may done through learning about causes of error and use this knowledge to design systems to take a preventive action. Therefore the aim of this study was to assess hospital practice to maintain nursing staff health and safety and suggesting a system for managing nursing staff health and safety. A sample was consisted of (106) staff nurses, (21) head nurses, all available documents related to nursing staff health and safety management at the specialized pediatric hospital Cairo University. Data were collected by using the following tools modified hospital safety and health management system self-administered questionnaire by (OSHA Act), Auditing sheet developed by the investigator. Results: There was no statistically significant difference between staff nurses and head nurses perception (p=.742) regarding hospital safety and health management system questionnaire. Also there is a visible weakness in managing safety and health as perceived by staff nurses and head nurses regarding safety and health management at (Mean percent for staff nurses = 19.9% & Mean percent for head nurses = 18.5%)Recommendation: create and design environments and systems that promote safe and healthy workplaces by the hospital authority, provide support to health and safety culture, availability of health and safety policies and procedures at every unit, further research should be done concentrated on safety culture assessment, adherences to safety policies and procedures, and effectiveness of health and safety committee and overall HSMS and conduct educational department center