This review aimed at examining the prevalence of musculoskeletal diseases and pain among dental professionals in Western countries. Furthermore, possible occupational risk factors were analyzed.
The ...literature search was conducted from June to July 2016, with an update in December 2017 using the databases MEDLINE, CINAHL, LIVIVO, Science Direct, PubMed, and Web of Science. The quality assessment was performed with a standardized instrument consisting of 10 items. A meta-analysis was carried out to compute pooled prevalence rates for musculoskeletal diseases and pain.
A total of 41 studies were included in this review; 30 studies met the criteria for the meta-analysis. Prevalence rates of musculoskeletal diseases and pain among dental professionals ranged from 10.8% to 97.9%. The neck was the body region affected most often (58.5%, 95% CI = 46.0-71.0) followed by the lower back (56.4%, 95% CI = 46.1-66.8), the shoulder (43.1%, 95% CI = 30.7-55.5) and the upper back (41.1%, 95% CI = 32.3-49.9). Potential occupational risk factors included an awkward working posture, high number of treated patients, administrative work, vibration, and repetition.
Musculoskeletal diseases and pain are a significant health burden for dental professionals. This study showed high prevalence rates for several body regions. Therefore, suitable interventions for preventing musculoskeletal diseases and pain among dental professionals are needed.
The aim of this review was to record systematically and assess the published literature relating to the occupational risk of influenza A (H1N1) infection among healthcare personnel during the 2009 ...pandemic.
The literature search was performed in June 2015. An update was carried out in May 2016. It was applied to the electronic databases EMBASE, MEDLINE, PsycINFO, PubMed, CINAHL and Google Scholar. The quality assessment was conducted with a tool using eight criteria. A meta-analysis was carried out to compute pooled effect estimates for influenza A (H1N1) infection.
A total of 26 studies were included in the review, 15 studies met the criteria for the meta-analysis. After a sensitivity analysis the pooled analysis showed a significantly increased odds for influenza A (H1N1) infection for healthcare personnel compared to controls/comparisons (OR = 2.08, 95% CI = 1.73 to 2.51). The pooled prevalence rate for healthcare personnel alone was 6.3%.
This review corroborates the assumption that healthcare personnel were particularly at risk of influenza A (H1N1) infection during the 2009 pandemic. Healthcare facilities should intensify their focus on strategies to prevent infections among healthcare personnel, especially during the first period of pandemics.
The widespread paradigm that younger children usually do not transmit
complex (Mtbc) to their contacts has not yet been proven by genotypically confirmed transmissions. Therefore, we undertook a ...systematic review of molecular-epidemiological studies to investigate documented source and secondary TB (tuberculosis) cases among children. We searched the literature published before August 2022 using
,
, and
databases. PRISMA statement was used for systematic review. Of 312 records retrieved, 39 studies including children aged below 15 years offered epidemiological links between cluster members. In the 39 studies from 16 countries, 225 children were reported as cluster members of whom the overwhelming majority were infected by adults. Only 3 children-of those were 2 children aged below 10-were reported to be the definite source cases of 11 other children and 1 adult with genotypically matched Mtbc isolates. To date, molecular-epidemiological studies involving children with verified transmission links are scarce. As far as the heterogeneity of the studies we identified allows, we could conclude that the results confirm the paradigm that children aged below 10 hardly ever transmit Mtbc to others. The true extent of TB transmission through children may, however, be underestimated by those selected studies.
A recent review estimated prevalence of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) in healthcare workers (HCWs) to be 4.6%. However, MRSA carriage in HCWs in non-outbreak settings is thought ...to be higher than in an outbreak situation, due to increased hygiene awareness in outbreaks, but valid data are missing. The goals of this paper are to summarise the prevalence of MRSA carriage amongst HCWs in non-outbreak situations and to identify occupational groups in healthcare services associated with a higher risk of MRSA colonisation.
A systematic search for literature was conducted in the MEDLINE and EMBASE databases. The methodological quality of the studies was assessed using seven criteria. Pooled prevalence rates were calculated. Pooled effect estimates were identified in a meta-analysis.
31 studies were included in this review. The pooled MRSA colonisation rate was 1.8% (95% confidence interval CI, 1.34%-2.50%). The rate increased to 4.4% (95% CI, 3.98%-4.88%) when one study from the Netherlands was excluded. The pooled MRSA rate was highest in nursing staff (6.9%). Nursing staff had an odds ratio of 1.72 (95% CI, 1.07-2.77) when compared with medical staff and an odds ratio of 2.58 (95%, 1.83-3.66) when compared with other healthcare staff. Seven studies were assessed as being of high quality. The pooled MRSA prevalence in high quality studies was 1.1% or 5.4% if the one large study from the Netherlands is not considered. The pooled prevalence in studies of moderate quality was 4.0%.
