Health and safety risks in nursing

Introduction: professional hazards create insecurity and frustration to nurses during their clinical work. Aim of this review is to present and analyze daily risks and aggravating factors during the clinical work of nurses. Method: a systematic evaluation of the International and Greek literature findings was undertaken, according to Rogers’ model of analysis. Results: the frame of analysis showed five categories of risks which include: Biological/contagious risks, Chemical factors, Environmental/mechanical risks, Physical dangers, Psychosocial risks. Discussion: biological dangers can be dealt with by using suitable equipment for trauma avoidance and careful execution of nursing tasks. Chemical risks, including exposure to chemotherapeutic medicines, can be prevented by using protective measures such as gloves, masks, goggles and special appliances for preparing medication. The mechanical strain of the musculaskeletical system should be limited by ergonomic equipment and education, while the physical factors such as noise requires depends also on the personal sensitivity of workers. Conclusions: many preventative measures are based simply on the modification and adoption of a new behaviour and do not demand financial resources or special equipment. The strong-will for protecting the health status of nursing staff and promoting the profession are the two main drives in improving nursing working like conditions and the administration of safe care.