Scientific studies

SERIES OF 'SCIENTIFIC STUDIES' ON OHS, EDITED BY INSTITUTE OF HYGIENE 

Returning to work after cancer: subjective experience of employees
Institute of Hygiene, Scientific Studies No. 38, Vilnius, 2020, p. 64

The data presented in the publication is taken from the study “Return to work after cancer: subjective experience of employees”, which has been conducted in 2018–2019 in the Institute of Hygiene. The study results and its’ conclusions are discussed, various recommendations are presented.
The publication is intended for employers, human resources specialists, occupational health professionals and other individuals who can contribute to a successful return to work after cancer. The publication might be also useful for cancer patients who plan to return to work. The information in the publication can be used for educational purposes, cancer stigma and discriminatory behavior reduction, development of a professional culture in Lithuanian workplaces, and development of social services for cancer patients.

 

 

Preparing a healthy lifestyle knowledge questionnaire considering the needs of Lithuanian public health bureaus
Institute of Hygiene, Scientific Studies No. 37, Vilnius, 2019, p. 83

The publication includes a report and articles on how a healthy lifestyle knowledge questionnaire was developed, why it is as it is, and how it was tested. The questionnaire, which could be used by Lithuanian public health bureaus’ professionals in their work of promoting occupational health, is also attached. The publication is intended not only for public health bureaus’ professionals, but also for anyone who wants to test and improve their nutrition and physical activity knowledge. Besides, it could be useful to other professionals seeking to promote employees’ health and develop occupational health promotion programmes.

 

 

Experiencing the welfare of employees’ returning from parental leave, combining work and private life.
Institute of Hygiene, Scientific Studies No. 35, Vilnius, 2018, p. 75

The data presented in the publication taken from the study based on the substantive theory provide an opportunity to better understand the peculiarities of reconciling work and private life of women who return from parental leave, their everyday picture and to identity related choices in order to reconcile different social roles.
The publication can be useful to raising small children and working women, employers and managers of enterprises and institutions, occupational health specialists, social workers and organisational psychologists, as well as politicians involved in the development of policies to promote gender equality and work-life balance.

 

  

The assessment of counselling interventions reducing employees’ cardiovascular risk factors
Institute of Hygiene, Scientific Studies No. 34, Vilnius, 2018, p. 86

It is important to identify and reduce risk factors in order to avoid cardiovascular diseases and their related consequences. The development of occupational health promotion programmes and the organisation of their implementation is one of the occupational health specialists’ functions.
The publication presents a study and scientific publications which aim to systematically review the evidence provided by foreign researchers on the effectiveness of counselling interventions reducing employees’ cardiovascular risk factors and assess the feasibility of such interventions in Lithuania.
The publication is intended for health policy-makers, occupational health specialists working in Lithuanian companies (institutions), Lithuanian municipal public health bureaus and the other professionals seeking to promote employees’ health, as well as the specialists who develop qualification improvement programmes for occupational health professionals. 

Musicians’ ergonomic working environment factors and their links to musculoskeletal system disorders
Institute of Hygiene, Scientific Studies No. 32, Vilnius, 2018, p. 63

The publication presents a research and scientific publications aimed at evaluating the ergonomic factors of the musicians' work environment with musculoskeletal systemdisorders.
The publication is intended for musicians, music school and concert managers, musicians preparing teachers, family medicine doctors and occupational health physicians, occupational health specialists, occupational health and safety specialists.

 

 

 

 

  

Health and safety culture and occupational health services in manufacturing enterprises
Institute of Hygiene, Scientific Studies No. 30, Vilnius, 2017, p. 76

The publication presents the study that assessed the extent of providing occupational health services in manufacturing enterprises of Lithuania and their benefit to the workers, analysed which occupational health services are mostly wished by workers, and assessed the impact of hiring a medical education specialist on the extent of providing occupational health services and their benefit. The publication is intended for persons responsible for occupational health and safety as well as specialists and students wishing to deepen their knowledge in the field of occupational health.

 

 

 

Institute of Hygiene, Scientific Studies No. 25, Vilnius, 2016, p. 108

Foreign studies show that there are a lot of stress factors in mental health nurses' work environment: the heavy workload, high psychological job demands, numerous documentation load, high tension, low ability to influence the work performed, lack of social support from co-workers and managers, job dissatisfaction, unclear, contradictory and ambiguous operational role, the threat of violence. Stress at work factors associate with poorer physical and mental health of mental health nurses'.

The Lithuanian scientific studies suggest that the psychosocial work environment of mental health nurses is not safe. The aim of the study performed by the specialists of the Institute of Hygiene was to assess the psychosocial occupational (as well as occupational violence) factors of Vilnius city nurses working at psychiatric hospitals, general profile hospital psychiatric departments, and psychological health centres.

