Occupational dermatoses in health care personnel using PPE during the COVID pandemic

Background A sudden surge of occupation-associated dermatoses among the healthcare workers (HCWs) serving COVID-19 patients have been witnessed recently due to increased usage of PPE (PPE) kits and increased frequency of hygiene practices, with a significant impact on their quality of life and compromised efficacy at work. Hence, this study was conducted to measure the prevalence of occupational dermatoses among HCWs serving Covid-19 patients using PPE kits and hygiene practices and their impact on quality of life. Methods HCWs of all cadres were screened for occupation-associated dermatoses. Cases with occupational dermatosis were further evaluated regarding using a PPE kit, and DLQI was calculated. Results 19% of HCWs had dermatoses associated with PPE and hygiene practices. Hands were most affected, followed by the face, nasal bridge, and facial skin in contact with goggles. 48% had Mathias score >/= 4. Most cases had reported some impact on their quality of life. A significant association could be established between frequency of hand washing >/= 10 times/day with hand dermatitis (p=0.000). Conclusion The use of PPE has significantly raised cases of occupational dermatosis among HCWs. Repeated hand washing and hand sanitizer use has increased the incidence of hand dermatitis. ### Competing Interest Statement The authors have declared no competing interest. ### Funding Statement This study did not receive any funding ### Author Declarations I confirm all relevant ethical guidelines have been followed, and any necessary IRB and/or ethics committee approvals have been obtained. Yes The details of the IRB/oversight body that provided approval or exemption for the research described are given below: All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Bhopal Institute Human Ethics for Postgraduate Research (IHEC-PGR) committee discussed your proposal titled "Occupational dermatoses in health care personnel using PPE during the COVID pandemic" and evaluated it for suitability for your dissertation as required for fulfilment of Post-Graduate. The decision of the committee is as follows: Accepted (LOP/2020/IM0299) The committee considers this project as Human subject research. I confirm that all necessary patient/participant consent has been obtained and the appropriate institutional forms have been archived, and that any patient/participant/sample identifiers included were not known to anyone (e.g., hospital staff, patients or participants themselves) outside the research group so cannot be used to identify individuals. Yes I understand that all clinical trials and any other prospective interventional studies must be registered with an ICMJE-approved registry, such as ClinicalTrials.gov. I confirm that any such study reported in the manuscript has been registered and the trial registration ID is provided (note: if posting a prospective study registered retrospectively, please provide a statement in the trial ID field explaining why the study was not registered in advance). Yes I have followed all appropriate research reporting guidelines, such as any relevant EQUATOR Network research reporting checklist(s) and other pertinent material, if applicable. Yes All data produced in the present study are available upon reasonable request to the authors