Regardless of where they work in the world, nurses face many threats to their personal safety in the course of their practice, and protecting nurses has become a serious global health issue. Nurses often bear the brunt of patient frustration and anger because they are the most readily available and vulnerable targets. Nurses particularly run the risk of assault and violence by patients, especially patients with mental illness. In addition, because the global nursing workforce continues to be predominantly women, nurses are subjected to gender-based violence.
Nurses are exposed to environmental hazards in the workplace as well, including blood borne pathogens, dangerous chemicals, and infectious diseases, in part due to a lack of appropriate protective equipment and safety procedures. In most countries, nurses must also manage increasingly burdensome workloads and chronic stress associated with unsafe and non-supportive work environments. The combination of environmental threats can result in musculoskeletal deterioration and injury, as well as chronic fatigue and burnout. The end result is a loss of nurses from the profession, nurse migration, and serious physical illness.
This conference will present the current state of affairs of nurses’ health and safety, explore the issue through case studies, and offer interdisciplinary solutions for protecting nurses and the global nursing workforce.
Susan Wilburn, MPH, RN
Technical Officer, Occupational and Environmental Health,
Public Health and the Environment World Health Organization
Geneva, Switzerland
R. Kevin Mallinson, PhD, RN, AACRN, FAAN
Assistant Professor, Department of Nursing
School of Nursing and Health Studies, Georgetown University
Abstracts for student poster presentations will be considered. They must be related to the conference theme or other topics related to global health. Send a 100–250 word abstract to: globalrn@umaryland.edu [1] with the subject line: Abstract Submission. Include your name, school, and academic program at the top. Deadline for submissions is February 26, 2010.
University of Maryland School of Nursing
655 West Lombard Street
Room 140
Baltimore, MD 21201
University of Maryland students: Free
All other participants: $10
Onsite registration for all: $10
For online registration go to http://peopleware.net/0216 [2]
| 8:15–9 a.m. | Registration and Continental Breakfast |
| 9–9:15 | Welcome |
| 9:15–10:15 | Keynote Presentation |
| 10:15–10:45 | Student Speakers/Abstract Presenters |
| 10:45–11 | Break |
| 11–11:30 | Faculty Speaker |
| 11:30–12:30 p.m. | Endnote Speaker |
Poster presentations will be displayed from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Links:
[1] mailto:globalrn@umaryland.edu
[2] http://peopleware.net/0216