Injury Risks For Home Health Aids

27 July 2015 by Jonathan Phillips

One of the fastest growing segments in the United States includes home health aides. In fact, for both personal care aides and home health aides, they are 2.5 times more likely to get injured than those in the private and public health field. Knowing this statistic, with the increase in employment in these areas, one would expect many more injuries to start occurring. It is important to identify the risks involved as a home health aide to avoid injuries whether you work as a home health aide or are looking to become one. Here are some of the injuries you could be exposed to as a home health aide. 

Latex Sensitivity

Any time you are dealing with sick or injured patients, it is imperative to use gloves. The most common type of gloves used in the health care industry are made from latex. Unfortunately, 8% to 12% of health care workers have an allergy to latex material. Symptoms of this allergy includes itching, hives, runny nose, and even asthma. This type of workplace hazard can be prevented by using non latex gloves when handling patients. 

Patient Handling

A lot of injuries experienced as a home health aide comes from patient handling. Whenever a patient that has limited mobility needs to be transported, it is typically done with the help of the home health aide. To avoid injuries, health care workers should be taught to bend at the waist and lift with their knees not their back. In order to avoid having a health aide transport the individual at all, there are transporting devices available. This can help eliminate injuries due to patient handling. It is also crucial that you get the patient involved in the transporting as best as possible. 

Blood Borne Pathogens

Another common exposure health care aides need to be wary of includes exposure to blood borne pathogens. About 1 out of 10 health care workers experience a needle stick or splash exposure every year. Knowing that there are potential risks of being exposed to blood borne pathogens, it is important to identify procedures to help prevent this type of exposure. At times, it will be inevitable to become exposed. When this happens, you must have a procedure in place to handle this type of exposure. 

Injuries happen in almost every industry. The key is getting the right type of care in a timely manner. When you are injured in the work area, you should notify your employer immediately. Should they not help you with your injury and get you the help you need, you should seek advice from a workers compensation lawyer. Visit http://leifericksonlawoffice.net for more information.

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