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Background: For many entrants, the initial stages of professional training are a challenge. Demands at work can lead to new physical and psychological stress, as well as new social requirements. These new requirements can influence the health behaviour and the state of health of young employees. In recent years, there have been many studies on health literacy (HL). HL represents resources and potentials that allow individuals to achieve improved control of their health and of factors that influence health. Thus, HL can influence both well-being and health. In the present study, the health of trainees in different branches (health and welfare services, office, sales, technology) is monitored over time ending in the period of the COVID-19 pandemic. Furthermore, the association between health literacy and health or health behaviour has been examined. Methods: In 2017/18, a baseline survey (T0) was performed on trainees in various sectors (office, sales, teaching, nursing and social welfare, engineering, hairdressers), who had been contacted through vocational colleges in four federal states in north Germany. The trainees were surveyed again in the in the first year after training in 2021 (T3). Demographic data were collected, as well as information on health literacy (HLS-EU-16), health behaviour (physical exercise, nutrition, smoking and alcohol) and state of health (BMI, psychological well-being and subjective state of health). Recognition, satisfaction at work and thoughts of leaving the profession were surveyed with the Copenhagen Psychosocial Questionnaire (COPSOQ). Statistical analysis was performed with tests for paired samples and multivariate regression analysis in SPSS 26. Results: 129 data sets were evaluated, with a follow-up rate of 10.2%. 85% of the trainees were female. The mean age at follow-up was 25.6 years. 56% were employed in the health service or social welfare. 35% worked in the office, sales or engineering. At T3, 47% of the employees exhibited limited health literacy, 67% low levels of exercise and 30% risky alcohol use. 42% exhibited overweight and 42% poor psychological well-being. An association between health literacy (HL) and psychological well-being was only observed in cross-section (HL inadequate vs. HL adequate OR: 3.2 95% CI: 1.07–9.49, p = 0.037). The odds ratio relative to subjective state of health was also increased, although the association was not statistically significant (HL inadequate vs. HL adequate OR: 2.7 95% CI: 0.72–9.78, p = 0.143). In the sector for health service and social welfare, there was statistically significant deterioration over time in all COPSOQ variables (recognition, satisfaction at work, thoughts of leaving the profession). Conclusions: For a group of trainees in the first year of work during the covid-19 epidemic, the present findings show that there is a need to prevent risky health behaviour, overweight and poor psychological well-being. Health literacy was shown to be a modifiable parameter, that apparently is associated in cross – but not in longitudinal section with the health of young employees. It would appear to be reasonable to modify developing health literacy in the setting of work and school. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The Everyday Discrimination Scale (EDS) is a frequently used questionnaire in the field of health and social psychology that aims to explore perceptions of discrimination, especially instances of injustice related to various diversity characteristics. No adaptation to health care staff exists. The present study translates and adapts the EDS to nursing staff in Germany and examines its reliability and factorial validity as well as its measurement equivalence between men and women and different age groups. Methods: The study was based on an online survey conducted among health care staff of two hospitals and two inpatient care facilities in Germany. The EDS was translated using a forward-backward translation approach. Direct maximum likelihood confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was conducted to examine the factorial validity of the adapted EDS. Differential item functioning (DIF) related to age and sex was investigated by means of multiple indicators, multiple causes (MIMIC) models. Results: Data on 302 individuals was available, of whom 237 (78.5%) were women. The most commonly employed one-factor, 8-item baseline model of the adapted EDS showed a poor fit (RMSEA = 0.149; CFI = 0.812; TLI = 0.737; SRMR = 0.072). The model fit improved considerably after including three error covariances between items 1 and 2, items 4 and 5, and items 7 and 8 (RMSEA = 0.066; CFI = 0.969; TLI = 0.949; SRMR = 0.036). Item 4 showed DIF related to sex and age, item 6 showed DIF related to age. DIF was moderate in size and did not bias the comparison between men and women or between younger and older employees. Conclusions: The EDS can be considered a valid instrument for the assessment of discrimination experiences among nursing staff. Given that the questionnaire, similar to other EDS adaptations, may be prone to DIF and also considering that some error covariances need to be parameterized, latent variable modelling should be used for the analysis of the questionnaire. