AI Article Synopsis
- Healthcare workers at a VA Medical Center are at a higher risk for respiratory disorders, with a survey revealing a 17.6% prevalence of current asthma and nearly 50% reporting asthma-like symptoms.
- The study collected data through questionnaires regarding job tasks, products used, and exposure to environmental factors like mold and construction dust between 2012 and 2014.
- Findings indicate a significant link between asthma symptoms and exposure to specific workplace tasks and materials, highlighting the need for more research on how these exposures impact respiratory health over time.*
Article Abstract
Introduction: Healthcare workers are at increased risk for respiratory disorders. The purpose of our respiratory health survey was to estimate the prevalence of current asthma and asthma-like symptoms and their association with workplace exposures and tasks among healthcare workers at a Veterans Administration (VA) Medical Center.
Material And Methods: Information on respiratory health and work characteristics, including tasks performed, products used, and exposures, were collected by questionnaire from a convenience sample of workers employed at the VA Medical Center during 2012-2014. Associations of asthma and asthma-like symptoms with cleaning and disinfecting tasks and products as well as exposure to dampness and molds, and construction dust were evaluated using log-binomial regression.
Results: The prevalence of current asthma was 17.6% and almost half of all workers reported asthma-like symptoms. We observed elevated prevalence of current asthma among the VA healthcare workers compared to the U.S. general and working adult populations. Asthma and asthma-like symptoms were significantly associated with mold, dampness, and construction material exposures; cleaning and disinfecting products; and cleaning or disinfecting tasks.
Conclusions: Workplace exposures and tasks associated with current asthma and asthma-like symptoms were identified but further research is needed to investigate the temporal association between workplace exposures and current asthma and asthma-like symptoms.
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|---|---|
| http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5965269 | PMC |
| http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ijheh.2017.09.001 | DOI Listing |
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