Occupational Medicine-Oxford最新文献

Background: Silicosis remains a critical public and occupational health issue, exacerbated by its expansion into non-traditional industries and resulting in significant global morbidity and mortality.

Aims: This study aims to investigate the death rates associated with silicosis from jean sandblasting by comparing the results of diagnosed individuals to those of the general population.

Methods: Conducted from 2008 to 2023 in Taşlıçay and Toklular villages, Bingöl City, Turkey, this retrospective cohort study analysed mortality among 220 diagnosed males versus 2851 undiagnosed residents. Data were derived from the Cohort database and validated with the Bingöl Provincial Health Directorate and the Turkish Statistical Institute. Statistical analysis involved univariate comparisons and survival analysis, utilizing the Mann-Whitney U-test, Kruskal-Wallis test and Cox proportional hazards model, with significance set at P < 0.05.

Results: The analysis revealed a silicosis mortality rate of 10% in diagnosed individuals over 15 years, notably higher than the 4% in the general population. Higher radiological profusions and younger ages at diagnosis were significant mortality factors. A radiological profusion above five notably increased the mortality risk by 1.37 times, with age and radiological density proving critical in survival rates.

Conclusions: This research highlights the increased mortality risk in silicosis patients, particularly among former jean sandblasters, underscoring the significant effects of radiological density and early age exposure on mortality, thereby addressing a crucial gap in understanding the impact of silicosis on life expectancy and community health.

Background: In many workplaces, the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic changed work arrangements, but there is scarce longitudinal evidence on whether psychosocial work environment and employee well-being were affected.

Aims: To examine the psychosocial work environment and employee well-being before, during and after the pandemic in relation to pandemic-induced changes (working from home, change to other tasks and team reorganization).

Methods: Survey data from a cohort of 20 944 public sector employees in Finland were collected before (2016-2018), during (2020) and after the pandemic (2022). Multilevel linear and logistic regression was used to examine group differences between the before-during and during-after periods of the pandemic.

Results: Working from home was associated with a small but favourable change in worktime control, organizational justice and social capital (scale 1-5) during the pandemic and after the pandemic (marginal mean difference ranging from 0.02 to 0.09 with 95% confidence intervals [CIs] from 0.01 to 0.10). There was a post-pandemic increase in work time control, even among participants with a transfer into other tasks (0.11, 95% CI 0.07, 0.14) or team reorganization (0.06, 95% CI 0.02, 0.10). The decline in self-rated work ability (scale 0-10) before and during the pandemic was greater in those transferred into other tasks (-0.10, 95% CI -0.13, -0.06) than in those not (-0.05, 95% CI -0.06, -0.04).

Conclusions: Working from home during the pandemic was accompanied by small favourable changes in the psychosocial work environment during the pandemic, whereas transition to different tasks was associated with a decline in self-rated work ability.

Background: International studies have revealed that numerous challenges (e.g. job demands) and opportunities (e.g. job resources as protective factors) affect the well-being of healthcare workers.

Aims: Building on the job demands-resources theory, we explored how job-related demands and the role of inclusive leadership as a job resource influenced the well-being of junior doctors during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic.

Methods: A cross-sectional web survey was conducted in July 2022 for 82 junior doctors who had experienced the 3-year COVID-19 pandemic. The survey captured their perceived physical, psychological and COVID-19-related job demands and the inclusive leadership behaviours exhibited by their clinical unit supervisors as job resources. Data were also collected on junior doctors' experiences of burnout, compassion satisfaction and occupational commitment as variables of job outcomes. Hierarchical linear regression analysis was applied to explore the relationships between the variables.

Results: Physical and COVID-19-related job demands were associated with increased burnout among junior doctors. Inclusive leadership as a job resource was associated with junior doctors' reduced burnout and increased compassion satisfaction and buffered the negative effects of psychological demands on their compassion satisfaction. Only COVID-19-related job demands were associated with junior doctors' occupational commitment.

Conclusions: Our study highlights the critical effects of COVID-19-related job demands on junior doctors' burnout and occupational commitment. Inclusive leadership behaviours exhibited by clinical unit supervisors are a valuable job resource, which can be incorporated as one of the competencies training for medical staff.

This article explores two case reports of healthcare students with hearing impairments in an Italian university and the accommodations provided during their clinical training. The first student, with bilateral sensorineural hearing loss, used the Contec Visual Electronic Stethoscope CMS-VE, which amplifies the sound up to 32 times and supports earphones while wearing hearing aids. The second student, with profound bilateral sensorineural hearing loss and cochlear implants, utilized the Littmann CORE Digital Stethoscope, which amplifies the sound up to 40 times and transmits it via Bluetooth. Both students successfully acquired essential clinical skills, demonstrating that tailored technological accommodations can significantly enhance learning outcomes. This article underscores the critical role of early disability detection and the implementation of support strategies by occupational health physicians. These case reports highlight the importance of innovative solutions in promoting inclusion and ensuring equal opportunities in medical education and future workplaces.

Background: Carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) is a socially relevant condition. Risk factors associated with CTS severity and work have not been explored.

Aims: This case-control study aims to investigate the association between CTS severity and occupational biomechanical overload considering personal anthropometric risk factors.

Methods: We consecutively enrolled one CTS case for two controls. CTS cases were grouped into three classes of progressive clinical and electrophysiological severity according to two validated scales. Job titles were coded according to the International Standard Classification of Occupations (ISCO 88) and grouped into two broad socio-occupational categories: blue-collar and white-collar workers.The associations between CTS (or CTS severity) and blue-collar status were assessed using unconditional (or multinomial) logistic regression models adjusted for age, gender, centre and two anthropometric indexes: wrist-palm ratio and waist-stature ratio. Odds ratios (OR) or relative risk ratio and 95% confidence intervals (95% CI) were calculated, as appropriate.

Results: We included 183 cases and 445 controls. Blue-collar status was a risk factor for CTS (OR 2.4; 95% CI 1.5-3.8). Among job titles, vine and/or olive tree growers (OR 6.0; 95% CI 2.0-17.9) and food processing workers (OR 4.8; 95% CI 1.5-15.2) were at higher risk. At multinomial logistic regression analysis, blue-collar status and the two anthropometric indexes were associated with moderate/severe CTS, after mutual adjustment.

Conclusions: Blue-collar workers showed a higher risk of CTS than white-collar workers, adjusting for anthropometric and body measures as well. Preventive interventions should be addressed to decrease the biomechanical overload of the upper limbs and limit the overweight.