Studying the prevalence of chronic general somatic diseases among medical workers based on a cross-sectional epidemiological study

Abstract

Introduction. Obtaining objective data on the long-term consequences of health disorders of medical workers who have suffered COVID-19 while performing professional duties is an important problem of occupational health. The establishment of background indicators of the health status of medical workers before their contact with infectious patients in the performance of professional duties is the first stage of monitoring the long-term consequences of coronavirus infection. The study aims to assess the prevalence of chronic general somatic diseases among medical workers of various industrial and professional groups for further monitoring of their health status. Materials and methods. The object of the study was the medical staff of the regional clinical hospital. The authors have analyzed the results of periodic medical examinations. The total number of medical workers amounted to 495 people. Experts have formed three production and professional groups: doctors, nursing staff, and junior medical staff. The authors performed a cross-sectional epidemiological study, during which they studied the prevalence of chronic general somatic diseases in medical professionals. The reliability of the results obtained was assessed by the Student's coefficient. Results. In the course of a cross-sectional epidemiological study, scientists found that the prevalence of chronic diseases in individual industrial and occupational groups is at the same level. In the structure of chronic general somatic diseases of medical workers, the first two places are occupied by diseases of the circulatory system and diseases of the musculoskeletal system and connective tissue. Diseases of the endocrine system, eating disorders and metabolic disorders occupy the third place. Chronic diseases of the musculoskeletal system and connective tissue are equally common among medical workers of various professional groups and amount to 63.0±2.2 (per 100 employees). The prevalence of chronic diseases of the circulatory system among medical workers is 50.7±2.2 per 100 employees. When comparing the indicators between professional groups, the authors found that the prevalence of diseases of the system of this class of diseases among doctors (38.6±3.2) was significantly (p<0.05) lower compared with employees of the average (55.2±3.9) and junior (63.2±4.2) medical personnel. The prevalence of diseases of the endocrine system, eating disorders and metabolism among medical workers is 32.1±2.1 per 100 employees. At the same time, the lowest rate was noted among doctors, which is 25.9±3.1 per 100 employees and is significantly lower compared to the group of junior medical personnel (41.4±4.3). Limitations. The study is limited to the observation period. Conclusion. The data obtained as a result of a cross-sectional epidemiological study allowed us to establish that among doctors the prevalence of diseases of the circulatory and endocrine systems, eating disorders and metabolic disorders is significantly lower compared with medical professionals of other professional groups. Ethics. All medical staff have given informed consent to the use of personal data for statistical processing.