Journal of Occupational Medicine and Toxicology最新文献

{"title":"Evaporative microclimate interval cooling reduces heat stress in thermal insulating protective clothing.","authors":"Karl Jochen Glitz, Stefan Freitag, Uwe Seibel, Ulrich Rohde, Alexander Witzki, Claus Piekarski, Manuela Andrea Hoffmann","doi":"10.1186/s12995-025-00473-6","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s12995-025-00473-6","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Water vapour resistance of thermal insulating protective clothing impedes sweat evaporation, the most substantial pathway of heat dissipation for working humans. Consequently, metabolic heat can increase body core temperature rapidly, which can result in life-threatening heat illnesses. The evaporative microclimate cooling method Dry Air Comfort (DAC) has been shown to be very effective for reducing the risk of heat induced illnesses. Aim of this study was to determine whether DAC can also prevent heat stress when used in intervals.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Using a balanced within-subject design twelve men in protective overalls were randomly assigned (max. 205 min, 25 °C, 50% relative humidity/RH, 0.2 m/s wind speed) to a work-rest schedule (5 × 20 min work respectively rest each; work: treadmill, 3 km/h, 5% incline; handling of loads) without cooling and with insufflating conditioned air (30 °C, < 3% RH, 600 l/min) into an air-diffusing undergarment during rest periods (interval cooling).</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>With interval cooling, all participants tolerated the whole exposure time never exceeding a mean core temperature of 38.0 °C. In contrast, without cooling eight subjects had to terminate work because of high core temperatures (39 °C, n = 5), subjective exhaustion or reaching 90% of the maximum individual heart rate (HR; n = 3). All parameters indicated lower heat stress and distinctive heat dissipation with interval cooling: e.g., HR between both conditions differed significantly (p ≤ 0.05; p ≤ 0.01), as were the skin temperatures (p ≤ 0.001). HR decline was more pronounced during rest periods during interval cooling, indicating significant recovery: e.g., 105.1 ± 17.0 b/min vs. 149.7 ± 15.5 b/min (rest 4, 165. min vs. work 4, 145. min, n = 12). Without cooling HR showed only minor recovery: e.g., 138.4 ± 15.0 b/min vs. 158.7 ± 12.3 b/min (rest 4, 165. min vs. work 4, 145. min, n = 8) and exceeded the level of HR in rest periods of interval cooling.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Interval heat evaporation during rests periods with the microclimate cooling method DAC was shown to be effective in preventing body heat accumulation during alternating work-rest cycles. The method can improve occupational health and safety of men working in thermal protective clothing.</p>","PeriodicalId":48903,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Occupational Medicine and Toxicology","volume":"20 1","pages":"34"},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2025-10-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12516834/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145287356","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Referral criteria for occupational musculo-skeletal diseases: analysis of 7-year (2012-2018) NODIS data.","authors":"Ping Hui Chen, Po-Ching Chu, Ching-Chun Huang, Chi-Hsien Chen, Yue Leon Guo, Ta-Chen Su, Pau-Chung Chen","doi":"10.1186/s12995-025-00481-6","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s12995-025-00481-6","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>OBJECTIVES: Diagnosing occupational diseases (ODs) needs both primary care clinicians and occupational physicians to make clinical diagnoses and evaluate work-relatedness. Thus, a precise and efficient referral mechanism between them could be crucial for the diagnosis of ODs. ICD codes have once been used as referral criteria, yet novel ODs with multiple etiologies, like musculoskeletal diseases (MSDs), make ICD codes poor referral criteria with low positive predictive values. Thus, the aim of our cross-sectional study is identifying criteria that are associated with work-relatedness and may have better positive predictive values to the existing ICD codes. METHODS: Using data from Network of Occupational Diseases and Injuries Service (NODIS), Taiwan’s ODs surveillance system, during 2012 to 2018, we calculate the odds of cases being recognized as probable according to different demographic factors. A binomial regression model is further used to identify predictors of work-relatedness, and subgroup analysis is then carried out for each MSDs diagnosis. RESULTS: 4651 reported cases of occupational MSDs are included in our study, and 2901 (62.37%) cases are probable cases. Using our binomial regression model, characteristics including tenure, gender, sick leaves, industries and job titles are the predictors of work-relatedness of MSDs, and each MSD is associated with a unique set of predictors, which reflects its occupational etiologies and how occupational physicians evaluate work-relatedness. CONCLUSIONS: Using this method, we could not only identify high-risk characteristics and its diagnostic odd ratio (DOR) for each MSD, but also combine different characteristics into a set of referral criteria and calculate the odds of cases being recognized as probable, which could improve referral mechanisms between occupational medicine and other specialties. </p>","PeriodicalId":48903,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Occupational Medicine and Toxicology","volume":"20 1","pages":"33"},"PeriodicalIF":3.2,"publicationDate":"2025-10-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12506402/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145253315","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Prevention and intervention against obesity and overweight in the military: a systematic review.","authors":"Lorenz Scheit, Lisa Baustert, Jan Schröder","doi":"10.1186/s12995-025-00480-7","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s12995-025-00480-7","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Overweight and obesity have a negative impact on health and have a detrimental effect on the operational readiness of soldiers. Different prevention and intervention measures against obesity include diet, physical activity, education, coaching or medication or a combination of several aspects have been investigated. This review systematically assesses the effectiveness of lifestyle, dietary, educational, and pharmacological interventions on weight, body composition, and military readiness in active-duty personnel.