Nurses Working in Intensive Care Units Had a Higher Risk of Reported Respiratory Symptoms

加護病房護理人員有較高的呼吸道症狀

林芳杰(Fung J. Lin) ； 郭許達(Hsu-Tah Kuo) ； 陳培然(Pei-Jan Chen)

《胸腔醫學》 18卷4期 (2003/08) Pp. 315-321

https://doi.org/10.29806/TM.200308.0002

摘要

Objectives: Health care workers are exposed to hazardous substances. A previous study reported that respiratory therapists had an increased risk of asthma. The object of this study was to confirm the finding that respiratory therapists are associated with asthma in Taiwan.
Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional questionnaire survey comparing respiratory therapists with ICU nurses. The subjects were given a questionnaire in Chinese that included questions on standard respiratory history and symptoms. Subjects who reported physician-diagnosed asthma were considered as having asthma.
Results: In all 151 respiratory therapists (response rate 45%) and 157 ICU nurses (response rate 90%) responded to the questionnaire. Eleven male respiratory therapists were excluded. The respiratory therapists were older (29.6 vs 24.6 years) and had more working experience (5.5 vs 3.1 years) compared to the ICU nurses. Six (3.8%) ICU nurses and two (1.4%) respiratory therapists reported having physician-diagnosed asthma. ICU nurses had a higher rate of reported cough (23% vs 8.6%, p＜0.01) and wheezing (6% vs 0.7%, p＜0.05) symptoms than the respiratory therapists. Odds ratios for the risk of respiratory symptoms among ICU nurses compared to respiratory therapists were cough 4.41 (95CI, 1.9-10.1), and wheezing 9.38 (95CI, 1.09-80.6).
Conclusion: We did not find that respiratory therapists were associated with an increased risk of physician-diagnosed asthma in Taiwan. ICU nurses, however, had an increased risk of having frequent cough and wheezing compared to respiratory therapists.
Clinical Implications: Further investigations into the etiologies of excess coughing and wheezing in ICU nurses are needed.

關鍵字

呼吸道症狀 ； 氣喘 ； 呼吸治療師 ； 加護病房護理師

並列摘要

Objectives: Health care workers are exposed to hazardous substances. A previous study reported that respiratory therapists had an increased risk of asthma. The object of this study was to confirm the finding that respiratory therapists are associated with asthma in Taiwan.
Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional questionnaire survey comparing respiratory therapists with ICU nurses. The subjects were given a questionnaire in Chinese that included questions on standard respiratory history and symptoms. Subjects who reported physician-diagnosed asthma were considered as having asthma.
Results: In all 151 respiratory therapists (response rate 45%) and 157 ICU nurses (response rate 90%) responded to the questionnaire. Eleven male respiratory therapists were excluded. The respiratory therapists were older (29.6 vs 24.6 years) and had more working experience (5.5 vs 3.1 years) compared to the ICU nurses. Six (3.8%) ICU nurses and two (1.4%) respiratory therapists reported having physician-diagnosed asthma. ICU nurses had a higher rate of reported cough (23% vs 8.6%, p＜0.01) and wheezing (6% vs 0.7%, p＜0.05) symptoms than the respiratory therapists. Odds ratios for the risk of respiratory symptoms among ICU nurses compared to respiratory therapists were cough 4.41 (95CI, 1.9-10.1), and wheezing 9.38 (95CI, 1.09-80.6).
Conclusion: We did not find that respiratory therapists were associated with an increased risk of physician-diagnosed asthma in Taiwan. ICU nurses, however, had an increased risk of having frequent cough and wheezing compared to respiratory therapists.
Clinical Implications: Further investigations into the etiologies of excess coughing and wheezing in ICU nurses are needed.

並列關鍵字

respiratory symptoms ； asthma ； respiratory therapist ； ICU nurses