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Background: Veterinary assistants and veterinarians are at an increased risk of developing an occupational skin disease, for example, irritant/allergic contact dermatitis, contact urticaria and hand eczema (HE). Objectives: We aimed to investigate the prevalence of skin problems and the influence of predisposing factors especially among veterinary assistants. Methods: We conducted a cross‐sectional study among veterinary assistant staff (n = 103) and veterinarians (n = 19). A questionnaire, specific IgE determination and photographs of hands were evaluated for skin symptoms. Logistic regression models assessed predisposing factors. Results: Over 50% (n = 62/122) of our study population reported hand eczema (HE) in the last 12 months (1‐year prevalence). Twenty‐seven subjects reported redness and contact urticaria directly after animal contact, 35 had a positive history of allergic contact dermatitis. HE was associated with (i) increased frequency of hand washing (11–15 times per day; OR 4.15, confidence interval [CI] 95% 1.18–14.6, p = 0.027, univariate model) and (ii) unprotected contact to fluids and tensides >5 times per day (OR 4.56, CI 95% 1.53–13.6, multivariate model). Conclusions: We observed a high prevalence of self‐reported HE among staff in veterinary practices. Excessive hand washing, unprotected contact with irritants and long‐term glove use should be avoided. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Zentralblatt fuer Arbeitsmedizin, Arbeitsschutz und Ergonomie is the property of Springer Nature and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of GMS Hygiene & Infection Control is the property of German Medical Science Publishing House gGmbH and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Background: Palliative care in Germany is divided into general (GPC) and specialised palliative care (SPC). Although palliative care will become more important in the care sector in future, there is a large knowledge gab, especially with regard to GPC. The aim of this study was to identify and compare the burdens, resources, health and wellbeing of nurses working in GPC and SPC. Such information will be helpful for developing prevention programs in order to reduce burdens and to strengthen resources of nurses. Methods: In 2017, a nationwide cross-sectional survey was conducted. In total, 437 nurses in GPC and 1316 nurses in SPC completed a questionnaire containing parts of standardised instruments, which included parts of the Copenhagen Psychosocial Questionnaire (COPSOQ), the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-2), the Resilience Scale (RS-13) Questionnaire, a single question about back pain from the health survey conducted by the Robert Koch Institute as well as self-developed questions. The differences in the variables between GPC and SPC nurses were compared. Results: SPC nurses reported higher emotional demands as well as higher burdens due to nursing care and the care of relatives while GPC nurses stated higher quantitative demands, i.e. higher workload. SPC nurses more often reported organisational and social resources that were helpful in dealing with the demands of their work. Regarding health, GPC nurses stated a poorer health status and reported chronic back pain as well as a major depressive disorder more frequently than SPC nurses. Furthermore, GPC nurses reported a higher intention to leave the profession compared to SPC nurses. Conclusions: The findings of the present study indicate that SPC could be reviewed as the best practice example for nursing care in Germany. The results may be used for developing target group specific prevention programs for improving health and wellbeing of nurses taking the differences between GPC and SPC into account. Finally, interventional and longitudinal studies should be conducted in future to determine causality in the relationship of burdens, resources, health and wellbeing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The aim of this study was to analyse the buffering effect of individual, social and organisational resources on health and intention to leave the profession in the context of burden due to quantitative job demands. Methods: In 2017, a cross-sectional survey was carried out anonymously among nurses in palliative care in Germany. One thousand three hundred sixteen nurses responded to the questionnaire (response rate 38.7%), which contained, amongst others, questions from the German version of the Copenhagen Psychosocial Questionnaire (COPSOQ). Moderator analyses were conducted to investigate the buffering effect of different resources on health ('self-rated health' and 'burnout') and 'intention to leave' in the context of quantitative demands. Results: 'Self-rated health' was significantly buffered by the resources 'recognition through salary' (p = 0.001) and 'good working team' (p = 0.004). Additionally, buffering effects of the resources 'workplace commitment' and 'good working team' on 'burnout' (p = 0.001 and p = 0.006, respectively) as well as of the resources 'degree of freedom', 'meeting relatives after death of patients', 'recognition from supervisor' and 'possibilities for development' on 'intention to leave' (p = 0.014, p = 0.012, p = 0.007 and p = 0.036, respectively) were observed. Conclusions: The results of our study can be used to develop and implement job (re) design interventions with the goal of reducing the risk of burnout and enhancing job satisfaction among nurses in palliative care. This includes for example adequate payment, communication training and team activities or team events to strengthen