Occupational Hazard Exposures, Protective Behaviors and Related Factors of Physicians in Taiwan

OBJECTIVES: Physicians are at risk for occupational exposure to multi-hazards due to the complication of the working environment. Limited documentations integrated the exposure profiles for health professionals. This study aimed to identify the workplace hazard exposures and protective behaviors of physicians, as well as to reveal the predictive factors of the protective behaviors. METHODS: This study was approved by the IRBs of participated hospitals. In total, 189 doctors of five hospitals in Taipei area completed the survey, with a response rate of 41.09%. The occupational exposures were categorized as five aspects, chemical hazard, biological hazard, physical hazard, ergonomic and workplace violence. Crosstab, correlation and multiple regression statistical techniques were used in this study. RESULTS: Overall, ergonomic exposure frequency (56.9%) was the highest one in the five aspects. Surgeons had higher exposure frequencies of biological, ergonomic, and physical hazards than internists did. Emergency room physicians experienced a higher workplace violence exposure than surgeons and internists did. Higher frequencies were reported in the protective behaviors of biological hazard (56.5%) and workplace violence (54.7%) of the five aspects. The physicians' protective behaviors negatively correlated with hazard exposure significantly. Multiple regression results demonstrated that physicians' protective behaviors were positively associated with health risk perception, self-efficacy, job demands, and safety climate. (Adjust R2=0.171).CONCLUSIONS: Physician occupational hazard exposures can be decreased by promoting their protective behaviors. This finding suggests that building workplace safety climate and empowering physician's occupational hazard risk perception and self-efficacy will be effectively to promote protective behaviors at work.