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>We carried out a systematic review based on the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. A search was conducted in various electronic databases from 2000 to July 2024. The search strategy combined three concepts: military population, outcome terms, interventions or programs. For the review, 21 articles met the inclusion criteria (total n = 1696). Where possible, the effect size (ES) was calculated.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>In studies that only examined exercise, minor effects were reported, e.g. a reduction in weight (-0.5 kg), Body Mass Index (BMI) (-0.3 kg/m²), waist circumference (-0.1 cm) and body fat percentage (-1.1%) without relevant statistical ES. Studies with nutritional programs reported low to moderate ES. Combined programs including dietary and exercise countermeasures showed to be more effective than programs based on diet or exercise alone. Combined programs with exercise and educational methods showed a moderate to large effect size (ES 0.6-1.3) for weight reduction. Pharmacological treatment for reducing fat intake resulted in a larger effect sizes for weight loss. The greatest efficacy (ES > 1.0) was observed for a combined intervention program consisting of lifestyle changing components based on individually tailored cognitive behavioral therapies, psychoeducation, exercise and nutritional interventions.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Effective countermeasure for reducing body weight found in this study were combined interventions, like education on lifestyle changes, dietary habits and promotion of physical activity in military personnel, as well as by ketogenic dietary interventions combined with physical activity and followed by pharmacological intervention approaches. Combined interventions appear promising in some studies, but future evaluations may focus on combinations of physical activity and exercise with new pharmaceutical approaches like Semaglutide or Bimagrumab medication in the long term for military personnel due to probable favorable body composition adaptations and military readiness.</p>","PeriodicalId":48903,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Occupational Medicine and Toxicology","volume":"20 1","pages":"32"},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2025-10-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12502539/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145245555","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Impact of night shift work on telomere length and epigenetic age in older workers.","authors":"Luca Ferrari, Anna Comotti, Alice Fattori, Teresa Barnini, Marco Laurino, Pasquale Bufano, Benedetta Albetti, Mirjam Hoxha, Simone Russo, Catalina Ciocan, Matteo Bonzini","doi":"10.1186/s12995-025-00477-2","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s12995-025-00477-2","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Night shift work disrupts circadian rhythms and has been associated with various health disorders, particularly in older adults. Biological age indicators, such as telomere length (TL) and DNA methylation (DNAm) age, offer effective tools to assess early ageing-related changes Linked to occupational exposures. This study aims to investigate the association between night shift work and biological ageing markers among workers aged over 50 years.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Participants were classified as current, former, or never night shift workers. TL was measured via quantitative PCR, and DNAm age was estimated based on methylation at five CpG sites. Age acceleration (AA) was calculated as the residual from regressing DNAm age on chronological age. Associations between shift work and ageing markers were evaluated using univariate and multivariate analyses.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Out of 330 workers invited, a total of 262 (response rate 79.6%) were recruited, predominantly male (87%) with a mean age of 54.5 ± 3.1 years. Current night shift workers exhibited significantly shorter telomeres compared to non-current shift workers (adjusted β = -0.07, p = 0.03). Among former shift workers, longer cumulative exposure was associated with reduced TL (β = -0.01, p = 0.004). Additionally, TL increased and AA decreased with each year since night shift cessation (β = 0.01, p=0.001 and β = -0.08, p=0.05, respectively).</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Prolonged night shift work is associated with telomere shortening, suggesting increased cellular ageing, partially reversible after night-shift cessation. DNAm age appears less sensitive to recent or cumulative shift work exposure.