the team as well as the implementation of some rituals (such as meeting relatives after the death of patients). As our study was exploratory, the results should be confirmed in further studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The primary aim of this review was to summarize the evidence on the relationship between being a daycare worker working with children and the possible increased risk of cytomegalovirus infection. Methods: We searched the Medline and Embase databases using search strings defined according to the population, exposure, comparison, and outcomes (PECO) applicable to our research questions in order to find studies published since 2000. Two independent reviewers evaluated the search hits using predefined inclusion and exclusion criteria. A manual search was performed to identify additional relevant literature. We extracted the resulting studies and assessed them in eight domains of bias. The pooled CMV seroprevalence for daycare workers compared to the general population was calculated. Results: After evaluating the 6879 records, six methodologically adequate studies were identified: five cross-sectional studies and one cohort study. The pooled seroprevalence of daycare workers was 59.3% (95% CI 47.6–70.9). The four studies investigating risk of infection indicated an increased seroprevalence for daycare workers compared to a reference population (prevalence ratio, PR = 1.54, 95% CI 1.33–1.77). No study evaluated CMV seroconversions for daycare workers. Conclusions: Our findings suggest a higher CMV seroprevalence for daycare workers compared to the general population. Notwithstanding the need for longitudinal and intervention studies, preventative efforts are needed. A pooled PR of 1.54 is compatible with a doubled seroconversion risk corresponding to a vocational probability of 50% if the substantial underestimation of the actual occupational seroconversion risk by prevalence-based estimators is considered. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Chronic low back pain (LBP) is a common health problem, with a large potential for primary prevention. Health utilities (HU) reflect which proportion of their expected remaining life time individuals would hypothetically trade to be alleviated of a health condition of interest. A value of 0 means 'prefer to die immediately', a value of 1 means 'not willing to trade any life time'. The aim of this cross-sectional study was to assess HU for LBP patients and for healthy participants and to examine whether HU for LBP are useful indicators to substantiate preventive and therapeutic decision making. Methods: Healthy participants ( n = 126) and LBP patients ( n = 32) were recruited mainly among the employees of a tertiary care hospital in Germany. Standardized LBP scenarios were presented to all participants and HU values were assessed using the time-trade-off method. Results: Median HU for LBP were 0.90 (IQR 0.31) for participants and 0.93 (IQR 0.10) for LBP patients. Measurements were consistent across illness severity ratings with HU and with a visual analogue scale (VAS); in the healthy sample the intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) was 0.61 (95% CI 0.23-1.00, F(1125) = 190, p < .001), in the patient sample the ICC was 0.66 (95% CI = 0.24-1.00, F(1,31) = 62, p < .001). 8% of participants reported HU of 1. There was no statistically significant relation between HU and age, income, or gender. Conclusion: On average, participants chose a 7 to 10% shorter life expectancy to avoid LBP, but almost 1 in 10 participants were not willing to trade any life years. The results indicate a certain stability of HU due to the comparability of HU ratings across patients and healthy participants, the measurement consistency when comparing VAS and HU ratings, and the lack of association between demographic variables and HU. This underlines the usefulness of HU for measuring illness severity in comparative health economics evaluations of preventive and therapeutic measures that address chronic LBP or other pain-characterized diseases. Future studies should focus on different LBP intensities and derive stratified HU that reflect the distribution of pain intensity in the population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Occupational skin disease caused by wet work is particularly common in employees in hairdressing salons. The objective of this paper was to determine the frequency of glove use for hair shampooing. Methods: Data on the usage of gloves for hair shampooing were collected by covert observations in four cross-sectional surveys of newly opened hairdressing salons located in Cologne. Measurements were conducted between 2009 and 2012. A team of five trained observers were involved in the measurements. As a second assessment method, salon owners of other newly opened salons from five districts of Germany were interviewed by telephone at three of the four measurement points. Trend analysis was performed with the Mantel-Haenszel test for trends and simple linear regression. Differences in proportions of glove use between the two assessment methods were compared by chi-squared tests. Results: In total, 435 hair shampoos were observed and 630 salon owners interviewed. Gloves were worn in 14 % of the observed hair shampoos. Proportions of glove use differed significantly according to assessment measurement. Proportions of glove use assessed by covert observation increased from 10.5 % to 18.5 % (ptrend = 0.044) whereas the proportions obtained by telephone interview decreased over the study period from 84 % to 76 % (ptrend = 0.037). No trend was found for the intensity of glove use (ptrend = 0.204). Conclusions: Gloves were worn in less than 20 % of hair shampoos. This rate is much lower than values reported from other written or verbal surveys. Future measures for skin protection in hairdressing salons should take this into account. