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Psychosocial risks at work have a strong impact on workers in every economic field, especially in health care. The aim of this study was to analyze psychosocial risk impact on workers in 3 areas of work, including doctors or functional specialists, nurses and support staff at work for healthcare employees in one of Rehabilitation centers in Latvia. The Copenhagen Psychosocial Questionnaire was used to assess psychosocial risks at work. Main results show that the high scores for work atmosphere and social support from colleagues reflect the favourable social environment in the context of employee relationships, but doctors and functional specialists face significant psychosocial risks characterized by high quantitative and emotional demands, compounded by job insecurity and inadequate managerial support. Nurses contend with high physical and emotional risks influenced by unpredictable work patterns, unclear roles, and insufficient social support, while support staff confront high workload, role conflicts, and pervasive job insecurity, minimal recognition and unsupportive workplace atmospheres. In general critical aspects include work-life balance, appreciation and self-rated health are at work. Continuation of the research will be related to investigating the psychosocial risks with cognitive tests for each research group. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In Latvia, the number of aging employees suffering from sleep disorders caused by job stress and poor sleep hygiene is increasing. The non-pharmacologic and pharmacologic treatment is prescribed for these employees in the sleep management. The aim of this research is to clarify the efficiency of using psychotherapy with learning and observing sleep hygiene, combined with the melatonergic drug during a six-week treatment course applied to 25 both male and female intellectual workers over 65 years suffering from insomnia caused by job stress. For the patients representing Group “A” cognitive hypnotherapy, intervention for improving coping with job stress and usage of the melatonergic drug was prescribed, while Group “B” patients received six weeks only drug. The severity of depressive episodes in employees was measured by Montgomery- Åsberg Depression Rating Scale, the level of anxiety was assessed by use Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale. The results of the research show that insomnia patterns disappeared for 75% of women and 80% of men employees in Group A, but in Group B individuals, – only for 20% of women employees. The results acquired let concluding that the six-week treatment – cognitive hypnotherapy combined with melatonergic drug – is an effective treatment for aging workers suffering from sleep disorders.

The aim of this research was to investigate the electromagnetic fields in the modern office environment. Both low frequency and the high frequency electromagnetic fields were studied. The sources of elevated electromagnetic fields and the conditions under which they occur were identified. Measurements were performed by following a 14-point human body model, which characterizes the overall exposure of the sitting person. The measurements analysis revealed the most typical sources of exposure to be loosely spread power wires and extension cables, but also power cables close to the worker's body on the floor or beneath the table. Standard office devices were also rising the exposure levels when situated in close proximity to the worker. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this paper is to explore the impact of information technologies upon the social interaction culture among employees in Latvian enterprises. To transform the available data and information into a valuable form for decision-making and subsequent actions, organisations have to provide an efficient communication circulation system, which is directly affected by each company's social interaction culture. Based on previous study results in Latvia the problem of the research is to reveal and assess how to increase mutual confidence among colleagues and encourage to share of information. Tasks of the study were to research the basis of the review of scientific sources and to study the organisational and individual factors affecting employees' perceptions regarding the role of information technologies in the information sharing process in Latvian organisations. The research showed that in organisations with positive social interaction culture, employees and supervisors socialize, interact and share information much more frequently in a verbal form, which promotes a sense of adherence to the organisation; information technologies, for their part, are used for creation of database and distribution of formal instructions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The research focuses on analysis of ergonomics risks among construction workers in different operations at work. The aim of the research is to carry out ergonomics risk analysis in various construction operations and to prove that physically hard manual work and application of force in manual work operations affect muscular fatigue, using objective and subjective risk assessment methods, including extended version of Nordic musculoskeletal questionnaire, myotonometric measurements, muscle's force determination with dynamometer. During the research it was proved that the combination of objective and subjective ergonomics risk analysis methods provides holistic approach and reliable ergonomics risk analysis results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In Latvia occupational musculoskeletal disorder - chronic neck-shoulders pain (NSP) - is a common complaint in the general population, also in video display terminal (VDT) employees in their giving age, working in bank and agriculture system, and such patients with chronic NSP load markedly the public health care service. The biopsychosocial influence on pain for VDT employees is team learning (TL) with self-management (SM) strategies: pain-blocking imagery, mind-body relaxation, cognitive restructuring of unpleasant physical and emotional experience, improvement of workplace relations and organizational culture. The aim of the research was to evaluate the effectiveness of using TL and SM one month course for bank and agricultural advisory services VDT employees, females and males, suffering from chronic moderate NSP. The structured self-administrated questionnaire was carried out to find out which body parts suffer from pain during workload, information on work-related ergonomic and psychosocial risk factors was collected during face to face interviews. During testing for TL and SM course with follow-up assessment was selected 21 VDT employees (females = 11, males = 10; age between 22 and 50). The intensity of NSP was determined by using the Numeric Pain Rating Scale (NPRS), life quality assessment was analysed with Quality of Life Scale (QOLS), p-value, confidence interval was calculated. Patients were asked to keep a Pain Diary during treatment course. The results indicated decrease in neck-shoulders pain intensity, and positive quality of life changes after TL and SM intervention in video display terminal (VDT) employees. Statistically significant reduction in pain intensity after TL and SM intervention by the biopsychosocial influence on pain according NPRS was among males, and the life quality according to QOLS score - among females. The necessity to perform patient's objective clinical examinations, subjective tests of self-esteem, to keep a Pain Diary during treatment course has been proved in our research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Problems associated with pain in several body regions due to work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WRMDs), repetitive movement and negative stress at work are quite common in many manufacturing industries of Latvia, int.al. clothing industry. The aim of this study was to evaluate efficiency of the psychotherapeutic intervention using medical hypnotherapy (MH) program for mind-body relaxation with pain-blocking imagery, cognitive restructuring of unpleasant physical and emotional experience., Methods: 300 sewers and 50 cutters with chronic pain were involved in the study. Self-rated WRMDs symptoms, pain intensity and interference were assessed using the extended version of Nordic Musculoskeletal Questionnaire and Brief Pain Inventory Scale. Assessment of the functional state of muscles was carried out using myotonometric (MYO) measurements. Work heaviness degree was estimated via heart rate monitoring (HRM). The MH program was composed of cognitive hypnotherapy and self-hypnosis training. Sunnen Trance Scale was used to determine person's hypnotic susceptibility. Life quality assessment before and after MH program was carried out using Quality of Life Scale., Results: At the beginning of MH program sessions both sewers and cutters reported on pain interference with general activities, mood, sleep, normal work, etc., but after MH the interference of pain significantly decreased. HRM data confirmed that work heaviness degree of sewers and cutters can be referred to as light and moderate work (energy expenditure for their tasks varies from 3.4 till 4.7 kcal/min). Using MYO measurements it was stated that before MH 22% of workers involved in the study fell under III MYO category indices, consequently, their muscle tone was increased, which is associated with muscular fatigue. After MH muscle tone remained within the normal range meaning that they were able to adapt to the existing workload (II MYO category) or fully relax (I MYO category)., Conclusions: MH program including exercises-workouts, cognitive hypnotherapy and self-hypnosis training sessions is an effective method to decrease composite chronic pain intensity for sewers and cutters, as well as to decrease psychogenic tension and muscle fatigue (proved by objective measurements of muscles tone) and to increase the life quality.

