Dental News - Stay at home when feeling ill, researchers of a new study suggest

Dental Tribune International

Mon. 22. July 2019

save

ARLINGTON, Va., U.S.: The primary role of health care workers concerns the health of their patients; however, the health of those performing this duty is often overlooked. The stresses of daily life, financial pressure and work obligations contribute to the decisions health care workers make when feeling ill. New research has found that large numbers of them risk transmitting respiratory viruses to patients and coworkers by attending work even when they have symptoms of illness.

“We found that physicians and people working in areas that required the most intensive contact with patients were less likely than other workers to stay home or to leave work if symptoms progressed after the start of the day,” said Dr. Brenda Coleman, clinical scientist in the Infectious Disease Epidemiology Research Unit at Mount Sinai Hospital, Toronto, and lead author of the study. “Managers and senior staff need to both model and insist on workers staying home when symptomatic as it protects both patients and coworkers from infection.”

The four-season prospective cohort study of influenza and other respiratory illnesses was conducted throughout nine hospitals in Toronto, Hamilton and Halifax, Canada. It included dentists and other health care professionals in acute care hospitals who worked more than 20 hours a week. Participants were asked to complete daily online illness diaries whenever they developed symptoms. The illness diaries collected information about possible exposure, attendance at work, reason for attendance when ill or absence, and medical consultations. In total, 10,156 illness diaries were completed by 2,728 participants. Diaries of participants who were not scheduled to work were excluded, leaving 5,281 remaining diaries for analysis.

According to the study’s results, 69% of the participants said that they worked during an illness because they had mild symptoms and felt well enough to work. A further 11% said they had things to do at work, 8% felt obligated to work and 3% stated that they could not afford to stay home. Additionally, half of the participants reported episodes of acute respiratory viral illness during each influenza season. Of those who reported an acute respiratory viral illness, 95% worked on one or more days of their illness.

Speaking to Dental Tribune International about the need for dentists working in practice settings to be aware of their own health and the health of their colleagues, Coleman said, “Although most dentists practice outside of the acute care hospital setting, their work puts them in close contact with patients, many of whom may be at higher risk of severe illness if they contract a respiratory illness. As such, dentists should reduce the risk of transmitting pathogens to their patients by not seeing patients while they themselves are symptomatic—and implementing policies requiring the same from their staff.”

The study, titled “Which healthcare workers work with acute respiratory illness? Evidence from Canadian acute-care hospitals during 4 influenza seasons: 2010–2011 to 2013–2014”, was published in the August 2019 issue of Infection Control and Hospital Epidemiology.

Tags:

To post a reply please login or register

Researchers develop at-home test that can diagnose gingivitis

CINCINNATI, US: The prevalence of gingivitis continues to be a significant public health concern, and barriers such as limited access to healthcare and high...

New at-home bruxism monitoring device is highly accurate, researchers find

JOENSUU, Finland: In a new study, researchers from the University of Eastern Finland have developed a new, more affordable method of monitoring bruxism. ...

New study suggests electric toothbrush valuable for paediatric dental care

JERUSALEM, Israel: Electric toothbrushes, particularly those with oscillating-rotating (O-R) movements, have shown superior plaque removal efficacy compared...

ISDH 2022 looks to “deliver a feeling of community”

After a three-year absence, the International Symposium on Dental Hygiene (ISDH) will take place at the Convention Centre Dublin in Ireland from 11 to 13 ...

Ethical guidelines missing in field of dentistry and AI, researchers say

PARIS, France: Maintaining high ethical standards within the medical profession is key to providing the best care possible. The doctor–patient ...

Protective gear during dental radiograph procedures no longer necessary, researchers suggest

MINNEAPOLIS, US: Patient shielding during dento-maxillofacial radiography is a long-standing practice that is believed to help reduce the risk of ...

Poor oral health associated with a higher risk of liver cancer, study suggests

BELFAST, UK: It remains controversial whether poor oral health is independently linked to the development of gastro-intestinal cancers, because of potential...

New mirror trainer may improve dentists’ motor skills, study suggests

Somerville, Mass., U.S.: The process of learning how to move correctly when using a mirror in a patient’s mouth can often be difficult. Though drawing on ...

Recent study suggests sugar tax is needed in New Zealand

DUNEDIN, New Zealand: The debate around sugar and its ill effects on society and how to address this have taken many forms, one of the main measures being ...