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The development of a vaccine against hepatitis B virus (HBV) has been a major achievement in terms of prevention of HBV infection. For the present study, we analysed the long-term immunogenicity and effectiveness of HBV vaccination among healthcare students with different working seniorities. Methods: A cross-sectional study of undergraduate and postgraduate students attending the Medical School of the Second University of Naples was conducted between September 2012 and December 2014. HBV serum markers were determined and multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to identify factors associated with the level of long-term immunogenicity. Results: Of the 2,932 subjects evaluated, only 33 (1.1 %) declared no history of vaccination. All vaccinated subjects were HBsAg/anti-HBc negative, 459 of which had an anti-HBs titre <10 IU/L The latter were younger, more likely to be attending a healthcare profession school (i.e., dental hygienists, nursing, paediatric nursing, radiography and midwifery) than a medical school (at either undergraduate or postgraduate level) and more likely to have been vaccinated in infancy. Conclusion: The results of this study suggest that assessment of HBV serum markers in workers potentially exposed to hospital infections is useful to identify small numbers of unvaccinated subjects or vaccinated subjects with low antibody titre, all of whom should be referred to a booster series of vaccinations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: German child care workers' job satisfaction is influenced by the consequences of unfavourable underlying conditions. Child care workers tend to suffer from psychosocial stress, as they feel that their work is undervalued. The objective of the present study is to investigate how the psychosocial factors of the effort-reward imbalance (ERI) model influence musculoskeletal symptoms (MS) and the risk of burnout. To our knowledge this is the first study investigating the association between the factors of the ERI model and MS in child care workers. Methods and Findings: Data from 199 child care workers were examined in a cross-sectional study. Psychosocial factors were recorded with the ERI questionnaire. MS was recorded with the Nordic Questionnaire and risk of burnout with the Personal Burnout scale of the Copenhagen Burnout Inventory. Multivariate analysis was performed using linear and logistic regression models. The response rate was 57%. In most of the sample (65%), an effort-reward imbalance was observed. 56% of the child care workers were at risk of burnout and 58% reported MS. Factors associated with risk of burnout were subjective noise exposure (OR: 4.4, 95%CI: 1.55–12.29) and overcommitment (OR: 3.4; 95%CI: 1.46–7.75). There were statistically significant associations between MS and overcommitment (low back pain—OR: 2.2, 95%CI: 1.04–4.51), low control (overall MS OR: 3.8; 95%CI: 1.68–3.37) and risk of burnout (overall MS OR: 2.3, 95%CI: 1.01–5.28). For ERI no statistically significant associations were found with reference to risk of burnout or MS. Conclusion: Overcommitment in child care workers is related to MS and risk of burnout. There is also evidence that low control is associated with MS and subjective noise exposure with risk of burnout. Effort-reward imbalance is not related to either outcome. This occupational health risk assessment identifies changeable working factors in different types of facilities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Demographic changes will lead to a growing demand for healthy, motivated healthcare workers (HCW) in the years ahead. Along with well-targeted prevention, knowledge of occupational health and safety and infection precaution is essential for a healthy working life. In this context back-friendly working methods and protection from infectious diseases are necessary in elderly care. Methods: In 2012, a survey was conducted in nine residential and two semi-residential nursing homes, as well as in one home care service in the Schwerin area of northeast Germany. Four hundred and seventy three HCWs were asked to fill in a questionnaire on what they knew about aspects of occupational health and safety such as vaccinations and preventative measures administered by occupational physicians, hygiene, back-friendly working methods and infection prevention. The statistical evaluation was descriptive, with a comparison between job title. Differences were examined with chi square or Fisher's exact test. Results: The response rate was 28 % (n = 132). The largest group of respondents (36 %) were qualified geriatric HCWs. More than 74 % of employees felt well informed about opportunities for precautionary checks and vaccination by occupational physician, and 93 % utilized these opportunities. When it came to assigning modes of transmission to specific infectious diseases, only 23 % of participants were well informed, and one in three (31 %) care assistants was inadequately informed. Fewer than half of