Stanford Conference on Disability in Healthcare

Presented by the Stanford Medicine Abilities Coalition

2nd Annual Conference on Disability in Healthcare and Medicine

April 10, 2021 | 8:00am - 6:00pm

This conference will be a deep learning opportunity for medical students, residents and fellows, medical doctors, nursing students and nurses, PA students and PA’s, hospital administration, and additional interested healthcare providers and allies.

JAN: Accommodating Nurses with Disabilities

 This JAN webpage addresses important points around "Accommodating Nurses with Disabilities."

• How many nurses with disabilities are working today?
• Are nurses with disabilities required to disclose their disability to their employers?
• Can an employer ask nurses with disabilities to submit to a medical examination?

Deaf nurse Florence Nightingale Pledge

Bethany J. Baker, BSN, RN, a graduate from the University of North Florida School of Nursing. Watch this Facebook video where she repeats the Florence Nightingale Pledge in American Sign Language (ASL). 

Nurses who use wheelchairs

The following article on NewMobility.com provides examples of nurses who use wheelchairs. The article includes a story about a nurse who was working in neurosurgery intensive care nursing when she began experiencing symptoms of multiple sclerosis. A nursing student who broke her neck in a fall. A pediatric nurse who contracted malaria in Ghana and had to have all four limbs partially amputated. A nurse who experienced an auto accident with a C5-6 incomplete burst fracture. A nurse who has transverse myelitis and hip dysplasia. A nurse with an autoimmune disease. A nurse who fell rock climbing and sustained a T9 complete spinal cord injury.

Read the complete story here: http://www.newmobility.com/2019/04/nurses-on-wheels/

Work-Related Accidents, Injuries, and Serious Psychological Distress among Hospital Nurses

While the following study was conducted in Japan, what can other countries learn from this?

The Influence of Supportive and Ethical Work Environments on Work-Related Accidents, Injuries, and Serious Psychological Distress among Hospital Nurses.

The healthcare industry in Japan has experienced many cases of work-related injuries, accidents, and workers' compensation claims because of mental illness. This study examined the influence of supportive and ethical work environments on work-related accidents, injuries, and serious psychological distress among hospital nurses. Self-reported questionnaires were distributed to nurses (n = 1114) from 11 hospitals. Valid responses (n = 822, 93% women, mean age = 38.49 ± 10.09 years) were used for analyses. The questionnaire included items addressing basic attributes, work and organizational characteristics, social capital and ethical climate at the workplace, psychological distress, and experience of work-related accidents or injuries in the last half year. The final model of a multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed that those who work less than 4 h of overtime per week (OR = 0.313), those who work on days off more than once per month (OR = 0.424), and an exclusive workplace climate (OR = 1.314) were significantly associated with work-related accidents or injuries. Additionally, an exclusive workplace climate (OR = 1.696) elevated the risk of serious psychological distress. To prevent work-related compensation cases, which are caused by these variables, strengthening hospitals' occupational health and safety is necessary.

Tei-Tominaga M, Nakanishi M. The Influence of Supportive and Ethical Work Environments on Work-Related Accidents, Injuries, and Serious Psychological Distress among Hospital Nurses. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2018 Jan 31;15(2). pii: E240. doi: 10.3390/ijerph15020240. PubMed PMID: 29385044.