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Determinants of disinfectant use among nurses in U.S. healthcare facilities
Author(s) -
Dumas Orianne,
Wiley Aleta S.,
Henneberger Paul K.,
Speizer Frank E.,
Zock JanPaul,
Varraso Raphaëlle,
Le Moual Nicole,
Boggs Krislyn M.,
Camargo Carlos A.
Publication year - 2017
Publication title -
american journal of industrial medicine
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.7
H-Index - 104
eISSN - 1097-0274
pISSN - 0271-3586
DOI - 10.1002/ajim.22671
Subject(s) - disinfectant , medicine , asthma , environmental health , health care , occupational exposure , family medicine , occupational medicine , economics , economic growth , pathology
Background Disinfectant use among healthcare workers has been associated with respiratory disorders, especially asthma. We aimed to describe disinfectants used by U.S. nurses, and to investigate qualitative and quantitative differences according to workplace characteristics and region. Methods Disinfectant use was assessed by questionnaire in 8,851 nurses. Hospital characteristics were obtained from the American Hospital Association database. Results Working in a hospital was associated with higher disinfectant use (OR: 2.06 [95%CI: 1.89–2.24]), but lower spray use (0.74 [0.66–0.82]). Nurses working in smaller hospitals (<50 beds vs. ≥200 beds) were more likely to use disinfectants (1.69 [1.23–2.32]) and sprays (1.69 [1.20–2.38]). Spray use was lower in the West than in the Northeast (0.75 [0.58–0.97]). Conclusion Disinfectant use was more common among nurses working in smaller hospitals, possibly because they perform more diverse tasks. Variations in spray use by hospital size and region suggest additional targets for future efforts to prevent occupational asthma. Am. J. Ind. Med. 60:131–140, 2017. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.