Work environment and hand dermatitis among nurses in a Chinese teaching hospital.

Author: Derek R SMITH ¹ ; Ning WEI ; Lin KANG ; Rui-Sheng WANG
Author Information

1. Department of Hazard Assessment, National Institute of Industrial Health, 6-21-1 Nagao, Tama-Ku, 214-8585, Kawasak, Japan, smith@niih.go.jp.
Publication Type:Journal Article
Keywords: China; hand dermatitis; nurse; wet work; work environment
From:Environmental Health and Preventive Medicine 2004;9(4):181-184
CountryJapan
Language:English
Abstract:
OBJECTIVEThe aim of this study was to investigate the effects of the working environment on hand dermatitis (HD) prevalence among nurses in a Chinese teaching hospital.
METHODSWe utilised a previously validated, self-reporting survey which was translated into Chinese.
RESULTSThe prevalence of HD among nurses was 18.3%, although this rate varied between departments, ranging from 9.4% in gynaecology to 26.7% in intensive care (P for Trend=0.3167). Logistic regression indicated that wet work was the most important HD risk factor, with a 9-fold increase (OR 9.0, 95% CI 1.2-74.9, P=0.0342). Allergic disease was also related to HD, with a 4.6-fold increase noted (OR 4.6, 95% CI 1.4-15.0, P=0.0096).
CONCLUSIONSOverall, the prevalence of HD among Chinese hospital nurses appears to be less than that of their foreign counterparts. Nevertheless, the burden of this disease does seem to vary with respect to depertment of employment within the hospital.