Occupational Diseases and Injuries among Korean Nurses

Jun, Kyung Ja

Abstract

PURPOSE
This study was done to learn the status of occupational injuries and illnesses among Korean nurses.
METHODS
Thirty four articles published between 1990 and 2007 were selected using keywords as nurse and back pain, musculoskeletal symptom, violence, needle stick injuries and latex allergy from the database. The 609 RN cases among the workers' compensation data from 2005 to 2007 were analyzed by descriptive statistics.
RESULTS
Based on the analysis of the articles, the most frequent work-related illness and injuries were the musculoskeletal symptoms including back pain. The prevalence of back pain was ranged from 36.5% to 98.5%. Tuberculosis cases were the most frequent and the musculoskeletal cases were the second rank in the workers' compensation data. In the case of violence, there has been an increasing tendency since 2000 in the articles and workers' compensation data. The relatively high percentage of compensation cases occurred among the ones working in small institutions and with less than one year experience.
CONCLUSION
The further research on the nurses' work-related illness and injuries needs to consider the measurement tool selection and longitudinal design. The various types of contribution to the occupational health in nursing is suggested to improve the nurses' health and safety.