Frequent Hand Washing and the Occurrence of Hand Eczema Among Healthcare Workers During COVID-19 Pandemic in Thailand

Authors

  • Papitchaya Urairerkkul SCHOOL OF ANTI-AGING AND REGENERATIVE MEDICINE, MAE FAH LUANG UNIVERSITY, BANGKOK, THAILAND.
  • Thep Chalermchai SCHOOL OF ANTI-AGING AND REGENERATIVE MEDICINE, MAE FAH LUANG UNIVERSITY, BANGKOK, THAILAND.

Keywords:

Hand washing, hand eczema, COVID-19 pandemic

Abstract

Background: Hand washing is an important method to help prevent COVID-19 infection.  Hand eczema is a common skin problem that is often triggered by frequent hand washing with soap and water.

Objectives: To examine the magnitude and related factors of hand eczema among Thai health care workers during COVID-19 pandemic.

Methods: Self-administered, online questionnaire was utilized to collect the data from healthcare workers with 18 to 65 years of age. Data collection included general information, underlying diseases, handwashing practice and behavior, an occurrence of hand eczema.

Results: From 333 respondents reported, the mean age was 31.3 ± 7.4 years. The prevalence rate of hand eczema was 52.2% (n=174). Those subjects with hand washing practice with soap and water more than 10 times a day, history of atopic dermatitis, allergic rhinitis and allergic contact dermatitis were the statistically significant risk factors to develop hand eczema (p = 0.004, 0.005, <0.001, 0.038, respectively).

Conclusions: Hand eczema in health care workers is common during COVID-19 pandemic. Those persons with frequent hand washing and previous history of atopic dermatitis and allergic rhinitis are the major risk factors. This study encourages awareness about the magnitude of disease awareness, health literacy and health prevention campaigns for hand eczema among health care personnel during the COVID-19 pandemic.

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Published

2022-09-07

How to Cite

Urairerkkul, P., & Chalermchai, T. (2022). Frequent Hand Washing and the Occurrence of Hand Eczema Among Healthcare Workers During COVID-19 Pandemic in Thailand. Thai Journal of Dermatology, 38(3), 83–93. Retrieved from https://he02.tci-thaijo.org/index.php/TJD/article/view/257714

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Original articles