</p>","PeriodicalId":48903,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Occupational Medicine and Toxicology","volume":"20 1","pages":"31"},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2025-10-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12487556/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145208133","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Double trouble - identifying rating inconsistencies due to double ratings of the \"Show backbone\" study.","authors":"Philipp Näther, Jan Felix Kersten, Anja Schablon, Albert Nienhaus","doi":"10.1186/s12995-025-00479-0","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s12995-025-00479-0","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Currently, the most widely used method to determine lumbar intervertebral disc degeneration is MRI. However, the evaluation of imaging signs of disc degeneration involves several subjective assessments. The aim of this study was to investigate differences in radiological assessments between two independent reports of the same MRI, emphasizing that the identical images were assessed twice by different raters.</p><p><strong>Materials: </strong>MRI of the lumbar and cervical spine of a population-based random sample of women and a sample of female nurses, geriatric nurses and care workers as a subgroup with a relatively high level of work-related stress on the lumbar spine was performed. Each MRI was then assessed by two radiologists from the corresponding clinic that had examined the participant. Ten criteria were assessed: three continuous and seven categorical parameters. Agreement was assessed with bias and dispersion figures or agreement and Cohen's kappa for categorical parameters.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Double diagnosis of 318 participants with available MR images of the cervical and lumbar spine were performed. The results show that there is remarkable consensus on some parameters as well as substantial disagreement on others-the agreement of the two reports for categorical parameters, as measured by Cohen's kappa, ranges from 0.04 to 0.57. For continuous measurements, the percentage difference ranges from 8 to 24%; it depends on the extent of the subjectivity of the parameter to be rated.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>The interrater reliability of MRI readings of the lumbar spine is greater when clearly defined parameters and measurement methods are used. Therefore, it should be investigated which easy to use rating scales can be implemented in daily clinical practice to make reports more reliable and useful for clinicians. One way to reduce subjectivity might be the use of reference images.</p>","PeriodicalId":48903,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Occupational Medicine and Toxicology","volume":"20 1","pages":"30"},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2025-09-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12439386/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145076317","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Pre-employment urine drug screening: examining trends in THC-COOH positivity rates post-legalization of recreational cannabis in California - a retrospective review.","authors":"Akbar Sharip, Roshan Razavi","doi":"10.1186/s12995-025-00468-3","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s12995-025-00468-3","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>This study examines trends in delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol-9-carboxylic acid (THC-COOH) positivity rates in pre-employment urine drug screenings at a single university-based hospital occupational medicine clinic from 2017 to 2022, following California's recreational cannabis legalization in 2016, with sales beginning officially on January 1, 2018.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Retrospective analysis of 21,546 de-identified urine drug screenings from 2017 to 2022 was conducted. Initial screening used instant urine drug immunoassays (50 ng/mL cutoff for THC-COOH), followed by confirmatory gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (15 ng/mL cutoff). Positivity rates were calculated annually, and descriptive statistics summarized age and gender distributions among positive cases. The Cochran-Armitage trend test assessed temporal trends.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Of 21,546 screenings, 92 (0.44%) were THC-COOH-positive. The positivity rate increased from 0.12% (4/3,215) in 2017 to 0.94% (45/4,784) in 2022 (Cochran-Armitage, Z = 5.19, p < 0.001), a 683.33% relative increase (absolute change: 0.82%). Among positive cases, 76% were aged 20-39 (mean: 29.00 years, SD = 9.5), and the female proportion rose from 25.00 to 62.22%. Median THC-COOH levels ranged from 60.00 to 176.50 ng/mL (overall: 145.0, IQR: 309.5).</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>THC-COOH positivity rates increased significantly post-legalization, potentially influenced by increased cannabis use. Urine tests detect past use, not impairment, highlighting the need for impairment-focused testing per Assembly Bill 2188 (2024). Missing total sample demographic data limit age/gender subgroup analyses.</p>","PeriodicalId":48903,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Occupational Medicine and Toxicology","volume":"20 1","pages":"29"},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2025-09-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12418667/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145030902","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Work-related instant messaging and calling stress (WRIMCS) among physicians: a novel occupational health risk?","authors":"Aldo Shpuza, Edlira Bylykbashi, Enver Roshi, Genc Burazeri","doi":"10.1186/s12995-025-00478-1","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s12995-025-00478-1","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Aim: </strong>To assess the association between WRIMC and perceived stress among physicians through the lens of 'occupational context' and psycho-physiological stressors as mediators.