Registered nurses are at increased risk of hospitalization for infectious diseases and perinatal complications: A population-based observational study

BACKGROUND: Nursing staff spend long periods in high-risk working environments. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to compare the hospitalization risk between nursing staff and the general population. DESIGN: This study adopted a retrospective observational design. SETTING: Data from the Taiwan National Health Insurance Research Database from 2011 to 2013 were analyzed. METHOD: The standardized hospitalization ratio model was used to analyze the relative risk of hospitalization for various diseases between nursing staff and the general population. RESULTS: A total of 33,267 numbers of nursing staff in Taiwan were hospitalized, an overall crude hospitalization rate of 21.5%. After controlling for gender, calendar year, and age of nursing staff, the standardized hospitalization ratio of female nursing staff was significantly higher compared to the general population for infectious and parasitic diseases (SHR = 121.05, 95% CI = 112.66–129.89), diseases of the respiratory system (SHR = 105.12, 95% CI = 100.60–109.80), complications of pregnancy, childbirth, and the puerperium (SHR = 102.59, 95% CI = 100.85–104.35), and diseases of the skin and subcutaneous tissue (SHR = 109.71, 95% CI = 101.10–118.86). CONCLUSIONS: Nursing staff have a significantly higher hospitalization risk compared to the general population for infectious and parasitic diseases, diseases of the respiratory system, complications of pregnancy, childbirth, and puerperium, and diseases of the skin and subcutaneous tissue. This may be associated with the job characteristics and environment of nursing staff.