 

Institute of Hygiene, Scientific Studies No. 17, Vilnius, 2014, p. 95

The project was implemented in 2011-2012. The aim of the project was to evaluate the effectiveness of occupational safety and health services in Lithuania. The project consisted of three fragments with three main tasks:

- Evaluation of the occupational health care organised by occupational safety and health services and OHS human resources in enterprises of Lithuania;

- Evaluation of the legal environment (national occupational health and safety system and program) of occupational health and safety services;

- Analysis and comparison of the occupational health practice of Lithuania and the other Baltic Sea region countries.

The results of the project showed that Lithuanian OSH services at enterprises lack the human resources to enable them to carry out the functions of health care of employees effectively.

Based on the results of the project authors it is proposed to develop the national occupational health care development concept, which validated incentives for employers to take a better care of workers' health and enable the state institutions to develop the occupational health care services.  

Institute of Hygiene, Scientific Studies No. 16, Vilnius, 2014, p. 143

The study presents the results of the same title project, which was implemented in 2011-2012, and the recommendations on how to reduce the negative impact of restructuring to staff and to provide a safe working environment. The aim of the project was to investigate nurses’ health and experiences during the period of intensive changes by combining quantitative and qualitative research methods.  The quantitative study aimed to examine links between psychosocial work environment, health and health-damaging behaviour of nurses. The qualitative study aimed to analyse and structure the restructuring related experiences of nurses working at hospitals of Vilnius.

The results of the project showed that uncontrolled stress at work, in particular through organisational change, inevitably increases the mental health injuries of staff, leading to increased costs, which make difficulties to or-ganisations, the society and the country. It is obvious that psychosocial risks at workplaces exists and the pro-blem will not go away by itself. But the good news is that work-related stress triggers, as well as the other occu-pational safety and health risks, can be evaluated, analysed and managed using the organisational tools. The project contributed to better understanding of hospital restructuring phenomenon as a new emerging psychosocial risk, and its possible impact on employee’s health and health-damaging behaviour.  

Institute of Hygiene, Scientific Studies No. 14, Vilnius, 2014, p. 99

 

The World Health Organisation defines psychological violence at work as a deliberate use of force against ano-ther person or a group of workers, including the threat to use the physical force and the actions that may harm the physical, mental, spiritual, moral or social well-being of employees. To recognise and deal with psychological violence at work related issues is more difficult than to deal with the other safety and health issues at work.

The publication presents a project which aimed to assess the prevalence of psychological violence at work, its evidence forms, and the relationship with the violence risk factors.

 

 

 

 

 

Institute of Hygiene, Scientific Studies No. 11, Vilnius, 2014, p. 95

The project was implemented in 2011-2012. The aim of the project was an evaluation of periodic health examination and quality of occupational diseases diagnostic. It was important in order to formulate concrete su-ggestions for the effectiveness of the system. The project consisted of two fragments. The first fragment was to analyse the periodic health examination and diagnostic of occupational diseases by the position of the general practitioner. The second fragment was to analyse the reasons and experience of workers due to confirmation of occupational diseases.

The project’s results showed the need to introduce the quality control system of preventive occupational health examinations, to strengthen the competence requirements for doctors who are responsible for occupational health examinations and to create a system of economic incentives for employers to take a better care of their employees' health. 

 

Institute of Hygiene, Scientific Studies No. 5, Vilnius, 2011, p. 78

 

The results about effects of psychosocial work factors on development of depression and depressive state are presented in the publication. The study has shown that there is a link between psychosocial factors of work intensity and frequency of mental health problems. The research has revealed that anxiety is related with both men's own depressive state and clinically confirmed depression. Women's depressive and clinically confirmed depression has been caused by unequal division of labour and incompleteness of work. The results have shown that workers mental health is related with stress at work caused by the interaction of psychosocial work factors. The publication should be an interest to public and occupational health researchers, practitioners, whose decisions can protect workers from work-related harmful effects of stress or can reduce them.

 

 

 

Institute of Hygiene, Scientific Studies No. 3, Vilnius, 2011, p. 144

 

The results of research about incidence of occupational diseases, controversial cases of occupational diseases and regulations on diagnosing, analysing and compensating occupational diseases are presented in the publica-tion. The publication helps to understand the problems related to diagnosing occupational diseases. It should be an interest to public health researchers, occupational health and safety professionals, labour inspectors, employers, workers’ representatives, and especially health politicians and health administrators who are looking for evidence-based solutions on occupational disease prevention.

 

Institute of Hygiene, Scientific Studies No. 1, Vilnius, 2008, p. 85

 

The results of asbestos research which is one of the most dangerous industrial pollutants are presented in the publication. The International Agency for Research on Cancer acknowledged carcinogenicity of asbestos in 1976. In western countries asbestos is the main cause of occupational cancer. Institute of Hygiene, Occupational Medicine Centre together with Oncology Institute of Vilnius University, the National Centre of Pathology and the Finish National Institute of Occupational Medicine made an epidemiological research into exposure of asbestos to workers' health and prepared a report to the Lithuanian Government.