CE Module: Work-Related Asthma Among Certified Nurse Aides in Texas

This issue of Workplace Health & Safety contains a Continuing Nursing Education Module for 1.0 contact hour of continuing nursing education credit will be awarded by AAOHN upon successful completion of the posttest and evaluation.

A certificate will be awarded when the following requirements are met by the participant: (1) Participant logs on to the AAOHN LMS website at www.aaohn.org/education/online-learning-center and enrolls in the course ($10 members; $15 non-members); (2) The completed posttest and course evaluation are entered online at http://www.aaohn.org by October 2022; (3) A score of 75% (6 correct answers) is achieved by the participant.

Upon completion of this lesson, the occupational health nurse will be able to:

• Describe the potential risks for work-related asthma for Certified Nurse Aides.

• Identify proper prevention measures when handling cleaning products.

The American Association of Occupational Health Nurses, Inc. is an Approved Provider of continuing nursing education by the American Association of Occupational Health Nurses, Inc., an accredited approver by the American Nurses Credentialing Center’s Commission on Accreditation. The American Association of Occupational Health Nurses, Inc. is additionally approved as a CNE provider by the California Board of Registered Nursing (#CEP9283).

Contact hours received for successful completion of the posttest and evaluation may be used for relicensure, certification, and re-certification.

1. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the lifetime prevalence of asthma in adults is:

2. 8%

3. 20%

4. 15%

The cross-sectional design of this study was appropriate because:

Researchers collected data at more than one point over an extended period of time

Researchers collected data during a single period of time

Researchers collected data over three or more periods of time

Researchers collected experimental and interventional data

Work-related asthma (WRA):

Only relates to pre-existing asthma worsened by workplace irritants

Only applies to a specific occupation

Only relates to asthma caused by a workplace irritant

Applies to both pre-existing asthma worsened by workplace irritants and asthma caused by a workplace irritant

Among nursing professionals, the group with the highest prevalence of new-onset adult asthma is:

Certified Nurse Aides

Registered Nurses

Nurse Practitioners

Vocational Nurses

Health-care tasks that potentially increases the risk for new-onset adult asthma is:

Cleaning and disinfection tasks

Patient bed-baths

Administering medications

Wearing personal protective equipment especially masks

Certified Nurse Aides (CNAs) might have lower odds for work-related asthma than Registered Nurses because:

There are differences in workplaces among CNAs and registered nurses

CNAs are more often employed in nursing homes, hospice, and homes

Less bleach and quaternary ammonium products are used in nursing homes, homes, and hospice

All the above

A strength of the current study is:

High response rate

Results can be generalizable globally

First study to specifically address CNAs and work-related asthma

Non-random sampling

Implications for occupational health practice include:

Identifying risky exposure to cleaning products and practices

Developing procedures for safe cleaning practices

Counseling CNAs on proper preventive measures when handling cleaning products and proper use of protective personal equipment.

All the above