Indian Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine最新文献

{"title":"Effect of N95 Filtering Facepiece Respirator on Venous Blood Carbon Dioxide Levels and Hemodynamic Changes in Health Care Workers.","authors":"Sana Yasmin Hussain,&nbsp;Samiksha Khanuja,&nbsp;Pratibha Panjiar,&nbsp;Dhruv Jain,&nbsp;Kharat Mohammad Batt","doi":"10.4103/ijoem.ijoem_170_22","DOIUrl":"10.4103/ijoem.ijoem_170_22","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>N95 filtering facepiece respirators (FFR) are used by health care workers for prevention of airborne infection, and its use has increased manifolds during COVID-19 pandemic. Prolonged use may result in carbon dioxide (CO₂) accumulation, affect hemodynamics, and blood gas values. Although arterial blood gas values accurately measure the blood CO₂ levels, venous blood gas values also show acceptable correlation.</p><p><strong>Aim: </strong>To evaluate the physiological impact of N95 FFRs on health care workers, including hemodynamic changes and venous blood levels of CO₂ during a period of 6 h.</p><p><strong>Settings and design: </strong>Prospective observational study in a tertiary care hospital.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>The study was conducted on 30 health care workers who performed routine duties while wearing N95 FFR. Venous blood gas values (CO₂, pH, and bicarbonate) and vitals (respiratory rate, heart rate, blood pressure, and saturation) were noted at baseline, 2 (T2), and 6 h (T6) after wearing the mask. Discomfort level was also measured on a Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) of 1-10.</p><p><strong>Statistical analysis: </strong>Repeated measures analysis was done using repeated measures ANOVA or Friedman's test. Group comparisons for continuously distributed data were made using independent sample \"<i>t</i>\" test or Wilcoxon test.</p><p><strong>Results and conclusion: </strong>Hemodynamic and blood gas values did not change over time. The VAS for discomfort because of respirator use was 1.33 (1.42) at T2 and 2.77 (1.91) at T6. This was a significant increase in discomfort over time (<i>P</i> = 0.001). About 80% of participants experienced discomfort during this period. N95 FFR did not lead to significant alteration in hemodynamics or change in blood gas values after 6 h of continuous usage. However, discomfort significantly increased over time.</p>","PeriodicalId":43585,"journal":{"name":"Indian Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine","volume":"27 1","pages":"38-41"},"PeriodicalIF":0.9,"publicationDate":"2023-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10257234/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"9975351","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Fitness to Work Assessment for Oil Palm Fruits Harvest Workers Diagnosed with Color Blindness using Color Blind Test Media Based on the Color of Oil Palm Fruit.","authors":"Prayogi Kramy, Sudjoko Kuswadji","doi":"10.4103/ijoem.ijoem_147_22","DOIUrl":"10.4103/ijoem.ijoem_147_22","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Color blindness or color vision deficiency (CVD) is a disease that makes recognizing colors difficult or impossible. A person with color blindness may find it challenging to obtain employment, particularly in positions that need the ability to distinguish or see colors accurately. As the world's largest producer of palm oil, Indonesia employs a vast number of people in this industry. To discern between ripe and unripe oil palm fruit, harvesting jobs for oil palms is one of the occupations that require excellent color recognition skills. In the lack of a practical test method to determine the eligibility of a color blind oil palm fruit harvester, a simple yet effective test that can be modified for each enterprise is required.</p>","PeriodicalId":43585,"journal":{"name":"Indian Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine","volume":"27 1","pages":"84-88"},"PeriodicalIF":0.8,"publicationDate":"2023-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10257242/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"9620720","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Estimation of the prevalence of occupational exposure to biological fluids among anesthesiologists: A survey study","authors":"Sonali Opneja, Roopesh Sureshan, C Jashma, P Joona, D Namratha, RohiniV Pai, Deependra Kambli, M Riyas","doi":"10.4103/ijoem.ijoem_339_22","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.4103/ijoem.ijoem_339_22","url":null,"abstract":"Background and Aims: Percutaneous injuries caused by sharps and exposure to biological fluids are a serious concern for anesthesiologists and pose a significant risk of transmission of blood-borne pathogens. Materials and Methods: The aim of this study was to estimate the prevalence of exposure to biological fluids among anesthesiologists. A questionnaire designed initially was validated after it was sent to 10 anesthesiologists with more than 5 years’ experience. The validated questionnaire was then administered using Google Forms and the link was circulated electronically (e-mail, WhatsApp, and Telegram). This self-administered questionnaire was completed by 100 anesthesiologists. The various types and methods of body fluid years of exposure were also identified. Results: The prevalence of occupational exposure to body fluids was 100%. Exposure to either blood or cerebrospinal fluids by sharps was seen in 82%. Majority of the pricks were encountered during recapping of used needles followed by pricks during intravenous