Actual Situation and Management of Allergies among Nurses Working in Hospitals in Japan

• Published in: Journal of Japan Society of Nursing Research Vol. 46; no. 4; pp. 4_693 - 4_702
• Main Authors: Sasaki, Makiko, Kikuchi, Yukiko, Kudo, Yukiko, Hasebe, Makiko, Sugiyama, Reiko
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: Japanese
• Published: Japan Society of Nursing Research 20.10.2023; 一般社団法人 日本看護研究学会
• Subjects: allergy; health; management; nurse; workplace; アレルギー; 健康; 看護職; 管理; 職場
• ISSN: 2188-3599; 2189-6100
• DOI: 10.15065/jjsnr.20230302206

Objective: This study aims to clarify the actual situation and management of allergies among nurses working in hospitals in Japan. Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional survey using a self-administered questionnaire. The question items included the presence or absence and onset of allergies, frequency of contact with allergens, and tissue health care. Results: A total of 264 valid responses were analyzed. The results indicated that 82.6% of the respondents had at least one allergic symptom. The most common allergy was allergic rhinitis (41.7%). In all cases, the onset time for those with allergies to rubber products was after admission to a primary nursing educational institution or employment. Moreover, 32.2% of the respondents indicated that their allergic symptoms worsened after entering nursing. Significant associations existed between increased allergic symptoms after employment and allergies to rubber products, detergents, or soap and allergic rhinitis. The results also revealed assigning the management of allergies to individual nurses. Conclusions: This study revealed that allergy management in the workplace was poor, even though most of the nurses had allergic symptoms. Therefore, in addition to a deeper understanding of allergies among nurses, improved allergy management in the workplace is needed.