A comparison of occupational health issues among nursing home staff in Australia, Japan, Korea and Taiwan

We conducted a 4-year lnvestigation of skin disease and musculoskeletal disorders (MSD) among 465 nursing home staff in Australia, Japan, Korea and Taiwan. Skin disease was diagnosed by specialist physicians during medical examinations while MSD information was collected by means of a self-reported questionnaire. The Australian group suffered a generally higher prevalence of skin disease than in the other countries, most likely due to their significantly higher rate of sun-induced skin disorders. Conversely, the Japanese reported a higher overall MSD prevalence at almost all body sites. Important skin disease risk factors included previous skin disease, a history of allergy and employment as a service worker. Interestingly, MSD was found to be a co-factor for current skin disease. Indivisual MSD risk factors included moving patlients, washing patients, working as an assistant nurse and daily alcohol consumption. 0verall, our study suggests that nursing home work incurs a reasonable degree of risk and that skin disease and MSD are important occupational issues within these facilities. Further research is required to elucidate the significance of our findings