Occupational irritant hand dermatitis (OIHD) is an inflammatory reaction of the skin occurring in people who regularly come into contact with water, detergents, chemicals, and other irritants during their working day. Occupations at particular risk include hairdressing, nursing, cleaning, building, and the dye, printing, metal, and food industries. The condition is relatively common and affects about 5 to 20 out of 10,000 full-time workers per year. The first signs are red and scaly patches in the finger webs and on the knuckle area of the hands. Itchy blisters and painful cracks and possibly infection are common, and eventually the skin becomes thickened.
Preventing OIHD from developing is important because it is difficult to clear once it starts.
Although the findings of this review were generally positive we concluded that there is insufficient evidence, at present, for the effectiveness of most of the treatments identified for preventing new cases of OIHD in the workplace. This may be because further research is needed or the studies that have been done did not recruit a large enough number of participants. Larger studies are now needed to determine if primary prevention is helpful and which strategy (e.g. education or barrier creams) is best.