Community of Practice and Safety Support (COMPASS)

COMPASS Study graphic

Creating Health & Safety "Communities of Practice" for Home Care Workers

The Community of Practice And Safety Support (COMPASS) program is a peer-led social support group intervention designed to improve social resources, reduce the risk of injuries and promote health among caregivers.

COMPASS is unique in that it addresses the lack of occupational social support structures for home care workers while also simultaneously targeting illness and injury prevention behaviors. COMPASS integrates several evidence-based intervention tactics, including elements of effective social support groups,1,2 scripted team-based health promotion programs,3,4,5,6 and goal setting with behavioral self-monitoring.7 The long-term goal of the COMPASS research agenda is to create a model structured program for promoting and protecting home care workers.

Keywords: Safety, health, social support, team-based intervention, total worker health, isolated workers, home care workers

Home Care Worker Population 

  • Job duties include assisting the elderly and disabled with self-care and mobility in private homes
  • Typically working for low wages
  • Predominantly female and older than 40
  • Have an injury rate that is nearly four times higher than the US average 
  • Are at elevated risk for mental and physical health problems

Intervention Goals

  • Increase experienced community of practice
  • Improve physical and psychological well-being
  • Reduce hazards in homes and improve safety and health behaviors 

Program Impact

  • COMPASS has been found to improve home care workers' safety and health knowledge as well as their experienced community of practice (i.e., professional social network) 
  • The program also produces simultaneous improvements in both safety and health behaviors, including the use of ergonomic tools.
  • Home care workers are a vulnerable population with a very limited support structure. The COMPASS program is a highly repeatable resource that provides them support and education resources that were previously unavailable to them. The long term desired impact is to improve health and reduce injuries in the US population of home care workers. 


What participants are saying about COMPASS:

"I think anybody new coming into this field should have to take the COMPASS class. If you are brand new… you should have to take this class, because it will help exponentially"  

"I think I've made several changes [because of] the COMPASS program. Awareness was definitely one of those. I think of myself personally as a caregiver - I may focus on my consumer employer's needs more than my own needs, and so it really did bring an awareness that if my needs, you know my health…my mental health and everything, if I'm balanced, then I feel that I'm a better caregiver" 

 "I thought it was amazing to be able to learn and share and get information from other people and help them when they need it, and they help me. I just thought it was great."

Partners

Funding

 Funding for COMPASS was provided by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH; grant: U19OH010154). 

Results

Publications

  1. Olson, R., Thompson, S., Elliot, D.L., Hess, J.A., Luther Rhoten, K., Parker, K.N., Wright, R.R., Wipfli, B., Bettencourt, K.M., Buckmaster, A., & Marino, M. (2016). Safety and health support for home care workers: The COMPASS randomized controlled trial. American Journal of Public Health, 106 (10), 1823-1832.  
  2. Olson, R., Wright, R.R., Elliot, D., Hess, J., Thompson, S. Buckmaster, K, & Wipfli, B. (2015). The COMPASS pilot study: A Total Worker Health intervention for home care workers. Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, 57(4), 406-416. 
  3. Olson, R., Elliot, D., Hess, J., Thompson, S., Luther, K., Wipfli, B., & Buckmaster, A.M. (2014). The COMmunity of Practice And Safety Support (COMPASS) Total Worker Health study among home care workers: Study protocol for a randomized controlled trial. Trials, 15: 411, 1-13. 

Dissemination

Following success and positive outcomes of the COMPASS randomized controlled trial, the Oregon Home Care Commission voted unanimously to adapt and assess the COMPASS Program for implementation in their established training system. The program was adapted for the Commission's system, piloted with several groups, and was well-received. It is expected that this extended research partnership will ultimately make COMPASS available to 60% of home care workers in the state of Oregon.

 

References

1. Toseland RW. Long-term effectiveness of peer-led and professionally led support groups for caregivers. Soc Serv Rev.1990;June:308-327.
2. Delbecq J, DeSchryver Mueller C. The ignatian faculty forum: A transformative faculty formation program. Connections. 2012;12(7):5-9.
3. Elliot DL, Goldberg L, Kuehl KS, Moe EL, Breger RKR, Pickering MA. The PHLAME (promoting healthy lifestyles: Alternative models' effects) firefighter study: Outcomes of two models of behavior change. J Occup Environ Med. 2007;49(2):204-213.
4. Goldberg L, Elliot DL, Clarke GN, et al. The adolescents training and learning to avoid steroids (ATLAS) prevention program: Background and results of a model intervention. Arch Pediat Adol Med. 1996;150:713-721. 
5. Elliot DL, Goldberg L, Moe EL, DeFrancesco CL, Durham MB, Hix-Small H. Preventing substance use and disordered eating: Initial outcomes of the ATHENA (athletes targeting healthy exercise & nutrition alternatives) program. Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med. 2004;158:1043-1049.
6. Kuehl KS, Elliot DL, Goldberg L, et al. The safety and health improvement: Enhancing law enforcement departments study: Feasibility and findings. Front Publ Health. 2014;2:38. 
7. Olson R, Winchester J. Behavioral self-monitoring of safety and productivity in the workplace: A methodological primer and quantitative literature review. J Organ Behav Manage. 2008;28:9-75.