Zhen Liu,1 Yanli Cheng,2 Dongmei Xu,1 Mengfan Wu,1 Yaqin Xie,1 Ya Zhu,1 Shiqi Yang,1 Ziyi Liu1 

1Department of Nursing, The First People’s Hospital of Tianmen in Hubei Province, Tianmen, 431700, People’s Republic of China; 2Hubei Province Key Laboratory of Occupational Hazard Identification and Control, Wuhan University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, 430065, People’s Republic of China

Correspondence: Yanli Cheng, Hubei Province Key Laboratory of Occupational Hazard Identification and Control, Wuhan University of Science and Technology, No. 2, Huangjiahu West Road, Qingling Street, Hongshan District, Wuhan, 430065, People’s Republic of China, Tel +8615972290899, Email tnsyyhlb5237409@163.com

Purpose: This study was aimed at developing a systematic and standardized occupational protection theory to guide new medical staff in protection against occupational exposure.
Subjects and Methods: Twenty-three new medical staff members of a comprehensive tertiary hospital in China were evaluated with semi-structured in-depth interviews. The participants were selected using the methods of convenience sampling, purposive sampling, and theoretical sampling Qualitative research was performed using the grounded theory method of Glaser and Strauss, and the data were coded openly, axially, and selectively. The study protocol and reporting were in accordance with the Standards for Qualitative Research (SRQR).
Results: Fifteen codes were extracted from the interview data, which were classified into six subcategories, namely, processing and reflection after occupational exposure, comprehensive identification of occupational exposure risk factors, progressive response, normalization of occupational protection, active expression of protection needs, two-way protection, and 1 core category—two-way-progressive occupational protection. With the information collected, a theoretical model of “two-way progressive occupational protection” was finally constructed.
Conclusion: The “two-way-progressive occupational protection” theory developed on the basis of the experiences of new medical staff can play a positive role in guiding new medical staff regarding occupational exposure, identifying relevant risk factors, and taking appropriate protective measures. It can also provide guidance for developing appropriate training modules for occupational protection.

Keywords: Occupational protection, occupational exposure, medical staff, grounded theory, qualitative research