Background: This study, conducted on a sample of Italian occupational physicians (OPs), aimed to gather data regarding professional activity and their needs in managing workers with multiple sclerosis.
Methods: A convenience sample of OPs recruited by e-mail invitation to the list of Italian Society of Occupational Medicine members was considered. A total of 220 OPs participated between July and October 2022.
COVID-19 vaccines represent effective public health measures in contrasting the pandemic worldwide. However, protection at the individual-level, which is of crucial importance from an occupational health perspective, is commonly assessed by a serological correlate of protection (CoP) for SARS-CoV-2, which has not yet been determined. The emergence of variants of concern (VOCs) that have shown high rates of breakthrough infections has further complicated the understanding of immune protection against infection.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: People with Multiple Sclerosis (PwMS) are vulnerable to unfavorable occupational outcomes and the COVID-19 pandemic brought major consequences on people's professional lives. In this view, we decided to investigate the occupational outcomes of PwMS during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Methods: We performed a systematic review with meta-analysis searching key terms in four databases.
The COVID-19 pandemic has affected workplaces in many different aspects. In this scenario, Occupational Physicians played a crucial role in assessing and managing the risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection and associated diseases to guarantee workers' health and the safety of workplaces. However, the pandemic experience has drawn attention to several critical issues in overall biohazard prevention and management strategies, originating from important knowledge gaps in our scientific understanding.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjective: We decided to conduct the first systematic review with meta-analysis to provide the highest level of up-to-date evidence on the occupational risk factors for Multiple Sclerosis.
Methods: A systematic, comprehensive literature search was performed in four electronic academic databases. We included any case-control study that enrolled working-age subjects and compared the proportion of MS cases with controls who were not exposed to an occupational risk factor.
Purpose The aim was to carry out a systematic review dedicated to describing the work barriers and the job adjustments that are particularly sensitive to people with Multiple Sclerosis (PwMS). Methods Four electronic databases (PubMed/MEDLINE, Scopus, SciVerse ScienceDirect, and Web of Science) were searched for peer-reviewed original articles reporting the barriers at work and/or the job adjustments used by PwMS. MS must have been diagnosed according to accepted international criteria at the time of the study and/or confirmed by a doctor.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFHepatitis B virus represents an important global health problem. In highly developed countries, mass vaccination campaigns of newborns in recent decades have drastically reduced the proportion of carriers. However, workers exposed to blood and body fluids, including healthcare students, can be at risk of exposure.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe recent emergence of new variants of concern (VOCs) of SARS-CoV-2 and the uncertain duration of protection provided by the primary immunization cycle have highlighted the need for COVID-19 booster vaccinations. However, only a few studies have assessed the safety and reactogenicity profile of mRNA booster doses. Therefore, we conducted an online survey with the aim of assessing the adverse reaction profile in the 7 days following a third dose of the BNT162b2 vaccine in a population of resident physicians who had already been investigated after the primary vaccination.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe objective of the study was to describe and analyze the stigma, discrimination and the disclosure of the diagnosis of Multiple Sclerosis (MS) in the workplace. The protocol was registered in PROSPERO (CRD42022320437). We systematically searched four scientific databases with key search terms.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: We aimed to summarise the prevalence of unemployment and early retirement among people with MS and analyze data according to a spatio-temporal perspective.
Methods: We undertook a systematic search of PubMed/MEDLINE, Scopus, SciVerse ScienceDirect, and Web of Science. We included any peer-reviewed original article reporting the prevalence of unemployment and early retirement in the working-age population with MS.
Objectives: To update the knowledge on the occupational outcomes associated with multiple sclerosis (MS), systematically examine the extent, scope and nature of the pre-existing literature and identify research gaps in the existing literature.
Design: Scoping review.
Data Sources: A comprehensive database search of PubMed/MEDLINE, Scopus, SciVerse ScienceDirect and Web of Science was performed.
