Irritant Contact Dermatitis in Healthcare Workers in the Time of COVID-19
摘要
During the COVID-19 pandemic, hand hygiene and personal protective equipment (PPE) guidelines for healthcare workers became stricter. Increased use of PPE (including masks and gloves) and hand sanitizers as well as increased hand washing resulted in skin adverse events including irritant contact dermatitis (ICD). The areas of involvement of ICD in healthcare workers included the hands (most commonly), face, retroauricular area, and lips. Prevention and treatment of ICD are essential because poorly treated ICD may affect compliance to PPE and put healthcare workers at risk of COVID-19 or other infections at work. This chapter will focus on ICD in healthcare workers during the time of COVID-19, with a focus on risk factors and clinical presentations as well as prevention and treatment strategies.