participants could correctly name the indications for hand disinfection. Only 66 % of the HCWs said they were aware of training offers for the management of multidrug-resistant organisms in their institution. They did know about possible aids to back-friendly working, although gaps in knowledge were apparent. Only 59 % of respondents knew that care utensils should preferably be stored at working height so as to reduce awkward body postures. Conclusions: Employees in elderly care are well informed about the range of precautionary occupational medical examinations and take advantage of this offering. Questions in the survey regarding hygiene management were answered in a competent manner. On the other hand some gaps in the knowledge about infection prevention and occupational safety became apparent. Differences between qualified and unqualified participating professionals occurred only in the knowledge of infectious diseases and pathogens and the associated path of infection. The extent to which training can help to improve infection prevention and occupational health and safety should be investigated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: A systematic review and meta-analysis was conducted to evaluate the agreement between Tuberculin Skin Test (TST) and Quantiferon (QFT) in screening for tuberculosis (TB) infection among healthcare workers (HCWs) and to estimate associations between TST and QFT agreement and variables of interest, such as Bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) vaccination and incidence of TB. Methods: Cross-sectional and longitudinal studies on HCWs, published in English until October 2013, comparing TST and QFT results, were selected. For each study Cohen's κ value and a 95% confidence interval were calculated. Summary measures and indexes of heterogeneity between studies were calculated. Results: 29 studies were selected comprising a total of 11,434 HCWs. Cohen's κ for agreement between TST and QFT for 24 of them was 0.28 (95% CI 0.22 to 0.35), with the best value in high TB incidence countries and the lowest rate of BCG vaccination. Conclusion: Currently, there is no gold standard for TB screening and the most-used diagnostic tools show low agreement. For evidence-based health surveillance in HCWs, occupational physicians need to consider a number of factors influencing screening results, such as TB incidence, vaccination status, age and working seniority. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of GMS Hygiene & Infection Control is the property of German Medical Science Publishing House gGmbH and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Background: Veterinary work is a physically demanding profession and entails the risk of injuries and diseases of the musculoskeletal system, particularly in the upper body. The prevalence of musculoskeletal disorders (MSD), the consequences and work-related accidents in German veterinarians were investigated. Work-related and individual factors associated with MSD of upper extremities and the neck were analyzed. Methods: In 2011, a self-reporting Standardized Nordic Questionnaire was mailed to registered veterinarians in seven federal medical associations in Germany. A total of 3174 (38.4%) veterinarians responded. Logistic regression analysis was used to determine the association between risk factors and MSD-related impairment of daily activities. Results: MSD in the neck (66.6%) and shoulder (60.5%) were more prevalent than in the hand (34.5%) or elbow (24.5%). Normal activities were affected in 28.7% (neck), 29.5% (shoulder), 19.4% (hand) and 14% (elbow) of the respondents. MSD in the upper body occurred significantly more often in large animal practitioners. Accidents that resulted in MSD were most frequently reported in the hand/wrist (14.3%) or in the shoulder (10.8%). The majority of all accidents in the distal upper extremities were caused by animals than by other factors (19% vs. 9.2%). For each area of the body, a specific set of individual and work-related factors contributed significantly to severe MSD: Older age, gender, previous injuries, BMI, practice type, veterinary procedures such as dentistry, rectal procedures and obstetric procedures as well as high demands and personal burnout. Conclusion: From the perspective of occupational health and safety, it seems to be necessary to improve accident prevention and to optimize the ergonomics of specific tasks. Our data suggest the need for target group-specific preventive measures that also focus on the psychological factors at work. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Work in dialysis facilities involves long term contact with chronically ill patients. International comparisons make it clear that dialysis work is being concentrated, staff is being reduced and more patients are being treated. It is more than 20 years since the last German publication on job strains and job satisfaction experienced by dialysis staff was published. The present study examines the stress and strain currently experienced by the staff of German dialysis facilities. Methods The staff of 20 dialysis facilities were surveyed with the Copenhagen Psychosocial Questionnaire (COPSOQ). The questionnaire was extended by adding dialysis-specific questions. The data from the dialysis facilities were assessed by comparison with other professions in medical care - nurses and geriatric nurses - using data recorded in the German COPSOQ database. Results A total of 