HealthWISE uses a practical, participatory methodology that encourages managers and staff to work together to promote safe and healthy workplaces and to improve work practices.
The two organisations agreed that unsafe working conditions are still common in many workplaces in the health sector and may often even affect the quality of health services provided.
According to Christiane Wiskow, the ILO's health services sector specialist. "… it is essential to ensure that decent working conditions are provided to health workers. This includes taking into account their health and well-being."
Adding her voice on the issue, Susan Wilburn, WHO expert on occupational and environmental health said "Health workers are exposed to health risks due to the nature of their work."
Worldwide, an estimated three million incidents of sharps injuries happen every year, causing more than one-third of Hepatitis B and C infections among health workers. Health workers may worry about their exposure to health hazards, including HIV and TB, at their workplace, if proper protection is not provided," she added.
Information and practices
Pilot projects applying HealthWISE have already been implemented in Senegal, where the new approach led to better information and practices on working conditions
HealthWISE promotes an integrated approach for improving safety of injections and handling of sharps.
An integrated approach means introducing a protocol that combines all the different aspects of work improvement, such as behaviours, education, equipment, policies and procedures.
It ensures not only the availability of improved equipment and facilities, such as clearly labelled and puncture-proof sharps disposal boxes, but also enhanced workplace prevention and support policies and programmes to protect health workers from occupational exposure to hazardous agents, such as TB or HIV.
According to ILO and WHO, HealthWISE contributes to improving health services' performance and ability to deliver quality care to patients, by paying attention to a supportive and enabling work environment.
It does so by promoting the application of smart, simple and low-cost solutions, and by utilising local resources, which lead to tangible benefits to workers and to health services.
The HealthWISE package consists of an Action Manual and a Trainers' Guide, which include modules on topics such as controlling occupational hazards and improving workplace safety; biological hazards and infection control; tackling discrimination, harassment and violence at the workplace; and promoting greener and healthier workplaces.
The Action Manual helps to initiate and sustain changes for improvement and is designed to promote learning-by-doing, while the Trainers' Guide (which includes a CD-ROM) contains guidance and tools designed to implement a training course.
The two agencies plan to develop a network of HealthWISE local trainers and practitioners to promote practical approaches that will strengthen health systems in their own countries.
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