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Common respiratory and gastrointestinal illness in paediatric student nurses and medical technology students
Insights
Paediatric nurses with high-intensity contact with children face a higher risk of respiratory and gastrointestinal illnesses. This study quanties the increased incidence of specific syndromes in these healthcare professionals.
Area of Science:
- Occupational Health
- Infectious Disease Epidemiology
- Pediatric Nursing
Background:
- Paediatric nurses are at risk of occupational exposure to common illnesses.
- Quantifying this risk is crucial for implementing effective preventative measures.
Purpose of the Study:
- To establish the risk of acquiring respiratory and gastrointestinal illnesses among paediatric nurses.
- To compare illness incidence based on the intensity of contact with children.
Main Methods:
- A 3-year prospective study (1975-1978) using self-administered questionnaires.
- Student nurses and medical technology students reported illnesses biweekly.
- Defined four syndromes: upper respiratory syndrome (URS), lower respiratory syndrome (LRS), respiratory and gastrointestinal syndrome (RGS), and gastrointestinal syndrome (GS).
Main Results:
- Overall illness incidence was 4.4 per person-year in the high-intensity contact group versus 2.9 in the low-intensity group.
- LRS and RGS incidence was 1.55 times higher in the high-intensity contact group (P < 0.001).
- Illness incidence in nurses mirrored medical technologists during low-contact periods.
Conclusions:
- High-intensity contact with children significantly increases the risk of lower respiratory and combined respiratory-gastrointestinal syndromes for paediatric nurses.
- The findings underscore the occupational health risks associated with paediatric nursing.
- Surveillance data suggests a reliable method for assessing illness risk in healthcare settings.
Abstract:
The aim of this study was to establish the risk of acquiring common respiratory and gastrointestinal illness for paediatric nurses. Using self-administered questionnaires, student nurses at two children's hospitals and students at one school of medical technology reported biweekly the number of minor illnesses, symptoms, and indicators of severity of infection over a 3-year period (1975-8). Although a systematic bias was evident with some symptoms, others appeared to be quite reliable. The following four syndromes were defined to estimate the risk: upper respiratory syndrome (URS), lower respiratory syndrome (LRS), respiratory and gastrointestinal syndrome (RGS), and gastrointestinal syndrome (GS). Surveillance days were allocated to groups with high- or low-intensity contact with children. The incidence of all illnesses was 2.9 per person-year in the low-intensity contact group and 4.4 per person-year in the high-intensity contact group. The reported incidence of LRS and RGS in the high-intensity contact group was 1.55 times higher than in the low-intensity group (P less than 0.001). LRS and RGS incidence was similar in nurses at both schools. During low contact periods it corresponded to that of the medical technologists.