Hand dermatitis, Prevalence and Risk Factors among Healthcare Workers during the COVID-19

Omolbanin  Motamedrezaei; Hamed  Lotfi; Farnaz  Jahani; GholamReza  Sharifzadeh; Hadis  Rajabipour; Fereydoon  Laal

doi:10.18502/aoh.v7i1.14291

Omolbanin Motamedrezaei Social Determinant of Health Research Center, Department of Occupational Health, Birjand University of Medical Sciences, Birjand, Iran
Hamed Lotfi Department of Medical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Birjand University of Medical Sciences, Birjand, Iran
Farnaz Jahani Department of Medical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Birjand University of Medical Sciences, Birjand, Iran
GholamReza Sharifzadeh Social Determinants of Health Research Center, Birjand University of Medical Sciences, Birjand, Iran
Hadis Rajabipour Student Research Committee, Birjand University of Medical Sciences, Birjand, Iran
Fereydoon Laal Social Determinants of Health Research Center, Department of Occupational Health Engineering, Birjand University of Medical Sciences, Birjand, Iran

DOI: https://doi.org/10.18502/aoh.v7i1.14291

Keywords: COVID-19; SARS-CoV-2; Dermatitis; Eczema; Hand; Health Care

Abstract

Background: Healthcare workers (HCWs) need to perform new preventive measures to protect themselves and patients against ongoing COVID-19 transmission, which can increase hand dermatitis (HD) among them. This study aims to investigate the prevalence of HD among HCWs and its possible risk factors in IRAN.

Methods: A survey of 159 HCWS working in university hospitals was performed from August to September 2020 in a cross-sectional study. Research data were collected via standardized self-administered questionnaire. The history of HD was determined via standardized Nordic Occupational Skin Questionnaire (NOSQ-2002).

Results: The prevalence of HD in the study population was 51.6%. A significant association was found between the prevalence of HD among HCWs and sex, age, working hours per week, and wearing gloves (P<0.05). Females had a 3.84 fold higher risk of HD than males (confidence interval (CI): 1.85-8). HCWs older than 40 and those who aged 30-39 had a 9.6 and 1.72 fold higher risk of HD than those aged 20-29 (CI: 2.6-35.7; CI: 0.87-3.4, respectively).

Conclusion: Possible risk factors for developing HD among HCWs are female gender, age, wearing gloves, and fewer working hours per week. Preventive measures for HD are needed for HCWs, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic.