The correlation between self‐reported hand eczema and clinically based diagnosis in professional cleaners

Abstract

AbstractBackgroundMost studies investigating the prevalence of hand eczema (HE) in professional cleaners use self‐reported questionnaire‐based data. However, no validation studies of self‐reporting of HE among professional cleaners have previously been conducted.ObjectivesTo investigate (1) the point prevalence of self‐reported HE, (2) the point prevalence of HE estimated by physical examination of the hands and (3) the sensitivity and specificity of self‐reporting of HE compared with the diagnosis based on physical examination among professional cleaners.MethodsProfessional cleaners at three different hospitals in Region Zealand were invited to fill out a questionnaire. The point prevalence of self‐reported HE was estimated based on questions from the Nordic Occupational Skin Questionnaire. After completing the questionnaire, each cleaner underwent a physical examination of the hands by a dermatologist on the same day.ResultsIn total, 234 cleaners were invited to participate in the study, and 224 (response rate = 96.0%) agreed to take part. Based on the self‐reported questionnaires, 5.3% (n = 12) of the cleaners had current HE. Based on an examination by a physician, 19.2% (n = 43) of the cleaners had current HE. The sensitivity of self‐reported HE was found to be 28.0%, while the specificity was found to be 100.0%. The positive predictive value was found to be 100.0%, while the negative predictive value was 85.0%.ConclusionThe true point prevalence of HE among professional cleaners is underestimated when based on self‐reporting.