Summary

The Swedish Government has commissioned the Swedish Agency for Work Environment Expertise to collect and compile knowledge about work environment risks and health-promoting factors among healthcare professionals. This task is underpinned by an ambition to offer everyone a sustainable, safe and healthy working life, including through a positive work environment.

Healthcare professionals play an important societal role in the prevention, investigation and treatment of illnesses and injuries, on equal terms, for everyone in the population. Good health and a positive work environment for all those who work in the healthcare sector are prerequisites for fulfilling this mandate.

The purpose of this report was to assess and increase knowledge of the health of physicians, registered nurses (including midwives and radiographers) and assistant nurses, as well as to identify potential risk and health-promoting factors in the work environments of these groups. The report draws particular attention to a cohort of groups that are at high risk of illness and poor well-being, in order to highlight those risk factors in the work environment that should be prioritised. This report can be used by employers, managers, safety representatives and other elected officials in their systematic work environment management.

The following two questions were formulated:

• How do Swedish physicians, registered nurses and assistant nurses rate their organisational and social work environment, as well as their health and well-being?
• What organisational and social work environment factors have been identified that may be important to follow up in the systematic work environment management at the workplace?

Authors

Emma Brulin, Associate Professor of Occupational and Environmental Medicine at the Unit of Occupational Medicine, Institute of Environmental Medicine, Karolinska Institute, registered nurse.

Britta Elsert Gynning, PhD candidate in Occupational and Environmental Medicine at the Unit of Occupational Medicine, Institute of Environmental Medicine, Karolinska Institute.