cannulation. Body fluid exposure onto the bare skin most frequently encountered was blood, mostly obtained during intravenous cannulation. There were 8% patients who had exposure to human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and hepatitis B or C patients for which they had taken postexposure prophylaxis. Conclusion: Prevalence of exposure to biological fluids among anesthesiologists is alarmingly high. This poses a high risk for transmission of diseases. The use of protective gears and changing our casual attitude can prevent majority of the exposures. The practice of recapping of used needles should be stopped.","PeriodicalId":43585,"journal":{"name":"Indian Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine","volume":"97 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"136008060","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Assessment of Cytogenetic Damage in Flexographic Workers: Micronucleus Assay in Exfoliated Buccal Epithelial Cells.","authors":"Parvatareddy Naveen Kumar,&nbsp;Bernard A Reginald,&nbsp;Basireddy Siva Reddy,&nbsp;Meda Samatha","doi":"10.4103/ijoem.ijoem_106_22","DOIUrl":"10.4103/ijoem.ijoem_106_22","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background and objective: </strong>Literature review revealed that chemicals used in the printing industry show an association between genotoxicity and occupational exposure. Flexography is one type of printing technique recently becoming popular because of its fast, cost-efficient, and high-quality label printing. The micronucleus (MN) is considered to be a reliable marker for genotoxic damage, and it has a close association with cancer incidences by determining the presence and the extent of the chromosomal damage. Because there are no studies on flexographic workers (FWs), this study was intended to analyze and evaluate the effect of occupational exposure on the MN frequency of buccal epithelial cells.</p><p><strong>Materials and methods: </strong>The study comprised 100 FWs and 100 age-matched healthy controls with and without smoking habits. Buccal epithelial cells were collected from all subjects by using a cytobrush, followed by staining with Feulgen fast green. The MN frequency was recorded for each individual using the Tolbert <i>et al</i>. criteria. Data was statistically analyzed by using one-way analysis of variance and the posthoc test.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>FWs with smoking habits showed a significant increase in MN frequency (1.86 ± 1.77) than workers without the habit (1.02 ± 1.08) and controls (with the habit 1.26 ± 1.33 and without the habit 0.62 ± 0.92). However, there was no significant increase of MN in FWs without the habit when compared with controls.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>This study observed the cytogenetic damage in FWs and concludes that these workers are at greater risk for genotoxicity, and the MN assay can serve as a useful biomarker.</p>","PeriodicalId":43585,"journal":{"name":"Indian Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine","volume":"27 1","pages":"17-20"},"PeriodicalIF":0.9,"publicationDate":"2023-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10257237/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"9975349","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Prevention of gender-based violence and harassment at workplace in India","authors":"NancyAngeline Gnanaselvam, Bobby Joseph","doi":"10.4103/ijoem.ijoem_234_23","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.4103/ijoem.ijoem_234_23","url":null,"abstract":"Goal 5 of the Sustainable Development Goals aims to achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls. Targets 5.1 and 5.2 of goal 5 aim to end all forms of discrimination against all women and girls everywhere and eliminate all forms of violence against all women and girls in the public and private spheres, including trafficking and sexual and other types of exploitation. These spheres include the workplace as well.[1] All persons in India are equal before the law, and the state does not discriminate against any citizen on the grounds of sex and provides liberty for all as per Articles 14, 15, and 21 of the constitution of India.[2] It is important to understand that the state does not discriminate against individuals based on the social construct of gender or biological sex. India ratifies the United Nations Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) and adopts measures to achieve full equality between men and women.[3] Over recent years, many measures have been undertaken by different ministries and sectors to achieve gender equality. However, the country ranks 122 in the Global Gender Inequality Index and 135 in the Global Gender Gap Index.[4] Female empowerment and economic participation are crucial to achieve a better rank in these composite indices. The public health issue of gender-based violence (GBV) is deeply rooted in gender inequality. GBV can occur to any individual because of their gender. This includes women, men, and lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and intersex (LGBTQI+) individuals. Women suffer disproportionately from the GBV. Violence against women is any act of violence based on gender that results in, or is likely to result in, physical, sexual, or mental harm or suffering to women. These acts could include threats of acts, coercion, or arbitrary deprivation of liberty in public or private life.