Introduction

Healthcare professionals are exposed to a multitude of occupational risks that can lead to work-related injuries, resulting in implications both at the hospital management level and community level. For the development of a preventive safety culture, it is essential to analyze the causes that lead to their occurrence. This study is a descriptive and analytical analysis of the work-related injuries that occurred in a hospital unit, characterizing them and relating them to occupational risks. The target population of the study consists of healthcare workers from a tertiary hospital in the north of Portugal.

Aims

Analysis of the work-related injuries recorded by the Occupational Health Service in a Portuguese tertiary hospital.

Methods

Retrospective observational study between January 2017 and December 2022. Data were obtained from the Occupational Health Service software.

Results

A total of 1279 work-related injuries were recorded from 2017 to 2022, of which 93,8% took place in the facilities of the Hospital Center. Most of them (82,8%) occurred in female workers. A higher number of work-related injuries was observed among healthcare assistants (43.2%) and nurses (35.5%). The mechanical risk was found to have the highest incidence (46,4%), followed by biological (26,3%) and ergonomic (22,4%) risks. The upper limb (46,3%) and lower limb (22,4%) were the anatomical regions most affected by the accidents. Most of the lost days resulting from work-related injuries were in the range of 3 to 30 days (58,8%).

Discussion and Conclusion

Work-related injuries presented a variable distribution throughout the studied period and most of these took place within the Hospital Center. The mechanical risk, which is essentially responsible for musculoskeletal injuries, was the leading cause of injury, followed by biological risk, in accordance with the literature. There was a significant increase in the number of work-related injuries related to psychosocial risks, which is directly related to violent behaviors against hospital staff making it urgent to develop preventive measures in this area. Due to the morbidity caused and the consequent absenteeism, work-related injuries contributed to a significant loss of productivity. Therefore, it is essential to keep investing in preventive policies and improvement of the work conditions in the healthcare sector.

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