Exposición y efectos adversos en la salud debido al uso de productos desinfectantes en el personal de limpieza del Hospital General Docente Ambato

Abstract

The objective is to determine the degree of exposure and the types of injuries caused by disinfectants in the cleaning staff of the Hospital General Docente Ambato, characterizing according to age, sex, the type of injuries whether acute or chronic depending on the time of exposure, the working day and the use of personal protection, which will allow finding the statistically significant causal relationship.Method: The present study was developed based on a descriptive, cross-sectional and explanatory design, applied to 80 workers who work in the cleaning area; the information collected was by means of a survey, using the Basic Questionnaire and methodological criteria for Surveys on Labor, Employment and Health Conditions in Latin America and the Caribbean, which analyzes domains such as sociodemographic and labor characteristics, employment conditions, working conditions, health, resources and preventive activities, family characteristics. Results: Cleaning personnel working with disinfectant products at the Hospital General Docente Ambato are susceptible to developing multiple local or systemic clinical manifestations, therefore, the percentage of people who use such products, the number of workers who comply with the instructions for use of disinfectant products, whether or not they have knowledge about the effects and risks on health was determined, as well as the age group with more exposure and vulnerability. Implications: With this degree study, it is proposed to provide necessary information to avoid health complications, due to poor handling of disinfectant products in the hospital area, since, it is desired to guarantee the health of workers, as well as to standardize the cleaning and disinfection process, promote continuous training in the techniques and methodologies of cleaning and disinfection, to decrease the amount of intrahospital contagion by Covid 19. The research will allow the creation of regulations that will provide knowledge to raise surveillance plans applicable in the field of Occupational Safety and Health; specifically benefiting the Hospital General Docente Ambato, creating a document that summarizes the list of disinfectant products for use against SARS-CoV-2 as mentioned by the EPA (Environmental Protection Agency of the United States) on May 14, 2020 and the code of practice for cleaning, disinfection and sterilization in health establishments - CPE INEN 20:2013 First revision.