MRSA prevalence among HCWs in non-outbreak settings was no higher than carriage rates estimated for outbreaks. Our estimate is in the lower half of the range of the published MRSA rates in the endemic setting. Our findings demonstrate that nursing staff have an increased risk for MRSA colonisation. In order to confirm this finding, more studies are needed, including healthcare professionals with varying degrees of exposure to MRSA. In order to reduce misclassification bias, standardisation of HCWs screening is warranted.
The objective of this study was to estimate the burden of disease in incident patients with non-tuberculous mycobacterial pulmonary disease (NTM-PD).A sample of 7 073 357 anonymised persons covered ...by German public statutory health insurances was used to identify patients with NTM-PD. In total, 125 patients with newly diagnosed NTM-PD in 2010 and 2011 were matched with 1250 control patients by age, sex and Charlson Comorbidity Index, and followed for 39 months.The incidence rate for NTM-PD was 2.6 per 100 000 insured persons (95% CI 2.2-3.1). The mortality rate for patients with NTM-PD and the control group in the observational period was 22.4% and 6%, respectively (p<0.001). Mean direct expenditure per NTM-PD patient was €39 559.60 (95% CI 26 916.49-52 202.71), nearly 4-fold (3.95, 95% CI 3.73-4.19) that for a matched control (€10 006.71, 95% CI 8907.24-11 106.17). Hospitalisations were three times higher in the NTM-PD group and accounted for 63% of the total costs. Attributable annual direct costs and indirect work-loss costs in NTM-PD patients were €9093.20 and €1221.05 per control patient, respectively. Only 74% of NTM-PD patients received antibiotics and nearly 12% were prescribed macrolide monotherapy.Although NTM-PD is considered rare, the attributable mortality and financial burden in Germany are high. Efforts to heighten awareness of appropriate therapy are urgently needed.
Workload in the nursing profession is high, which is associated with poor health. Thus, it is important to get a proper understanding of the working situation and to analyse factors which might be ...able to mitigate the negative effects of such a high workload. In Germany, many people with serious or life-threatening illnesses are treated in non-specialized palliative care settings such as nursing homes, hospitals and outpatient care. The purpose of the present study was to investigate the buffering role of resources on the relationship between workload and burnout among nurses. A nationwide cross-sectional survey was applied. The questionnaire included parts of the Copenhagen Psychosocial Questionnaire (COPSOQ) (scale 'quantitative demands' measuring workload, scale 'burnout', various scales to resources), the resilience questionnaire RS-13 and single self-developed questions. Bivariate and moderator analyses were performed. Palliative care aspects, such as the 'extent of palliative care', were incorporated to the analyses as covariates. 497 nurses participated. Nurses who reported 'workplace commitment', a 'good working team' and 'recognition from supervisor' conveyed a weaker association between 'quantitative demands' and 'burnout' than those who did not. On average, nurses spend 20% of their working time with palliative care. Spending more time than this was associated with 'burnout'. The results of our study imply a buffering role of different resources on burnout. Additionally, the study reveals that the 'extent of palliative care' may have an impact on nurse burnout, and should be considered in future studies.
Staff providing inpatient elderly and geriatric long-term care are exposed to a large number of factors that can lead to the development of burnout syndrome. Burnout is associated with an increased ...risk of absence from work, low work satisfaction, and an increased intention to leave. Due to the fact that the number of geriatric nursing staff is already insufficient, research on interventions aimed at reducing work-related stress in inpatient elderly care is needed.
The aim of this systematic review was to identify and analyse burnout intervention studies among nursing staff in the inpatient elderly and geriatric long-term care sector.
A systematic search of burnout intervention studies was conducted in the databases Embase, Medline and PsycNet published from 2000 to January 2012.
We identified 16 intervention studies. Interventions were grouped into work-directed (n=2), person-directed (n=9) and combined approaches (work- and person-directed, n=5). Seven out of 16 studies observed a reduction in staff burnout. Among them are two studies with a work-directed, two with a person-directed and three with a combined approach. Person-directed interventions reduced burnout in the short term (up to 1 month), while work-directed interventions and those with a combined approach were able to reduce burnout over a longer term (from 1 month to more than 1 year). In addition to staff burnout, three studies observed positive effects relating to the client outcomes. Only three out of ten Randomised Control Trials (RCT) found that interventions had a positive effect on staff burnout.
Work-directed and combined interventions are able to achieve beneficial longer-term effects on staff burnout. Person-directed interventions achieve short-term results in reducing staff burnout. However, the evidence is limited.
Occupational risks for carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) have been examined in various occupations, and several systematic reviews (SRs) have been published on this topic. There has been no critical ...appraisal or synthesis of the evidence in the SRs. The aims of this study are (1) to synthesise the observational evidence and evaluate the methodological quality of SRs that assess the effect of biomechanical risk factors on the development of CTS in workers, (2) to provide an update of current primary research on this association, (3) to assess a potential dose-response relationship.