[5] Domestic violence occurring in families or between intimate partners can be physical, psychological, emotional, economic, or sexual. Sexual harassment is a type of violence against women under the sexual violence category. When it occurs at the workplace, it is called workplace sexual harassment (WSH). When it occurs in public places, it is called street harassment. As per the International Labour Organization, WSH contains the following important elements – Quid pro quo: Any physical, verbal, or nonverbal conduct of a sexual nature and other conduct based on sex affecting the dignity of women and men, which is unwelcome, unreasonable and offensive to the recipient, and a person’s rejection of, or submission to, such conduct is used explicitly or implicitly as a basis for a decision which affects the person’s job and Hostile working environment: Conduct that creates an intimidating, hostile or humiliating working environment for the recipient.[6] Women’s labor participation is increasing at the cost of double the burden of paid work at the workplace and unpaid domestic chor","PeriodicalId":43585,"journal":{"name":"Indian Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine","volume":"15 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"136005832","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Auditory deficits in employees of business process outsourcing (BPO): Need to take preventative action","authors":"Banumathy Nagamani, Himanshu Verma, Neha Chhabra, Roshani Mishra","doi":"10.4103/ijoem.ijoem_149_22","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.4103/ijoem.ijoem_149_22","url":null,"abstract":"The present study aimed to explore auditory deficits in full-time call center workers. A total of sixty participants participated, which was divided into two groups, viz. experimental group and control group. The complete audiological test battery was performed. On comparing the groups, significant differences were obtained for both ears while analyzing the TEOAEs, PTA1, and PTA2 (high-frequency audiometry). From the results, it can be delineated that BPO employees are at risk for sensorineural hearing loss following continuous noise exposure. We conclude that this type of hearing loss may be considered an iceberg, and to overcome all the issues related to noise exposure, all BPO employees should undergo periodic audiological, psychological, and health screening.","PeriodicalId":43585,"journal":{"name":"Indian Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine","volume":"75 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"136008222","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Return to work following motor vehicle accident: A case report","authors":"BalachandarS Sayapathi, Sirajudeen Rowther","doi":"10.4103/ijoem.ijoem_314_22","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.4103/ijoem.ijoem_314_22","url":null,"abstract":"According to the American Industrial Hygiene Association (AIHA), tests of functional capacity evaluation (FCE) have an insignificant relationship with the actual tasks performed and the on-job assessment is required. Commuting accidents have been an increasing trend. A 34-year-old gentleman was referred following severe traumatic brain injury with cerebral edema and multiple fractures. He was evaluated with the Chessington Occupational Therapy Neurological Assessment Battery (COTNAB) where his visual perception performance has improved. The performance of visual and spoken instructions is within normal limits. He has improved on the upper extremity functional scale measure activities with an affected limb from 60 to 68 and also improved on the lower extremity functional scale from 43 to 51. He managed to cover a distance of 2 km in 42 minutes after a short break and accomplished to climb 200 steps after a mini-break through maximum capacity evaluation. The patient is fit as a clerk after going through various sessions to improve the cognition and function of extremities. FCE is precisely measured behavioral tests and should be inferred from the patient’s personal and environmental setting.","PeriodicalId":43585,"journal":{"name":"Indian Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine","volume":"2019 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"136005548","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Professional Stress and Burnout Syndrome During the Covid Pandemic in the Medical Field.","authors":"Kiril S Slaveykov,&nbsp;Valentin K Stoyanov,&nbsp;Kalina Z Trifonova","doi":"10.4103/ijoem.ijoem_221_22","DOIUrl":"10.4103/ijoem.ijoem_221_22","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Context: </strong>The contemporary workplace creates a challenge toward physicians and their teams. They are forced into a situation, in which to be competitive they must have skills outside of their medical specialty, such as health management, pedagogy, and information and communication technologies.</p><p><strong>Aim: </strong>To analyze the level of stress and burnout among the medical employees in the hospital care.</p><p><strong>Settings and design: </strong>Healthcare professionals from three private, municipal, and regional hospitals filled a questionnaire in the time period January-March 2021.</p><p><strong>Methods and material: </strong>An adapted Maslach Burnout Inventory 55 question questionnaire was used and analyzed.</p><p><strong>Statistical analysis used: </strong>One-way ANOVA, correlation, and multiple regression analysis in SPSS.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>We identified high levels of emotional exhaustion (>62% report high signs or above), high levels of depersonalization (>70% report signs of depersonalization), and low levels of personal accomplishment (<39% have below average sense of achievements).