Adverse pregnancy outcomes in healthcare workers: a Korean nationwide population-based study.
OBJECTIVE
To assess female healthcare workers' pregnancy complications and outcomes including abortion, fetal screening abnormalities, intrauterine growth retardation (IUGR), and preterm labor using nationwide population data and compare these results with those of the general population in Korea.


METHODS
Korean National Health Insurance (NHI) claim data was used. We choose 3 different reference groups for comparison: (1) dependents of employees insured by NHI, i.e. non-working women, (2) all insured employees, i.e. all working women, and (3) workers in the education division. To compare the groups, logistic regression was used for multivariate analysis after adjusting for age and income level.


RESULTS
Overall, healthcare workers showed a higher adjusted OR (odds ratio) in almost all obstetrical consequences. Miscarriage, threatened abortion, preterm labor, fetal screening abnormalities, and IUGR showed a higher adjusted OR in the working group than in the non-working group. We also observed similar results in a comparison of both the working groups. Regarding workers in the education division, ORs for obstetrical outcomes were also high, except for preterm labor.


CONCLUSIONS
Health care workers have a higher risk of adverse pregnancy outcomes such as miscarriage, IUGR, and fetal screening abnormalities.
Occupational Safety and Health Research Institute, Ulsan, South Korea.|Department of Occupational & Environmental Medicine, Samsung Changwon Hospital, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Changwon, South Korea.
Chulyong
C
Park
Department of Preventive Medicine, College of Medicine, Seoul National University, Seoul, South Korea. snaptoon@naver.com.
Mo-Yeol
MY
Kang
Occupational Safety and Health Research Institute, Ulsan, South Korea.
Dohyung
D
Kim
Occupational Safety and Health Research Institute, Ulsan, South Korea.
Jaechan
J
Park
Occupational Safety and Health Research Institute, Ulsan, South Korea.
Huisu
H
Eom
Occupational Safety and Health Research Institute, Ulsan, South Korea.
Eun-A
EA
Kim
D000328:Adult; D016208:Databases, Factual; D005260:Female; D006282:Health Personnel; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D016015:Logistic Models; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D009313:National Health Programs; D016273:Occupational Exposure / Q000009:adverse effects*; D011247:Pregnancy; D011248:Pregnancy Complications / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology*; D011256:Pregnancy Outcome / Q000453:epidemiology*; D056910:Republic of Korea / Q000453:epidemiology; D055815:Young Adult
Healthcare workers; National Health Insurance (NHI) claim data; Pregnancy outcome; Reproductive disease