Screening for hand dermatitis in healthcare workers: Comparing workplace screening with dermatologist photo screening

Background

Healthcare workers are at an increased risk for occupational contact dermatitis due to wet work exposure. Early detection and management improves outcomes. While several diagnostic tools are available, none are appropriate for rapid screening.

Objectives

To assess the validity and feasibility of the Hand Dermatitis Screening Tool in the acute healthcare sector.

Methods

Screening of 508 employees at three hospitals in Ontario, Canada was done using the Hand Dermatitis Screening Tool either by an occupational health nurse (OHN, N=225) or by self‐administration (N=283). Two occupational dermatologists rated photos of participants' hands.

Results

30.5% of participants screened positive for hand dermatitis. A positive screen was associated with wet work, history of eczema, dermatitis, or other rash, and presently having a rash. Ninety‐four per cent of participants reported that using the tool took < 2 minutes, 99% indicated the tool was easy to use and 86% reported workplace screening to be very important. Workplace and dermatologist photo screening showed fair agreement.

Conclusions

The prevalence of hand dermatitis and identified risk factors were consistent with the literature. These findings, along with positive feasibility results, support further testing of the tool despite only fair agreement between workplace and dermatologist screening.

This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

from #Head and Neck by Sfakianakis via simeraentaxei on Inoreader http://bit.ly/2CMYw5y