367 employees took part in the study, corresponding to a response rate of 55%. For almost all psychosocial aspects, the dialysis staff regarded the stress and strain as being more critical than did the geriatric nurses. There were some positive differences in comparison to hospital nursing, including less conflict between work and private life. However, there were also negative differences, such as fewer possibilities of influencing the work. Conclusions The results of the study show that dialysis work exhibits both positive and negative aspects in comparison with other healthcare professions. The results in the different facilities were highly variable, indicating that the deficits found in the individual scales are not inevitable consequences of working in dialysis in general, but are influenced and might be favourably altered by the individual facilities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Only few studies deal with the workload of physical therapists and the health consequences, although this occupational group is quite important for the health care system in many industrialized countries (e.g. ca. 136 000 people are currently employed as physical therapists in Germany). Therefore, the current state of knowledge of work-related diseases and disorders of physical therapists is insufficient. The aim of the "Physical Therapist Cohort" (PTC) study is to analyze the association between work-related exposures and diseases among physical therapists in Germany. This article describes the protocol of the baseline assessment of the PTC study. Methods/Design A cross-sectional study will be conducted as baseline assessment and will include a representative random sample of approximately 300 physical therapists employed in Germany (exposure group), and a population-based comparison group (n = 300). The comparison group will comprise a sample of working aged (18-65 years) inhabitants of a German city. Variables of interest will be assessed using a questionnaire manual including questions regarding musculoskeletal, dermal, and infectious diseases and disorders as well as psychosocial exposures, diseases and disorders. In addition to subjective measures, a clinical examination will be used to objectify the questionnaire-based results (n = 50). Discussion The study, which includes extensive data collection, provides a unique opportunity to study the prospective association of work-related exposures and associated complaints of physical therapists. Baseline results will give first clues with regard to whether and how prevalent main exposures of physiotherapeutic work and typical work areas of physical therapists are associated with the development of work-related diseases. Thereby, this baseline assessment provides the basis for further investigations to examine causal relationships in accordance with a longitudinal design. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Health care workers have an increased risk of being infected with Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), though little information is available about how prevalent (dormant) MRSA colonization is among health care workers. The aim of this study was to estimate the prevalence and predictors of MRSA carriage in a non-outbreak setting in a university hospital in Germany. Methods: The entire staff of a university hospital heart center for cardiologic maximum medical care and cardiac surgery were invited to participate in a cross-sectional study (N = 575). The sampled population included health care workers as well as employees with no close patient contact. A questionnaire concerning personal and occupational risk factors as well as lifestyle and demographic factors was applied and nasal swabs were taken. In total 180 persons (31.3%) participated in the study. Results: The majority of study participants had close contact to patients at work (n = 149, 82.8%). Thereof, about one-third had contact to MRSA-patients (n = 53, 35.6%), and most reported wearing protective clothing (n = 44, 83.0%). None of the administrative staff tested positive for MRSA and only one in 149 persons (0.7%, CI 0.00–0.02) with close patient contact carried MRSA (strain CC1-MRSA-IV). This person had close contact to patients with MRSA, less than 1 year of work experience, and had been treated with antibiotics within the last 12 months. Conclusion: The results of our study suggest low point prevalence rates of MRSA colonization in health care workers in a non-outbreak setting. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study tests a multiple mediation model concerning complex relationships between transformational leadership and employee health. Based on recent transformational leadership research, we suggest that transformational leadership may be able to decrease cognitive and emotional strain by reducing perceived job demands and enhancing personal resources among employees. A sample of 1,074 employees participated in a cross-sectional study in Germany. Results confirmed the hypothesized multiple mediation model. Thus, transformational leadership and employees' short-term work related strain were negatively associated. However, the study suggests that a health-promoting effect of transformational leadership may better be explained due to the reduction of job demands and an enhancement of personal resources. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2017 APA, all rights reserved). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]