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Common respiratory and gastrointestinal illness in paediatric student nurses and medical technology students

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  19 October 2009

H.-J. Gerth ,
Ch. Grüner ,
R. Müller  and
K. Dietz
H.-J. Gerth
Affiliation:
Hygiene-Institut der Universität Tübingen, Abt. für Med. Virologie und Epidemiologie der Viruskrankheiten, D7400 Tübingen, FRG
Ch. Grüner
Affiliation:
Hygiene-Institut der Universität Tübingen, Abt. für Med. Virologie und Epidemiologie der Viruskrankheiten, D7400 Tübingen, FRG
R. Müller
Affiliation:
Universitäts-Kinderklinik, D7400 Tübingen, FRG
K. Dietz
Affiliation:
Institut für Med. Biometrie der Universität Tübingen, D7400 Tübingen, FRG
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Summary

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The aim of this study was to establish the risk of acquiring common respiratory and gastrointestinal illness for paediatric nurses. Using self-administered questionnaires, student nurses at two children's hospitals and students at one school of medical technology reported biweekly the number of minor illnesses, symptoms, and indicators of severity of infection over a 3-year period (1975–8). Although a systematic bias was evident with some symptoms, others appeared to be quite reliable. The following four syndromes were defined to estimate the risk: upper respiratory syndrome (URS), lower respiratory syndrome (LRS), respiratory and gastrointestinal syndrome (RGS), and gastrointestinal syndrome (GS). Surveillance days were allocated to groups with high- or low-intensity contact with children. The incidence of all illnesses was 2·9 per person-year in the low-intensity contact group and 4·4 per person-year in the high-intensity contact group. The reported incidence of LRS and RGS in the high-intensity contact group was 1·55 times higher than in the low-intensity group (P < 0·001). LRS and RGS incidence was similar in nurses at both schools. During low contact periods it corresponded to that of the medical technologists.

Type
Research Article
Information
Epidemiology & Infection , Volume 98 , Issue 1 , February 1987 , pp. 33 - 45
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1987

References

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