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>A cross-sectional study was conducted in Albania in January 2025 including a representative sample of 367 physicians (≈ 66% females; overall response rate: ≈90%). A structured 36-item questionnaire included demographic characteristics, WRIMC exposure and related psycho-physiological stressors and the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS). Multivariable-adjusted ordinal logistic regression was used to assess the direct association between WRIMC-related exposures and PSS scores, whereas mediation analysis was used to assess indirect effects using the perceived impact of work on stress level and psycho-physiological stressors as mediators.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Physicians had moderate-to-high exposure frequencies to work-related phone usage, instant messages and calling, app-based instant messaging, WRIMC beyond work hours, during vacations or after 22:00 o'clock. WRIMC via apps, irritability due to WRIMC interruptions, guilt over not responding to WRIMC and mental fatigue due to WRIMC were identified as ordinal correlates of perceived stress (β = 0.48, β = 0.65, β = 0.33 and β = 0.37, respectively). The perceived impact of work served as a partial mediator (β = 1.07) between WRIMC and PSS scores, though a direct effect of WRIMC on PSS was also observed (β = 2.57). Physicians' age was a negative covariate in both indirect and direct effects.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Physicians are highly exposed to WRIMC which may be associated with certain psycho-physiological stressors. The perceived occupational stress context of instant messaging and calling might represent a significant pathway beyond technostress per se, which may be interconnected with or distinct from work-related stress.</p>","PeriodicalId":48903,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Occupational Medicine and Toxicology","volume":"20 1","pages":"28"},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2025-09-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12403839/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144975450","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Outbreaks of COVID-19 among healthcare personnel in a U. S. veterans administration health care system site, June and August 2023.","authors":"Ignacio A Santana, Max Blumberg, Noreen Chan, Margaret J Ansay, Phyllis C Tien, Paul D Blanc, Sandeep Guntur","doi":"10.1186/s12995-025-00474-5","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s12995-025-00474-5","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Occupational COVID-19 remains a challenge among healthcare personnel (HCP).</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>This study documents three COVID-19 outbreaks that occurred among vaccinated HCP within a single health care system (HCS) in California, USA in June and August 2023. The Employee Health (EH) unit for the HCS conducted surveillance with structured interviews, identifying outbreaks in real-time.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>In June, 10 of 25 staff (40%) at a rural outpatient clinic that serves the HCS contracted COVID-19. One week later, 10 of 90 staff (11%) at a second outpatient clinic were infected, with half the cases were staff of a single close-knit team. In August, a team-building retreat of staff from the main hospital of the HCS resulted in 15 of 23 participants (65%) contracting COVID-19. The combined attack rate for these outbreaks was 25% (95% CI: 18-32%).</p><p><strong>Discussion: </strong>These outbreaks, despite high vaccination rates among the employees, reveal gaps in infection control, underscoring the need for stricter masking, improved ventilation, and rigorous surveillance testing. Rapid response to outbreaks and reinforcing education on symptom-based work exclusions are critical to preventing transmission among health care workers (HCWs) and their patients.</p>","PeriodicalId":48903,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Occupational Medicine and Toxicology","volume":"20 1","pages":"27"},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2025-08-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12398014/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144975487","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Effect of change on psychological performance in rescue services personnel in Finland - a qualitative interview study.","authors":"Hilla Nordquist, Sanna Korpela","doi":"10.1186/s12995-025-00475-4","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s12995-025-00475-4","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>BACKGROUND: Rescue services work is in constant change, yet operational responsibilities in high-stakes, unpredictable environments remain. In this study, we are interested in individual psychological performance, conceptualized as a balance between the challenges or threats perceived in a situation and one’s sense of capability and resources, with the goal of successfully completing tasks. We explored the effects of working amidst continuous change on individual psychological performance and its maintenance among rescue service personnel with three research questions: (1) What kinds of changes have occurred in the work of rescue services? (2) What effects does work amidst changes have on individual psychological performance from the perspective of rescue service personnel? and (3) How can individual psychological performance be supported amidst changes from the perspective of rescue service personnel? METHODS: This was a qualitative interview study with fire officers and fire sub-officers (n = 18) from five rescue departments across Finland. The data was