The reality of occupational harm incurred by Japanese home health care nurses, the hazardous situations they face, and protective measures: a cross-sectional study.

Objectives: To gain a comprehensive understanding of the occupational hazards encountered by home health care nurses in Japan and to elucidate the reality of harm they incur, the hazardous situations, and the protective measures taken.Methods:A questionnaire survey of managers of home health care nursing agencies in Japan was conducted, and 355 valid responses were obtained. The survey questions concerned the occupational hazards experienced by home health care nursing staff. The occupational hazards were classified into 6 categories, and responses were obtained regarding harm, hazardous situations, and protective measures in each category.Results: The types of harm that occurred at highest rates during the previous 3 years were emotional abuse by the patient or their family members, lower back pain resulting from improper posture while providing care, sexual harassment by the patients and their family members, automobile accidents while traveling to home care sites, and allergic reactions to the environment at home care sites. Some hazardous situations were caused by the unique environments of home care sites.Conclusions: In order to prevent the occurrence of harm, the development of risk assessment tools, educational initiatives to increase awareness of occupational hazards, and consideration of the financial and technical support that will enable the use of assistive devices in the practice of nursing techniques were considered necessary. The development of effective guidelines and manuals specific to the occupational hazards encountered by home health care nurses is an important challenge.

[Evaluation of the "Health management guideline on occupational allergy in nursing occupations and its primary prevention" by nursing managers].

OBJECTIVE: Individuals in nursing occupations are often exposed to various materials such as rubber products and drugs, and they comprise a population at high risk of developing occupational allergies. We therefore created a "Health management guideline on occupational allergy in nursing occupations and its primary prevention" (hereinafter referred to as "HMG") and conducted a questionnaire survey to elucidate its potential use and the challenges of implementing it in clinical practice. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: The HMG includes the following content: A. Basic knowledge of occupational allergies; B. Common occupational allergies in nursing occupations; C. Occupational allergies triggered by specific antigens in nursing occupations; D. Eczema and skincare for hands; and E. Health management for occupational allergies. A questionnaire survey was conducted on one nursing manager each from 80 hospitals, with at least 400 beds. The survey included questions to gauge the level of understanding the content described in the HMG and opinions on incorporating the management method. The ethics committee of the researcher's institution approved the study. RESULTS: Responses were obtained from 30 nursing managers. Over 70% responded that they understood the instructions for [occupational allergies], [common occupational allergies in nursing occupations], and [eczema and skincare for hands] presented in the HMG, and 100% said they either understood or mostly understood them. For [work management], 57% said they understood the content and 90% wanted to incorporate it. Furthermore, 10% responded that they wanted to incorporate the guidelines but did not believe it was feasible, given that "achieving general awareness and efforts involving other occupations are difficult." For [work environment management], 53% said they understood the content and 83% wanted to incorporate it. Additionally, 17% responded that they wanted to incorporate it but did not believe it was feasible, amid concerns that "allergen monitoring is difficult in reality" and "installation of local ventilation systems seems difficult." DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS: The HMG was postulated to be useful in providing knowledge on occupational allergy and health management methods, and for employing in clinical practice. The study recommended that in order to specifically incorporate the management methods, it is imperative that the entire hospital, including staff from other occupations, understand the guidelines and make adjustments accordingly.

Effects of a warm hand bath on the blood flow in the shoulder, skin and deep body temperature, autonomic nervous activity, and subjective comfort in healthy women: An experimental cross-over trial.

AIM: The present study was conducted in order to clarify the effects of a warm hand bath at 40°C for 10 min on the blood flow in the shoulder, skin and deep body temperature, autonomic nervous activity, and subjective comfort in healthy women. METHODS: The study's participants were 40 healthy adult women who were randomly assigned to either a structured hand bath first and no hand bath second (Group A) or to no hand bath first and a hand bath second (Group B). The blood flow in the shoulder, skin and deep body temperature, autonomic nervous activity, and subjective comfort then were recorded in all the participants. RESULTS: A repeated-measures ANOVA revealed no significant difference in the blood flow in the right shoulder or deep body temperature between groups. The skin temperature of the hands, forearms, and arms was significantly increased, but not of the face and upper back. The skin temperature of the forearms was maintained at 0.5°C-1°C higher for 30 min in the hand bath group, compared with the no hand bath group. The hand bath group had a significantly higher heart rate while bathing and a significantly lower parasympathetic nerve activity level during bathing. No significant difference was seen in the sympathetic activity level between groups. The hand bath group had a significantly higher subjective comfort level. CONCLUSION: Hand baths can improve the level of subjective comfort and increase the heart rate and might affect autonomic nervous activity. The skin temperature of the forearms was maintained for 30 min in the hand bath group.

