International journal of occupational medicine and environmental health
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Int J Occup Med Environ Health · May 2021
Multicenter StudySources of healthcare workers' COVID‑19 infections and related safety guidelines.
To evaluate the effectiveness of safety guidelines in the workplace, the authors analyzed the work-related exposure to SARS-CoV-2 and the source of COVID‑19 infections among healthcare workers (HCWs), together with the use of personal protective equipment (PPE). ⋯ A high infection rate was found among HCWs despite safety guidelines. Based on these findings, the authors recommend the use of FFP2/3 respirators in all patient contacts with confirmed or suspected COVID‑19, along with the use of universal masking, also in personnel rooms. Int J Occup Med Environ Health. 2021;34(2):239-49.
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Int J Occup Med Environ Health · Oct 2020
Multicenter StudyOccupational risks for SARS-CoV-2 infection: the Polish experience.
The disease caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), termed COVID-19, is asymptomatic or mild in most cases. These patients do not need treatment in hospital and can be isolated at home. To date, most studies have been conducted among inpatients with severe COVID-19. In this study, the authors surveyed patients with mild COVID-19 who remained in home isolation, and analyzed the sources and occupational risk factors for SARS-CoV-2 infections. ⋯ Most of the patients with COVID-19 in home isolation in Poland were occupationally active, wherein the majority of people who were aware of the source of SARS-CoV-2 infection worked in healthcare. As most of the infected patients worked in companies with >100 employees, which is not a Polish employment pattern, the authors expect that smaller companies may have a lower risk of SARS-CoV-2 infections. Int J Occup Med Environ Health. 2020;33(6):781-9.
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Int J Occup Med Environ Health · Mar 2013
Multicenter Study Comparative StudyObservance of hand washing procedures performed by the medical personnel before patient contact. Part I.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) as well as the World Health Organization (WHO) recommendations, medical staff are obliged to decontaminate the skin of the hands before every single patient contact. ⋯ The level of observance of hand washing procedures among the medical staff prior to the patient contact appears to be alarmingly below the expectations.
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Int J Occup Med Environ Health · Jan 2009
Multicenter StudyEmergency department visits for migraine and headache: a multi-city study.
We set out to examine associations between ambient air pollution concentrations and emergency department (ED) visits for migraine/headache in a multi-city study. ⋯ Our findings support the associations between air pollutants and the number of ED visits for headache.
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Int J Occup Med Environ Health · Jan 2004
Multicenter StudyProspective epidemiologic study on respiratory diseases in children and immunization against measles.
A hypothesis that vaccination with live attenuated measles virus performed in early childhood may prevent allergic sensitization has been explored in the course of a 3-year follow-up study in Kraków (Poland) among 1005 school children. ⋯ Risk of allergy diagnosed by a physician in vaccinated children after adjustment to potential confounders was about half of that in the reference group (OR = 0.58 95% CI: 0.42-0.80), the same was found for asthma diagnosed by a physician (OR = 0.50 95% CI: 0.24-1.00), and for susceptibility to respiratory infections (OR = 0.51 95% CI: 0.36-0.72). Our data provide indirect evidence that infection with attenuated measles virus is able to alter immunological reactions being responsible for the manifestation of respiratory symptoms and allergy.