Skin care management: educational aspects

Abstract

Health education is effective in primary, secondary and tertiary prevention of occupational skin disorders, as clearly demonstrated by interventional studies carried out at the University of Osnabrueck. Health education may intervene with (a) habituated behaviour of affected employees and (b) the condition of working environments. In conclusion, prevention of occupational skin diseases and maintenance of health can be achieved by the conditioning of individual behaviour via specific educational programmes in addition to dermatological care.

Knowledge, Attitude and Practices Related to Occupational Health Problems among Salt Workers Working in the Desert of Rajasthan, India

“…Workers' perceptions regarding management's attitudes towards occupational safety and health are closely associated with workers' unsafe behaviour at work 7) . On the part of management, there was a lack of effort to encourage and supervise the use of protective measures by salt workers though healthcare providers' counseling has been found to be associated with workers' skin related prevention practices and knowledge 8,9) . In the above perspective, there is a need to develop evidence based methods which can assess the occupational health risks and develop intervention to improve the quality of protective devices and also enable health personnel to give better advice to their workers as providers of quality assured information 7) .…”

Notification of occupational skin diseases by dermatologists in The Netherlands

“…The difference between irritant factors and allergens seems to be more prominent in our data compared to data of other surveillance schemes [2,13]. Hence, emphasizing the importance of implementing skin care management programs in employees at high risk for development of ICD [14]. A number of intervention studies demonstrated promising results with skin care programs in different risk groups [15][16][17].…”

Hand Hygiene

“…A recent study demonstrated that HCW education regarding proper skin care management was effective in preventing occupational skin disorders. 618 No product, however, is free of potential risk. Hence, it is usually necessary to provide an alternative for use by individuals with sensitivity or reactions to the hand hygiene product available in the institution.…”

“…Include information regarding hand-care practices designed to reduce the risk of irritant contact dermatitis and other skin damage in education programmes for HCWs (IB). 618,624 B. Provide alternative hand hygiene products for HCWs with confirmed allergies or adverse reactions to standard products used in the health-care setting (II).…”