Clinical examinations to validate self-completion questionnaires: XXXX in the UK printing industry.

@entity3406 @entity1 @entity24234 @entity9759 @entity5154 @entity272 @entity1909 @entity1491
A self-completion questionnaire sent to 2600 Nottinghamshire members of the Graphical Paper and Media Union elicited a 62% response. Forty one per cent of respondents reported suffering a skin complaint at some time and 11% had a current skin problem on the hand. This paper reports the validation stage of the study. Samples of 45 'cases' of self-reported @entity1909 and 60 'controls', who reported they had never suffered a skin complaint, were clinically examined. All 45 self-reported cases were clinically confirmed as @entity1909 . Occupationally related @entity9759 ( @entity9759 ) was diagnosed in 20 (44%); 26 (58%) complaints were thought to be induced or exacerbated by occupation. Of the controls, 21 (35%) were also diagnosed with a skin complaint, the majority being mild, with an occupational association in 17, the majority (15) being @entity9759 . Sixteen @entity9759 cases were patch tested resulting in positive reactions to colophony, @entity5154 , @entity3406 and @entity24234 (2 of each). Two cases of @entity1491 on the face were also identified, of which the @entity1 were unaware. Although there was no false positive self-reporting there was a considerable number of false negatives, demonstrating the importance of clinical validation of questionnaires relating to @entity272 . This study has highlighted the need for improvement in skin care provision in the printing industry.
