Joint sessions unify docs, nurses at AOHC meeting
Joint sessions unify docs, nurses at AOHC meeting
Clinical sessions tackle HEH guidelines
Keeping track of the growing number of hospital-related occupational health guidelines was a major focus as nurses and physicians gathered for the American Occupational Health Conference in Philadelphia.
The May conference marked the first time nurses from the American Association of Occupational Health Nurses in Atlanta and physicians with the American College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine (ACOEM) in Arlington Heights, IL, put on a joint clinical presentation. Previous joint sessions covered issues such as the use of the Internet in occupational health.
"It shows that we’re a united force in our commitment to employee and worker health," remarked Kathleen Golden McAndrew, MSN, ARNP, COHN-S, CCM, department director and nurse practitioner in the section of occupational medicine at the Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center in Lebanon, NH.
Geoff Kelafant, MD, MSPH, FACOEM, medical director of the Occupational Health Department at Sarah Bush Lincoln Health Center in Mattoon, IL, noted that guidelines from various organizations overlap, and that the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) is working more closely with the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations.
"If you’re not meeting an OSHA standard, that can be a deficiency in your [Joint Commission] survey," says Kelafant, who is vice chairman and communications chairman of the Medical Center Occupational Health Section of the ACOEM.
Still, Kelafant urged his audience of occupational health nurses and physicians to do what’s right — not just to follow guidelines.
"If all you’re looking at is to meet the letter of the law and nothing more, it’s probably going to be an average [employee health] program," he says. "My point of view is, you see what the problems are and the things that need to be done, and then you sketch out what the program is. It’s almost always going to meet the regulatory standard."
The AOHC attracted about 7,000 attendees from a variety of occupational health areas. They listened to Marthe Kent, director of the safety standards program, acting director of the health standards program, and acting director of the office of regulatory analysis at OSHA, explain the agency’s obstacles in promulgating new rules.
"It’s really tough for them to get a standard out because of the legal challenges they have to meet," says Kae Livsey, RN, MPH, public policy and advocacy manager at AAOHN.
Subscribe Now for Access
You have reached your article limit for the month. We hope you found our articles both enjoyable and insightful. For information on new subscriptions, product trials, alternative billing arrangements or group and site discounts please call 800-688-2421. We look forward to having you as a long-term member of the Relias Media community.