新冠肺炎疫情衝擊下醫院環境作業安全之影響

Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on hospital workplace safety

目標：新冠肺炎（COVID-19）疫情爆發對醫院環境安全產生重大的影響，導致職場傷害和危害增加。本研究之目的在調查疫情期間威脅醫院環境安全的危害因素。方法：本研究對象為台灣北部某大型醫學中心醫院，依環境安全巡檢查核結果及場所用途屬性，分析COVID-19爆發前後環境安全巡檢定期檢查結果，並使用ANOVA檢定和廣義估計式（GEE）模型進行重複測量分析。結果：分析結果顯示，隨著COVID-19疫情警戒升級，“用電安全及設施”和“易燃物管理”缺失率有增加，而“緊急應變”缺失率呈現下降。研究還發現，急診部門在環境安全管理表現似乎比加護病房和手術室較不理想，這突顯環境安全管理要考慮特定部門或設施的重要性。結論：環境安全巡檢有助於監測醫院潛在危害因子，未來新興傳染病情期間，醫院環境安全管理建議特別注意易燃性酒精乾洗手液的管理、確保用電安全、醫院出入口及疏散逃生動線管理，及防疫臨時措施之變更管理，以塑造更安全的醫療照護環境。

Objectives: COVID-19 had a major effect on hospital environmental safety, leading to an increase in workplace accidents and hazards. This study explored the hazardous factors that compromised hospital environmental safety during the pandemic. Methods: This study was conducted at a large medical center in northern Taiwan. Data from environmental safety inspections and hospital premises were used to compare safety inspection outcomes before and during the COVID-19 outbreak. Statistical analyses were conducted using an analysis of variance and a generalized estimating equation model for repeated measures. Results: When the levels of domestic COVID-19 alerts increased, an increase was observed in the deficiency rates for“electricity safety and facilities”and“flammable materials management.”By contrast, the deficiency rate for“emergency response”decreased. Additionally, the emergency department demonstrated lower performance in environmental safety management compared with the intensive care units and operating rooms, underscoring the need for department-specific considerations in safety management. Conclusions: Environmental safety inspections are essential for identifying potential hazards in hospitals. In cases of future outbreaks of infectious diseases, hospitals should prioritize monitoring the use of flammable alcohol-based hand sanitizers, ensuring electrical safety, monitoring hospital entrances and evacuation routes, and managing changes in temporary measures. These efforts are essential for fostering a safer health-care environment.