Cleaning and disinfection are central to most modern health-care facilities. But frequent exposures to certain chemicals in the workplace have been found to increase the risk of developing asthma.
Through the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, the National Institute of Health granted $750,000 to University of Arizona professor Amanda Wilson to help prevent nurses from developing work-related asthma.
Over the next five years of research, Wilson said she will focus on developing new protocols that balance the risk of developing breathing problems with keeping disease at bay.
“Even though there's this risk that we've identified or this link, it doesn't mean that every person's going to have that experience,” said Wilson. “But it does mean there's something there to be investigated further.”
Protocols can vary widely, she said, making it even more important to gauge what improvements are needed in different places. Despite evidence of the link between nurses and work-related asthma existing for roughly 40 years, making changes can be difficult.
“Changes to those protocols can have rippling effects,” Wilson said, “and there’s a lot of different people at the table who might have different opinions about the pros or cons of those choices.”
According to Wilson, her process will include interviewing people in different decision-making roles in the health-care field.