Occupational exposures among nurses caring for chemotherapy patients -Quantitative analysis of cyclophosphamide and α-fluoro-ß-alanine in urine.

OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to measure the antineoplastic drug content in urine and verify the situation of occupational exposure of the antineoplastic drug among nurses who care for patients undergoing chemotherapy. METHODS: Ten female nurses who were caring for patients receiving chemotherapy were the subjects of this study. Urine samples were collected over 24-hour periods, and each sample was analyzed. The excretion of cyclophosphamide (CP) and α-fluoro-ß-alanine (FBAL) were measured in the urine of the 10 nurses. CP and FBAL were detected separately using gas chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (GC-MSMS) methods (Exposure Control, the Netherlands). RESULT: CP was detected in 24 urine samples of 9 nurses. The total amount of CP excreted ranged from 5.4 to 44.2 ng/24-hours. The mean amount of CP excreted per nurse was 16.8 ng/24-hours. No significant difference was observed between the hospital I and II. FBAL was not detected in any of the urine samples. CP was detected in the urine of the nurses prior to their work shift. Moreover, CP was detected in the urine of the nurses who were not caring for patients in the intravenous drip of CP. There was most what answered that there was hair loss in health condition. CONCLUSION: The results reveal that almost all nurses were exposed to cyclophosphamide. Even when the patient in the intravenous drip of CP was not being cared for, it became clear that exposure by CP existed. As the route of the exposure to CP, the inhalation or dermal absorption can be considered. To ensure minimum exposed to antineoplastic drugs, suitable personal protective equipment needs to be equipped also of various scenes of caring for chemotherapy patients. Moreover, it is important to keep an eye on the monitoring of the antineoplastic drug in the environment and a nurse's health condition periodically going forward.

Survey of Glycyrrhizae Radix resources in Mongolia: chemical assessment of the underground part of Glycyrrhiza uralensis and comparison with Chinese Glycyrrhizea Radix.

In order to reveal the chemical characteristics of Glycyrrhiza uralensis growing in Mongolia and to clarify whether it can be the source of Glycyrrhizae Radix used in Japan, eight major bioactive constituents in the underground parts of G. uralensis collected in Mongolia were quantitatively analyzed and compared with Glycyrrhizae Radix produced in China. Most of the 15 samples from eastern, southern and western parts of Mongolia contained 26.95-58.55 mg/g of glycyrrhizin, exceeding the criterion (25 mg/g) assigned in the Japanese Pharmacopoeia. The sample collected in Tamsagiyn hooly, Dornod province, in eastern Mongolia was of the highest content 58.55 mg/g. The contents of three flavanone constituents (liquiritin apioside, liquiritin and liquiritigenin) and three chalcones (isoliquiritin apioside, isoliquiritin and isoliquiritigenin) varied significantly according to collection places; the subtotal of the three flavanones ranged from 3.00 to 26.35 mg/g, and the subtotal of the three chalcones ranged from 1.13 to 10.50 mg/g. The content of glycyrrhizin and subtotal contents of flavanones and chalcones in the underground parts of G. uralensis from Mongolia were obviously lower than wild samples, but higher than cultivated samples derived from the same species produced in China. Glycycoumarin, a species-specific constituent of G. uralensis, was detected in all Mongolian samples. Its contents in samples from eastern Mongolia, Sergelen and Tamsagiyn hooly of Dornod province were very high and were compatible with Tohoku-kanzo derived from wild Chinese G. uralensis. The present study suggested that Mongolian G. uralensis could be a source of Glycyrrhizae Radix, mostly of Japanese Pharmacopoeia grade. However, the producing area should be taken into consideration to ensure relatively high quality. In addition, planned use and promotion of cultivation must be advocated to avoid confronting Mongolian Glycyrrhiza with the same threat as its congener in China. Our study sheds some light on selecting cultivation areas and superior strains, which are important tasks to promote cultivation.