Journal of occupational health
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Multicenter Study
Perception in relation to a potential influenza pandemic among healthcare workers in Japan: implications for preparedness.
Due to the potential for an influenza pandemic, preparedness for infection control in healthcare settings is essential from the standpoint of occupational health for healthcare workers. We conducted questionnaire surveys among Japanese hospitals to assess preparedness at the individual and institutional levels and their inter-relationship. Questionnaires were administered at 7 tertiary hospitals in Japan during the spring of 2006. ⋯ A higher level of institutional preparedness, as determined by expertise as well as general and specific countermeasures, was an important predictor of individual recognition of preventive measures, perception of institutional measures, and attitude toward coping with risk. A higher level of institutional preparedness stood out to be an important predictor of individual preparedness. Considering the risk of a future influenza pandemic, hospitals should improve preparedness at all levels.
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This study was conducted to evaluate the occupational health of Japanese physicians in emergency medicine. Subjects participating in this study were eighty-nine physicians working at 12 medical facilities (10 critical care emergency centers) in Japan. Participants were asked to complete a questionnaire of work conditions and to provide blood samples for immune variable measurements (CD4, CD8, CD56 and natural killer cell (NK cell) activity) before commencing their work. ⋯ Therefore, the low NK cell activity appears to have reflected the extent of fatigue arising from physicians' overwork. Overwork would have been a potential risk for the physicians' health, resulting in a lower quality of Japanese emergency medical services than that which could have been achieved otherwise. This study suggests that it would be better for the Japanese emergency physicians to take 4 or more days off per month for their health and the quality of their services.
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Identification of the specific pollutants contributing most to the health hazard of the air pollution mixture may have important implications for environmental and social policies. In the current study, we conducted a time-series analysis to examine the specific effects of major air pollutants [particulate matter less than 10 microns in diameter (PM(10)), sulfur dioxide (SO(2)), and nitrogen dioxides (NO(2))] on daily mortality in Shanghai, China, using both single-pollutant and multiple-pollutant models. ⋯ Unlike some prior studies in North America, we found a significant effect of gaseous pollutants (SO(2) and NO(2)) on daily mortality even after adjustment for PM(10) in the multiple-pollutant models. Our findings, combined with previous Chinese studies showing a consistent, significant effect of gaseous pollutants on mortality, suggest that the role of outdoor exposure to SO(2) and NO(2) should be investigated further in China.
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Workplace violence, a possible cause of job stress, has recently become an important concern in occupational health. This study determined the prevalence of workplace violence and its risk factors for employees at a psychiatric hospital in Taiwan. A questionnaire developed by ILO/ICN/WHO/PSI was first translated and validated. ⋯ A high anxiety level was associated with the occurrence of PV. These results need to be corroborated by future investigation. A training program may be required for high risk groups to reduce workplace violence.
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The objective is to investigate the prevalence of parenchymal lung diseases among tinners. Twenty-four tinners who signed an informed consent form in the Gaziantep area were the subjects of this study. Demographics, spirometric test results, and high resolution computed tomography (HRCT) scans were obtained for all the tinners. ⋯ HRCT patterns consistent with DPLDs are significantly prevalent among Turkish tinners. This is the first field study reporting this occupational lung hazard in tinners. Future research is needed to uncover the underlying mechanisms.