Occupational health risks of pathologists - results from a nationwide online questionnaire in Switzerland

Abstract

BackgroundPathologists are highly trained medical professionals who play an essential part in the diagnosis and therapy planning of malignancies and inflammatory diseases. Their work is associated with potential health hazards including injuries involving infectious human tissue, chemicals which are assumed to be carcinogenic or long periods of microscope and computer work. This study aimed to provide the first comprehensive assessment of the health situation of pathologists in Switzerland.MethodsPathologists in Switzerland were contacted via the Swiss Society of Pathologists and asked to answer an ethically approved, online anonymous questionnaire comprising 48 questions on occupational health problems, workplace characteristics and health behaviour.Results163 pathologists participated in the study. Forty percent of pathologists reported musculoskeletal problems in the previous month. The overall prevalence was 76%. Almost 90% of pathologists had visual refraction errors, mainly myopia. 83% of pathologists had experienced occupational injuries, mostly cutting injuries, in their professional career; more than one fifth of participants reported cutting injuries in the last year. However, long lasting injuries and infectious diseases were rare. Depression and burnout affected every eighth pathologist. The prevalence of smoking was substantially below that of the general Swiss population.ConclusionsThe results of this study suggest that more care should be taken in technical and personal protective measures, ergonomic workplace optimisation and reduction of work overload and work inefficiencies. Despite the described health risks, Swiss pathologists were optimistic about their future and their working situation. The high rate of ametropia and psychological problems warrants further study.

Reported Musculoskeletal Symptoms Among Laboratory Workers, in Relation to Individual and Work-Related Physical Factors.

“…The overall one-year prevalence of musculoskeletal symptoms among the laboratory workers at anybody site was 52.04% (Table 2), which was lower than that of nurses (from 60% to 93%) (Trinkoff et Moreover, shoulder was the most affected body site (33.5%) ( Table 2) among the participants which could be related to strained hand and arm movements done by the laboratory worker during their working hours (Mani and Gerr, 2000).But this was in disagreement with many studies done on laboratory workers in which neck formed the most prevalent site of work related musculoskeletal symptoms (Rahimi et al, 2010 andFritzsche et al, 2012).…”

Ergonomic Microscope: Need of the Hour

“…In our study, we found that chair with lower back support or with adjustable heights were preferred for viewing. Despite this preference, still the participants had WMSDs which may be because other working conditions like neutral position and working hours were not followed by them [10]. Our results showed that nearly 50% of the subjects were aware about the (Centres for Disease Control and Prevention) CDC guidelines regarding the permissible usage of microscope in a day to be comfortable to the operator on a long run.…”

Occupational concerns associated with regular use of microscope

“…A number of highly trained medical professionals and technicians may help doctors to make decisions and save lives [3]. One such group comprises those who use microscope as a tool of investigation [3].…”