Increased hand washing has led to rise in dermatitis among frontline hospital staff

Date: Feb-13-2015 A new study that examined incidence of work-related dermatitis in the UK

finds it went up more than four-fold in health workers following a national drive to

get frontline hospital staff to wash their hands more frequently - with soap - to

reduce spread of superbugs.

More frequent hand washing to reduce spread of MRSA and hospital infections may have led to higher incidence of dermatitis among frontline staff.

Yet, over the same time period (1996-2012), the incidence of work-related dermatitis

went down in other professions.

This was the conclusion of a study by researchers from the Institute of Population

Health at The University of Manchester, UK, who report their findings in the

British Journal of Dermatology.

Reducing healthcare-associated infections such as MRSA has been a priority in the

UK over recent decades, as reflected by improved hygiene procedures, note the

authors.

For their study, the team looked at a national database run by the university

that contains reports voluntarily sent in by dermatologists from all over the UK.

The purpose of the database is to collect reports of skin problems that are caused

or made worse by work.

Health care workers 4.5 times more likely to develop dermatitis in 2012 than 1996

The researchers found 1,796 out of 7,138 reported cases of irritant contact

dermatitis occurred in health care workers.

Further analysis showed that health care workers were 4.5 times more

likely to suffer from irritant contact dermatitis in 2012 as in 1996. Yet in other

professions, the incidence either fell or stayed the same over the

period.

Irritant contact dermatitis is a skin condition that develops following frequent

exposure to a weak irritant like soap or detergent that damages the outer layer of

skin. The condition is accompanied by a burning or stinging sensation and makes the

skin look red and feel itchy.

Hand-hygiene campaigns to reduce superbug spread need to address dermatitis

risk

The period of the study includes the start of several NHS campaigns from 1999

onward to prevent the spread of healthcare associated infections, such as MRSA and

Clostridium difficile.

The campaigns urged hospital workers, patients and visitors to practice hand

hygiene such as frequent washing with soap or using alcohol rub.

From the point of view of reducing infections and increased use of cleaning

products, the campaigns have been very successful. In contrast to that, some might

say the higher incidence of dermatitis among health care workers is a price worth

paying.

But the researchers warn if the hand hygiene campaigns result in

increasing levels of irritant dermatitis, they may be counter-productive.

Other studies have shown that infections linger longer in damaged and broken

skin, and also that people are less willing to keep washing their hands if they are

sore.

Dr. Jill Stocks, who led the study, comments on this:

"Campaigns to reduce these infections have been very successful and

many lives have been saved. However, we need to do all we can to prevent skin

irritation among these frontline workers. Obviously we don't want people to stop

washing their hands, so more needs to be done to procure less irritating products

and to implement practices to prevent and treat irritant contact

dermatitis."

In October 2014, Medical News Today reported on a study that found severity

of psoriasis - an inflammatory skin disease that affects up to 4% of people - is linked to raised risk of high blood pressure. Writing in

JAMA Dermatology, the researchers said they found the more severe a

person's psoriasis is, the more likely they are to have uncontrolled high blood

pressure.

Written by Catharine Paddock PhD

Courtesy: Medical News Today Note: Any medical information available in this news section is not intended as a substitute for informed medical advice and you should not take any action before consulting with a health care professional.