Table 2.
Health status parameters of pathologists in Switzerland
| Characteristics | Yes (%) | No (%) |
|---|---|---|
| Ever received an introduction into work place ergonomics |
24 (14.7%) |
136 (83.4%) |
| Ever experienced work-related musculoskeletal problems |
123 (75.5%) |
40 (24.5%) |
| Musculoskeletal problems in the last four weeks (n=123) |
69 (56.1%) |
53 (43.1%) |
| Signed off due musculoskeletal problems last year (n=123) |
11 (8.9%) |
112 (91.1%) |
| Doing regularly short breaks for stretching exercises |
36 (22.1%) |
124 (76.1%) |
| Any known ametropia |
145 (89.0%) |
17 (10.4%) |
| Aggravation of ametropia since working in pathology (n=145) |
82 (56.6%) |
58 (40.0%) |
| Eye fatigue symptoms in the last month |
90 (55.2%) |
68 (41.7%) |
| Ever experienced occupational injuries in pathology |
135 (82.8%) |
28 (17.2%) |
| Experienced such injuries in the last year (n=135) |
37 (27.4%) |
95 (70.4%) |
| Remaining permanent damages from such injuries (n=135) |
5 (3.7%) |
127 (94.1%) |
| Ever experienced intolerance reactions against formalin |
41 (25.2%) |
118 (72.4%) |
| Any known allergy |
55 (33.7%) |
105 (64.4%) |
| Since working in pathology ever diseased with… |
|
|
| Tuberculosis |
2 (1.2%) |
153 (93.9%) |
| Positive tuberculin test only |
31 (19.0%) |
119 (73.0%) |
| Hepatitis B |
1 (0.6%) |
154 (94.5%) |
| Hepatitis C |
0 (0.0%) |
155 (95.1%) |
| HIV |
0 (0.0%) |
154 (94.5%) |
| Burnout |
14 (8.6%) |
141 (86.5%) |
| Depression |
11 (6.7%) |
144 (88.3%) |
| Hypertension |
11 (6.7%) |
144 (88.3%) |
| Diabetes mellitus type II |
3 (1.8%) |
152 (93.2%) |
| Malignancies |
3 (1.8%) |
149 (91.4%) |
| Sufficient hepatitis B immunisation |
153 (93.9%) |
9 (5.5%) |
| Ever received BCG (tuberculosis) immunisation |
128 (78.5%) |
31 (19.0%) |
| Smoking |
17 (10.4%) |
145 (89.0%) |
| Cut-resistant gloves available at workplace |
99 (60.7%) |
60 (36.8%) |
| Regular personal use of cut-resistant gloves at dissections/autopsies |
39 (23.9%) |
108 (66.3%) |
| Extraction of air in the dissection room considered sufficient | 94 (57.7%) | 66 (40.5%) |
Percentages relate to the whole cohort of 163 participants unless stated otherwise. Respective sub-set numbers are then provided in the characteristics column.