Prevalence of hand dermatitis among hospital nurses working in a tropical environment.

BACKGROUND Although hand dermatitis (HD) is a common occupational problem among hospital nurses, few epidemiological studies of this disease have been conducted in regional areas or tropical environments. AIM The aim of our investigation was, therefore, to investigate HD prevalence and correlates among nurses within a unique Australian setting. DESIGN We recruited a cohort of 148 female nurses from a large tertiary hospital in north Queensland, Australia, and administered a previously validated, self-reporting HD questionnaire. RESULTS The 12-month period prevalence ranged from 43.2% to 59.3%, with an overall group mean of 50.0%. There were no statistically significant differences in HD prevalence between the different hospital wards (p=0.4238). During multiple logistic regression, a history of allergic rash was shown to increase the HD risk 5.5-fold (odds ratio: 5.5, 95% CI: 1.9-19.2, p=0.0038). The risk of HD was also related to increased hand washing frequency (OR 5.8, 95% CI: 1.1-33.4, p=0.0402). CONCLUSIONS Overall, the occurrence of HD among Australian nurses was relatively consistent across the various hospital wards. Their 12-month period-prevalence of HD was, however, generally higher than previous reports from other countries.