Help Set the Research Agenda for the Healthcare and Social Assistance Sector

NIOSH wants to hear from you on how to improve workplace health and safety in the Healthcare and Social Assistance industry sector. Your insights will be used to inform the National Occupational Research Agenda (NORA). NORA is a partnership program to stimulate innovative research and improved workplace practices in occupational safety and health.  Since 1996, NORA has brought together diverse parties to identify the most critical issues in workplace safety and health and then work together to develop goals and objectives to address these needs.  Participation in NORA includes stakeholders from universities, large and small businesses, worker organizations, professional societies, and government agencies.

As we look forward to the third decade of NORA, we want to hear from all interested individuals and stakeholders to tell us what they think are the most pressing needs to improve occupational health and safety in the Healthcare and Social Assistance Sector. This broad industry sector includes workers in outpatient healthcare services; hospitals; nursing and residential care facilities; home care; animal care and veterinary services; child day care services; community food or housing programs, and individual and family services for youth, elderly, and persons with disabilities.

We want to hear your unique insights into this diverse industry sector. Anyone who is interested is encouraged to submit their input, including workers, employers, researchers, and professionals in occupational safety and health.

• What areas of this industry sector should we focus on in the third decade of NORA?
• What injuries and illnesses are of particular concern to workers in the Healthcare and Social Assistance industry sector?
• What workplace interventions have been shown to be effective in this sector?
• What projects or initiatives do you think would have the greatest impact on workers in the Healthcare and Social Assistance sector?

We encourage all interested individuals and stakeholders to submit their ideas, input and insights in the comment box below. If you prefer to communicate with us directly, please email your comments to: NIOSH_HCSA@cdc.gov. We would appreciate all comments before August 31, 2016 to inform our planning for the third decade of NORA.

Please feel free to forward this post to anyone who would like to contribute.

LT Megan Casey, RN, BSN, MPH, is a Nurse Epidemiologist in the NIOSH Respiratory Health Division.