ISSN: 2578-5001
Authors: Nazanin I* and Maryam M
Background: Sickness absence is an important issue in the hospitals. The aim of this study was to investigate sickness absenteeism trend during 3 years after implementing occupational health office. Material and Method: This study was conducted using sickness absenteeism data of hospital staff from a teaching hospital in Tehran from 2014 to 2016. Demographic and occupational characteristics were measured by a questionnaire survey. Results: In our study, mean days of absence was 11.64 and 508 episodes occurred during the 3 years. There was a decreasing trend of all sickness absence parameters during the study period. The most common causes of sickness absence were respiratory problems and musculoskeletal disorders. Conclusion: The study abounds in the implications of active workplace intervention such as implementing a monitoring system based on scientific guidelines such as an occupational health office, providing principles of infection control program and ergonomic interventions are effective in reducing sickness absence.
Keywords: Sickness Absence; Health Care Worker; Occupational Health