Browsing by Author "Wallace, Jean"

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    Hospital ward design and prevention of hospital-acquired infections: A prospective clinical trial
    (2014-01-01) Ellison, Jennifer; Southern, Danielle; Holton, Donna; Henderson, Elizabeth; Wallace, Jean; Faris, Peter; Ghali, William A; Conly, John
    BACKGROUND: Renovation of a general medical ward provided an opportunity to study health care facility design as a factor for preventing hospital-acquired infections.OBJECTIVE: To determine whether a hospital ward designed with predominantly single rooms was associated with lower event rates of hospital-acquired infection and colonization.METHODS: A prospective controlled trial with patient allocation incorporating randomness was designed with outcomes on multiple ‘historic design’ wards (mainly four-bed rooms with shared bathrooms) compared with outcomes on a newly renovated ‘new design’ ward (predominantly single rooms with private bathrooms).RESULTS: Using Poisson regression analysis and adjusting for time at risk, there were no differences (P=0.18) in the primary outcome (2.96 versus 1.85 events/1000 patient-days, respectively). After adjustment for age, sex, Charlson score, admitted from care facility, previous hospitalization within six months, isolation requirement and the duration on antibiotics, the incidence rate ratio was 1.44 (95% CI 0.71 to 2.94) for the new design versus the historic design wards. A restricted analysis on the numbers of events occurring in single-bed versus multibed wings within the new design ward revealed an event incidence density of 1.89 versus 3.47 events/1000 patient-days, respectively (P=0.18), and an incidence rate ratio of 0.54 (95% CI 0.15 to 1.30).CONCLUSIONS: No difference in the incidence density of hospital-acquired infections or colonizations was observed for medical patients admitted to a new design ward versus historic design wards. A restricted analysis of events occurring in single-bed versus multibed wings suggests that ward design warrants further study.
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    Physical Demands and Health Risks in a Professional Occupation: An Analysis of the Implications for Mental Health
    (2017) Boateng, Salome; Wallace, Jean; Banjernee, Pallavi; Sherer, Peter
    This thesis extends the Job Demand-Control (Support) model by examining whether physical demands and health risks impact on the mental health of professional workers. It also examines whether men and women experience different amounts of physical demands and health risks and whether the impact on depression differs by gender. Survey data from 378 veterinarians were used. First, women report significantly more frequent experiences of improper posture and lifting, exposure to radiation and exposure to chemicals and gases as compared to men. Second, improper posture and lifting and risk of injury and illness have significant positive effects on depression for both women and men, whereas risk of injury and illness and exposure to radiation have significant gender-specific effects on female and male veterinarians’ depression. The findings of this study further our understanding of the impact of work experiences on professionals’ mental health.
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    Supportive Transitions and Health: A Mixed Methods Study of Formerly Homeless Persons and Street Exits
    (2015-10-21) Desjarlais-deKlerk, Kristen; Wallace, Jean
    This dissertation explores connections between homelessness, housing, and health. Drawing on a mixed methods two-phase design presented in a series of three separate articles, this dissertation demonstrates the changes experienced by formerly homeless individuals when they transition into supported housing. Health and stress comparisons are made between currently and formerly homeless individuals, as are changes experienced by formerly homeless individuals during their first six months of housing tenure. The findings indicate that individuals who transition from homelessness into housing appear to experience improvements in their health and wellbeing. But housing does not appear solely responsible for these positive changes. Rather, the findings demonstrate the importance of formal and informal social relationships during this status transition. Caseworkers and physicians operate as formal supporters, and provide important services to help stabilize and minimize the stresses that accompany this status transition. Informal social relationships developed away from social service agencies and shelters aid in developing identities apart from homelessness.
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    A Wages and Wellness Penalty: A Study of Women Care Workers in Canada
    (2021-09) Baay, Courtney; Lightman, Naomi; Wallace, Jean; Lashewicz, Bonnie
    This thesis establishes a nationally representative sociodemographic profile of women in lowstatus care positions in long-term care (LTC) facilities across Canada, as well as assessing whether or not they experience a wages and wellness disadvantage, compared to non-care worker women. The thesis applies Paula England’s Devaluation Framework which suggests that women in positions of care work are typically rewarded less than comparable workers due to societal and cultural biases towards feminized fields of employment. Using 2016 Canadian Census micro-data accessed at the Prairie Regional Statistics Canada Research Data Centre, low-status care work is operationalized using occupation codes for Licensed Practical Nurses or Nurse’s Aides, Orderlies and Patient Service Associates alongside the industry code for Nursing and Residential Care Facilities. Using descriptive data analysis, the author identifies that low-status care work in LTC is overwhelmingly comprised of women, racialized individuals and foreign-born people in Canada. As well, using Ordinary Least Squares (OLS) Regression and Logistic Regression methods the author finds that women in low-status care occupations experience a wage penalty in comparison to all other employed women in Canada, with women of colour experiencing a double disadvantage in terms of wages. Lastly, this thesis demonstrates that low-status women care workers also experience a disadvantage in terms of both self-rated physical and mental health in comparison to women in other occupations. Several suggestions for future research and policy implications are explored based on these research findings such as fair remuneration, employment benefits, appropriate staffing levels, and unionization for care workers in LTC.