Objective: This research work is dedicated to occupational health problems caused by ergonomic risks. The research object was road building industry, where workers have to work very intensively, have long work hours, are working in forced/constrained work postures and overstrain during the work specific parts of their bodies. The aim of this study was to evaluate the work heaviness degree and to estimate the muscle fatigue of workers after one week work cycle. The study group consisted of 10 road construction and maintenance workers and 10 pavers aged between 20 and 60 years., Methods: Physical load were analyzed by measuring heart rate (HR), work postures (OWAS) and perceived exertion (RPE). Assessments of the muscles strain and functional state (tone) were carried out using myotonometric (MYO) measurements. The reliability of the statistical processing of heart rate monitoring and myotonometry data was determined using correlating analysis., Results: This study showed that that road construction and repairing works should be considered as a hard work according to average metabolic energy consumption 8.1 +/- 1.5 kcal/min; paving, in its turn, was a moderately hard work according to 7.2 +/- 1.1 kcal/min. Several muscle tone levels were identified allowing subdivision of workers into three conditional categories basing on muscle tone and fatigue: I--absolute muscle relaxation and ability to relax; II--a state of equilibrium, when muscles are able to adapt to the work load and are partly able to relax; and III--muscle fatigue and increased tone. It was also found out that the increase of muscle tone and fatigue mainly depend on workers physical preparedness and length of service, and less on their age., Conclusion: We have concluded that a complex ergonomic analysis consisting of heart rate monitoring, assessment of compulsive working postures and myotonometry is appropriate to assess the work heaviness degree and can provide prognosis of occupational pathology or work-related musculoskeletal disorders for the workers under different workload conditions. These results can also be used when deciding on necessary rest time and its periodicity.

A survey in the health area of "Héroes del Moncada" Polyclinics in Plaza de la Revolución municipality from Havana City was carried out by means of a multistage sampling in which 352 women in reproductive age (15-49 years old) were randomly chosen. A questionnaire designed by the World Health Organization for this kind of investigation was applied and a work of information and orientation was carried out for the infertile women. Prevalence of infertility in this health area was moderate and was found in 9.1% of the total number of women studied (12.1% of married women). Primary infertility was found in 0.6% of the total number of the women studied (12.1% of married women) and secondary infertility was found in 8.5% (11.3% of married women). A 43.8% of infertile women wanted to be pregnant what inversely correlated with the age and the number of children. The efficacy of the educational work of nursing was evidenced because 85.7% of infertile women who wanted to be pregnant attended the specialized consultation after the interview by the nurse. It is recommended to increase the nursing activity in the field of human reproduction.

A study is made on some significant aspects of the obstetric history and contraceptive practice in an urban health area by means of a random sample that selected 352 women of reproductive potential. They were interviewed by means of a questionnaire designed for that purpose. Most women in all age groups had a male partner, except for the 15-19 age group, and it seems that often marriage duration is not low. Pregnancy average per woman was high (3.04) and high rates for induced abortion per live birth (0.99) and of induced abortion per woman (1.44) were found, which is indicative of inappropriate contraceptive practice. The contraceptives most commonly used were intrauterine devices (74%) and oral tablets (51%); much less frequent is the use of condoms (5.8%), diaphragms (2.9%), periodic abstinence (2.5%) and breast feeding (2.5%). Results indicate an abuse of abortion as a family planning method, as well as a poor contraceptive practice.