Background: During the COVID-19 pandemic, working age individuals have been implicated in sustaining the resurgence of SARS-CoV-2 infections, and multiple outbreaks have been observed in several occupational settings. In this regard, Occupational Physicians play a crucial role in the management of infected workers, particularly in the safe return-to-work of subjects after clinical resolution. To this end, knowledge of the duration of the infective phase in the working age population is essential, taking into account previous evidence suggesting that PCR positivity does not coincide with virus viability.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjectives: Healthcare workers (HCWs) are a priority group for seasonal influenza vaccination (SIV). The 2020/21 SIV campaign was conducted during the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic. Vaccines, including SIV, may exert non-specific protective effects on other infectious diseases which may be ascribable to the concept of trained immunity.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: This study aimed to investigate SARS-CoV-2 transmission among co-workers at the University of Genoa, Italy, during the second COVID-19 pandemic wave.
Methods: A cross-sectional study was carried out in October 2020 - March 2021: RT-PCR confirmed cases of COVID-19 notified to the Occupational Health Service were included in the analysis.
Results: Among the n = 201 notified cases, contact tracing of n = 53 individuals identified n = 346 close contacts.
Vaccinations are a key prevention measure in fighting the COVID-19 pandemic. The BNT162b2 mRNA vaccine (BioNTech/Pfizer), the first to receive authorization, was widely used in the mass vaccination campaign in Italy. Healthcare workers were identified as a priority group for vaccination, but few studies have assessed its reactogenicity among the young working age population.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjectives: The aim of the study was to evaluate the clinical presentation and burden of SARS-CoV-2 infections among medical school physicians and residents, mainly young medical doctors. The awareness of COVID‑19 clinical manifestations can improve the early detection of mild cases, possibly reducing further transmission to colleagues and patients.
Material And Methods: The study was carried out in March-May 2020, involving medical school physicians in a teaching hospital in northern Italy, with a working population of 881 medical doctors.
Countries where the incidence of Tuberculosis (TB) is low display a low transmission rate in the general population, and this rate has progressively declined in recent decades; however, TB epidemiology has shown a shift of the disease burden from the general population to specific populations at higher risk, such as vulnerable individuals and hard-to-reach groups. In low-incidence countries, preventive and therapeutic strategies must therefore be geared towards targeted interventions in these populations, with the priority being to promptly identify and treat latent tuberculosis infection (LTBI) rather than manage infectious cases. One of the most complex challenges in this area is to identify population subgroups with increased incidence/prevalence of LTBI/TB.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAim: To develop an instrument to investigate knowledge and predictive factors of needlestick and sharps injuries (NSIs) in nursing students during clinical placements.
Design: Instrument development and cross-sectional study for psychometric testing.
Methods: A self-administered instrument including demographic data, injury epidemiology and predictive factors of NSIs was developed between October 2018-January 2019.
Most studies on workers' health are based on non-specific models of occupational stress, thereby limiting the understanding and research on efficient interventions. This qualitative approach aimed to explore the structure of resources and constraints in the working environment of nurses in a deliberately open approach. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 37 nurses working in closed and open inpatient psychiatric wards in a French university hospital.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFOccupational activities may expose workers to a variety of risks. Exposure to biological agents constitutes a traditional risk in numerous occupational settings. Legislative Decree (D.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: New occupational hazards and risks are emerging in our progressively globalized society, in which ageing, migration, wild urbanization and rapid economic growth have led to unprecedented biological, chemical and physical exposures, linked to novel technologies, products and duty cycles. A focus shift from worker health to worker/citizen and community health is crucial. One of the major revolutions of the last decades is the computerization and digitization of the work process, the so-called "work 4.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIntroduction: Healthcare workers (HCWs) are exposed to various risk factors and risky behaviours that may seriously affect their health and ability to work. The aim of this protocol is to detail the steps to follow in order to carry out a scoping review to assess the prevalence/incidence of injuries among HCWs.
Methods And Analysis: The study will be carried out in accordance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses-Protocols guidelines.
Alcohol consumption is one of the main causes of productivity losses arising from absenteeism, presenteeism, and workplace injuries. Among occupational categories most affected by the use of this substance, truck drivers are subject to risk factors and risky behaviors that can have a serious impact on their health, their work, and the general road safety. The use of alcohol during truck-driving activities is, indeed, an important risk factor for traffic accidents.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Chlorhexidine has been widely used in the occupational field as an effective antiseptic and disinfectant, especially in the health-care services. Several cases of allergic reactions to chlorhexidine have been reported, both in the general population and in workers.
Objectives: To describe a case of occupational chlorhexidine-induced severe anaphylaxis that occurred in the workplace in a health-care worker (HCW) and to update the literature on chlorhexidine as a possible occupational allergen.