Prevention of Hand Eczema among Nurse Apprentice (PREVEDERM): An Interventional Study

Systematic Review of Workplace Interventions to Support Young Workers' Safety, Work Environment and Health

PURPOSE

This systematic review investigates the effectiveness of workplace interventions to support young workers' work environment, safety and health.

METHODS

A systematic search was conducted in bibliographic databases including PubMed, Web of Science Core Collection and PsycInfo for English or Scandinavian articles published from 2007 to 2022. The PICO strategy guided the assessment of study relevance and the bibliographical search for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and non-RCTs in which (1) participants were young workers (mean age: 15-29), (2) interventions were initiated and/or carried out at the workplace, (3) a comparison group was included, and (4) an outcome measure related to work environment, safety and health was reported. We categorized each included study using the intervention classification framework. The quality assessment and evidence synthesis adhered to the guidelines developed by the Institute for Work & Health (Toronto, Canada).

RESULTS

A total of 33 high and medium quality studies showed a moderate level of evidence for no benefit of 'Mental training' on stress. We found limited evidence of a positive effect of the following intervention types: 'Attitude and belief' on mental health problems, 'Behavior based' on anxiety, and 'Multifaceted' on hand eczema. We found limited evidence for no benefit of the following intervention types: 'Mental training' on mental health problems, and 'Physiological modifications' on musculoskeletal disorders. The remaining intervention types showed mixed or insufficient evidence.

CONCLUSIONS

Except for a moderate level of evidence for no benefit of 'Mental training' on stress, the evidence synthesis recommends, that there is not enough evidence from the scientific literature to guide current practices. The results emphasizes a strong need for high quality interventions specifically aiming at increasing or maintaining young workers' work environment, safety and health. Included studies focused mainly on individual measures, highlighting the need for studies investigating possible preventive measures at the group or organizational level.

Occupational Skin Dermatitis among Healthcare Workers Associated with the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Review of the Literature

The skin is the outermost layer of the human body and is continually exposed to numerous external stimuli, which can cause unwanted skin irritation. Occupational skin diseases are the most prevalent form of work-related illness and are found in a variety of sectors, particularly healthcare. During the recent COVID-19 pandemic, healthcare professionals experienced a variety of unexpected, unusual occupational skin diseases associated with COVID-19-engaged employment. Because the clinical characteristics of these types of skin inflammation are unique, this review focuses on the characteristics of a large category of occupational workers, namely COVID-19-engaged healthcare professionals. Furthermore, we examined the potential pathogeneses of occupational skin disorders associated with COVID-19-engaged labor, as well as different preventative methods.

Skin barrier function in nursing apprentices during the COVID-19 pandemic

Background

Studies investigating simultaneous influence of personal and work‐related factors on skin health during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‐19) pandemic are missing.

Objectives

To investigate the associations of skin hazards relevant for nursing apprentices with parameters of skin barrier function.

Methods

A total of 238 nursing apprentices attending the final year of education (median age 19 years) from vocational schools in Zagreb, Croatia, were enrolled in this study. We administered a questionnaire based on the Nordic Occupational Skin Questionnaire to the nursing apprentices, performed clinical examination of skin on the hands, and evaluated transepidermal water loss (TEWL) and stratum corneum (SC) pH on the dorsum of the hand.

Results

Around half of nursing apprentices had compromised hand skin barrier function, as indicated by TEWL values >25 g/m²/h (48%) and SC pH >5.5 (57%). Skin barrier was compromised in around 40% of nursing apprentices without clinically observed skin symptoms. Elevated SC pH was independent of ambient conditions associated with skin symptoms and female sex.

Conclusions

Measurement of SC pH was shown to be less sensitive to field conditions than TEWL, and should be employed more in the field studies. Strengthening of skin health promotion in healthcare workers and apprentices is needed in pandemic conditions.