collected using semi-structured individual interviews in 2023 and 2024. Inductive content analysis was used. RESULTS: For the first research question, the results were categorized into three categories: Evolving roles and pressures in rescue services; Reassignment of work locations; and Societal changes reflected in rescue services. The results of the second research question formed three categories: Change as a driver of declining workplace cohesion from leadership to the broader work community; Change causes multidimensional external and internal strains that challenge mental resources; and Change creates growth potential. For the third research question, two categories were formed: Clear people-focused leadership is essential when implementing change; and The significance of maintaining a positive and proactive mindset. CONCLUSIONS: The closeness of the rescue service community should be supported, even during times of change, as well as the personnel’s willingness to develop. The changes have brought many new demands, and the uncertainty of one’s own competence and future role threatens psychological performance. The increasing demands highlight the need for stronger leadership support, underscoring the importance of people-focused leadership skills in rescue services. The usability of the IT systems that currently cause a significant workload should also be improved to better support psychological performance. </p>","PeriodicalId":48903,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Occupational Medicine and Toxicology","volume":"20 1","pages":"26"},"PeriodicalIF":3.2,"publicationDate":"2025-08-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12379401/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144975452","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Work related musculoskeletal stress among residents of internal medicine on cardiological wards in their daily working practice - a kinematic and ergonomic analysis.","authors":"Fabian Holzgreve, Corinna Rittinghausen, Ingo Hermanns, Britta Weber, Rolf Ellegast, Julia Bille, Doerthe Brueggmann, Stefanie Mache, David A Groneberg, Daniela Ohlendorf","doi":"10.1186/s12995-025-00471-8","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s12995-025-00471-8","url":null,"abstract":"&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Backround: &lt;/strong&gt;Earlier, interventional and sonography techniques have been analyzed in detail for the field of internal medicine concerning workplace ergonomics. Here, work related musculoskeletal disorders (WRMSDs) have been reported with a prevalence of about 76%. The aim of this study is to provide a comprehensive kinematic and ergonomic analysis of an average working day of a resident physician in internal medicine on a cardiological ward.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Methods: &lt;/strong&gt;The kinematic data of 17 resident physicians (9f/8m) of internal medicine, working in 3 different cardiological wards in a hospital of maximum care was collected on an average workday using the CUELA measurement system. A detailed, computer-based task analysis was conducted concurrently with the kinematic assessment. By synchronizing the data obtained from both measurements, postural patterns were chronologically aligned and contextualized with the corresponding task performance. The main categories were (1) Office work, (2) Ward rounds, (3) Tasks performed directly with the patient (i.e. patient examination, blood withdrawal) and (4) Other. The main categories were divided into several sub-categories for further differentiation. For the data analysis, characteristic values of joint angle distributions (percentiles P05, P25, P50, P75, and P95) for the head, neck, and torso during predefined tasks were examined and evaluated in accordance with ergonomic standards. In addition, the Owako Working Posture Analysing System was applied (OWAS).&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Results: &lt;/strong&gt;A total duration of 129.2 working hours were recorded. Resident physicians of internal medicine on a cardiological ward spend a large part of their work day in office type work situations (57%) with 36% dedicated to computer work, followed by 18% for ward rounds and 16% for directly patient related activities. The office type work situations showed high sedentary rates with increased ergonomic risk for postures of the cervical and thoracolumbar spine (moderate to unfavorable postures for back curvature in almost all percentiles and office activities, reclination of the neck during (-8°- -16° in P05 and P25) for 'use of computer'. Several aspects of patient related activities displayed high percentages of forward bending (predominately moderate and unfavorable postures for back curvature, sagittal trunk and neck inclination) and in P25-P95 for 'blood withdrawal' and 'patient examination'.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Conclusion: &lt;/strong&gt;An important office type work setting is predominant in the daily routine of resident physicians of internal medicine working on cardiological wards and have been detected as important predictor to cause musculoskeletal stress. Resident physicians of internal medicine on cardiological wards have a high occurrence of ergonomically unfavorable situations, particularly during patient related activities and sedentary work using visual display units. This study highlights the need f","PeriodicalId":48903,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Occupational Medicine and Toxicology","volume":"20 1","pages":"25"},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2025-08-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12341240/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144838341","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}