We searched MEDLINE, EMBASE, CINAHL, the Cochrane Library and the reference lists of articles. The first step covered SRs (1998-2014), and the second step covered current primary studies (2011-2014). The methodological quality of the SRs was evaluated by using the AMSTAR-R tool; primary studies were assessed using a list of 20 items. A qualitative approach was used for synthesising evidence. In addition, we undertook a meta-analysis of the primary studies to determine risk ratios in the dose-response relationship.
We identified ten SRs that covered a total of 143 original studies. Seven primary studies met the criteria for inclusion, of which four provided longitudinal data. We found high quality of evidence for risk factors such as repetition, force and combined exposures. Moderate quality of evidence was observed for vibration, and low quality of evidence was found for wrist postures. An association between computer use and CTS could not be established. Recent primary studies supported the existence of a significant relationship between CTS and repetition, force and combined exposure. The meta-analysis of current research revealed a dose-response relationship between CTS and the American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists' (ACGIH) threshold limit value (TLV) for hand-activity level (HAL). Those between the action limit and TLV and above TLV had RR of 1.5 (95% CI 1.02-2.31) and RR 2.0 (95% CI 1.46-2.82), respectively.
Occupational biomechanical factors play a substantial role in the causation of CTS. Data from current primary studies on dose-response suggest that the risk of CTS increases with the ACGIH TLV levels.
German child care workers' job satisfaction is influenced by the consequences of unfavourable underlying conditions. Child care workers tend to suffer from psychosocial stress, as they feel that ...their work is undervalued. The objective of the present study is to investigate how the psychosocial factors of the effort-reward imbalance (ERI) model influence musculoskeletal symptoms (MS) and the risk of burnout. To our knowledge this is the first study investigating the association between the factors of the ERI model and MS in child care workers.
Data from 199 child care workers were examined in a cross-sectional study. Psychosocial factors were recorded with the ERI questionnaire. MS was recorded with the Nordic Questionnaire and risk of burnout with the Personal Burnout scale of the Copenhagen Burnout Inventory. Multivariate analysis was performed using linear and logistic regression models. The response rate was 57%. In most of the sample (65%), an effort-reward imbalance was observed. 56% of the child care workers were at risk of burnout and 58% reported MS. Factors associated with risk of burnout were subjective noise exposure (OR: 4.4, 95%CI: 1.55-12.29) and overcommitment (OR: 3.4; 95%CI: 1.46-7.75). There were statistically significant associations between MS and overcommitment (low back pain-OR: 2.2, 95%CI: 1.04-4.51), low control (overall MS OR: 3.8; 95%CI: 1.68-3.37) and risk of burnout (overall MS OR: 2.3, 95%CI: 1.01-5.28). For ERI no statistically significant associations were found with reference to risk of burnout or MS.
Overcommitment in child care workers is related to MS and risk of burnout. There is also evidence that low control is associated with MS and subjective noise exposure with risk of burnout. Effort-reward imbalance is not related to either outcome. This occupational health risk assessment identifies changeable working factors in different types of facilities.
Mask induced airway resistance and carbon dioxide rebreathing is discussed to impact gas exchange and to induce discomfort and impairments in cognitive performance. N = 23 healthy humans (13 females, ...10 males; 23.5 ± 2.1 years) participated in this randomized crossover trial (3 arms, 48-h washout periods). During interventions participants wore either a surgical face mask (SM), a filtering face piece (FFP2) or no mask (NM). Interventions included a 20-min siting period and 20 min steady state cycling on an ergometer at 77% of the maximal heart rate (HR). Hemodynamic data (HR, blood pressure), metabolic outcomes (pulse derived oxygen saturation, capillary carbon dioxide (pCO
), and oxygen partial pressure (pO
), lactate, pH, base excess), subjective response (ability to concentrate, arousal, perceived exertion) and cognitive performance (Stroop Test) were assessed. Compared to NM, both masks increased pCO
(NM 31.9 ± 3.3 mmHg, SM = 35.2 ± 4.0 mmHg, FFP2 = 34.5 ± 3.8 mmHg, F = 12.670, p < 0.001) and decreased pH (NM = 7.42 ± 0.03, SM = 7.39 ± 0.03, FFP2 = 7.39 ± 0.04, F = 11.4, p < 0.001) during exercise. The FFP2 increased blood pressure during exercise (NM = 158 ± 15 mmHg, SM = 159 ± 16 mmHg, FFP2 = 162 ± 17 mmHg, F = 3.21, p = 0.050), the SM increased HR during sitting (NM = 70 ± 8 bpm, SM = 74 ± 8 bpm, FFP2 = 73 ± 8 bpm, F = 4.70, p = 0.014). No mask showed any comparative effect on other hemodynamic, metabolic, subjective, or cognitive outcomes. Mask wearing leads to slightly increased cardiovascular stress and elevated carbon dioxide levels during exercise but did not affect cognitive performance or wellbeing.
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