An update on the prevalence and risk exposures associated with hand eczema in Danish hospital employees: A cross‐sectional questionnaire‐based study

Background Hand eczema (HE) is common in health care workers (HCWs). During the last decade, new recommendations have supported increased use of alcohol‐based hand rub (ABHR) to partially replace hand washings to lower the prevalence of HE. However, newer data on this recommendation is lacking. Objectives To assess current 1‐year prevalence of HE in HCWs, to investigate exposure, and the extent of subjective discomfort to hand washings and ABHR. Methods A digital questionnaire was sent to 4876 HCWs from April to May 2020. Results Of 2125 respondents (1779 women, 346 men), 14.7% reported HE within the last year. In total, 9.1% reported >20 hand washings per shift and 76.0% reported ABHR use >20 times per shift. HE was significantly associated with hand washings (adjusted odds ratio [OR] 1.73 [95% confidence interval [CI] 1.26‐2.36]) and glove use on wet skin (adjusted OR 1.99 [95% CI 1.27‐3.12]). Subjective discomfort to ABHR was reported significantly more often than to hand washings (P