Restructuring of the Québec Health Network and its Effects on the Profession of Home Health Aides and Their Occupational Health and Safety
- 1 May 2007
- journal article
- Published by SAGE Publications in NEW SOLUTIONS: A Journal of Environmental and Occupational Health Policy
- Vol. 17 (1), 83-95
- https://doi.org/10.2190/pv12-897h-6546-69w8
Abstract
The Québec health sector is facing profound macroeconomic and macro-organizational changes. This article addresses the impact of these changes on the work of home health aides (HHAs) and their occupational health and safety (OHS). The study was carried out in the home care services of four local community service centers (CLSCs) with different organizational characteristics. It is based on an analysis by triangulation of 66 individual and group interviews, 11 work days, and 35 multidisciplinary or professional meetings observed, as well as administrative documents. HHAs are experiencing an erosion of their job because the relational and emotional components of their work are disappearing. This results in an increase in musculoskeletal and psychological health problems. This study also shows that managers' decisions can reduce or increase the HHAs' work constraints. Stability in the clientele served and the possibility of organizing their routes are good examples of positive impacts.Keywords
This publication has 15 references indexed in Scilit:
- Les femmes, les services et le donCahiers de recherche sociologique, 2011
- Obscuring the costs of home care: restructuring at workWork, Employment & Society, 2006
- Les défis du vieillissement au CanadaGérontologie et société, 2003
- Hospital Nurse Staffing and Patient Mortality, Nurse Burnout, and Job DissatisfactionJAMA, 2002
- It’s Been A Hard Day’s Night: The Concentration and Intensification of Work in Late Twentieth‐Century BritainBritish Journal of Industrial Relations, 2001
- Psychosocial risk factors for neck pain: A systematic reviewAmerican Journal of Industrial Medicine, 2001
- Job strain and sickness absence among nurses in the province of Qu becAmerican Journal of Industrial Medicine, 2001
- Systematic Review of Psychosocial Factors at Work and Private Life as Risk Factors for Back PainSpine, 2000
- Injuries in home health care workers: An analysis of occupational morbidity from a state compensation databaseAmerican Journal of Industrial Medicine, 1999
- Les compétences des auxiliaires familiales et sociales expérimentées dans la gestion des contraintes de temps et des risques de santéFormation emploi, 1999