</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Despite the physicians and their teams reporting high levels of workload and stress, the satisfaction from work has not diminished and the evaluation for the quality of provided work is still high. Additional research into the topic is required with focus on comparison between hospital physicians and primary care physicians.</p>","PeriodicalId":43585,"journal":{"name":"Indian Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine","volume":"27 1","pages":"59-66"},"PeriodicalIF":0.9,"publicationDate":"2023-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10257248/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"9975347","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Excessive Daytime Sleepiness as a Risk Factor for Obstructive Sleep Apnoea among Public Transport Drivers: A Cross-Sectional Study.","authors":"C L Asha,&nbsp;N K Sapna Varma,&nbsp;Rahul D Prabha,&nbsp;V V Ajith","doi":"10.4103/ijoem.ijoem_501_20","DOIUrl":"10.4103/ijoem.ijoem_501_20","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Context: </strong>Excessive daytime sleepiness (EDS) due to obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) is reported to be a major contributor to many road traffic accidents. Lack of awareness and diagnosis of OSA among public transport workers remains a threat to the society.</p><p><strong>Aims: </strong>The primary aim of this study was to assess the risk of OSA among transport drivers of south Kerala using modified Berlin questionnaire. The secondary objective included craniofacial assessment of the high-risk patients identified through the questionnaire using lateral cephalogram.</p><p><strong>Settings and design: </strong>A cross-sectional study was conducted among 180 transport drivers of south Kerala.</p><p><strong>Methods and material: </strong>Modified Berlin questionnaire and limited physical examination [body mass index (kg/m²), neck circumference (cm), waist circumference (cm), hip circumference and waist to hip ratio, blood pressure (mm Hg)] were recorded. The screened subjects were categorized as high-risk snorers and low-risk snorers based on modified Berlin questionnaire. Craniofacial morphological variations of high-risk group were assessed by lateral cephalograms.</p><p><strong>Statistical analysis used: </strong>The descriptive statistics were represented as mean and standard deviation and percentage. Inter-group comparison was performed with independent sample <i>t</i> test.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>The study demonstrated 64.4% of subjects were non-snorers and 35.6% were snorers. Furthermore, among the snorers, 46.9% were identified as high-risk snorers, whereas the remaining 53.1% represented low-risk snorers.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>The study revealed the concealed risk of OSA among transport drivers could be screened through the questionnaires and demographics assessment. The application of the proposed screening protocol would triage and enhance safety of OSA affected transport drivers.</p>","PeriodicalId":43585,"journal":{"name":"Indian Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine","volume":"27 1","pages":"21-25"},"PeriodicalIF":0.9,"publicationDate":"2023-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10257232/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"9975353","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Depressive disorders and associated factors among farmers in Andhra Pradesh: Results from a cross-sectional study","authors":"PrakashBabu Kodali, SparjanRaj Ubbla, KavumpurathuRaman Thankappan","doi":"10.4103/ijoem.ijoem_33_23","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.4103/ijoem.ijoem_33_23","url":null,"abstract":"Background: In the two decades from 1995 to 2018, approximately 48 farmers committed suicide every day, accounting for over 0.4 million deaths. Despite farmer’s mental health being a priority, studies on farmers’ mental health in general and depressive disorders in particular are limited. Aim: This study was conducted to find out the prevalence and factors associated with depressive disorders among farmers in Andhra Pradesh. Materials and Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional survey among a random sample of 360 farmers. Depressive disorders were measured using the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ)-9. Mild-to-moderate depressive disorders were the outcome variable. Factors associated with depressive disorders were identified using binary logistic regression. Results: The overall prevalence of depressive disorders was 22.2% (95% CI = 18.0%–26.9%). Female farmers (AOR = 4.16; 95% CI = 1.19–14.57), farmers aged ≥57 years (AOR = 4.90; 95% CI = 1.44–16.63), and single farmers (AOR = 4.96; 95% CI = 2.08–11.80) have greater odds of having depressive disorders. Conclusion: Efforts are required to address depressive disorders among farmers focusing on females, older farmers, and households reporting hospitalization. Since depressive disorders are closely associated with suicide attempts, these efforts are essential to avoid suicides resulting from depressive disorders.","PeriodicalId":43585,"journal":{"name":"Indian Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine","volume":"1 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"136005820","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}