https://medicalxpress.com/occupational-medicine-news/ en-us Latest medical news and research in Occupational medicine Menopause has long been treated as something private, but the silence surrounding it is increasingly at odds with demographic reality. Women over 50 are the fastest-growing group in the workforce in many countries, and most will experience menopause during their working lives. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-04-women-menopause-symptoms-workplaces.html Wed, 15 Apr 2026 12:40:02 EDT news695472241 In a systematic review and meta-analysis, researchers found that occupational exposure to talc that is not contaminated with asbestos is not associated with an increase in the risk of lung cancer, mesothelioma, or laryngeal cancer. The findings are published in the Journal of Thoracic Oncology. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-04-respiratory-cancers-asbestos-free-talc.html Sat, 11 Apr 2026 10:30:01 EDT news695048471 A multidisciplinary research team has identified a faster way to determine which airborne chemicals pose a threat to human lungs. Led by an environmental health researcher with the Texas A&M University School of Public Health, the study in Inhalation Toxicology shows that lab-grown lung cells that behave like those inside the human body can reliably screen chemicals for respiratory toxicity. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-04-fast-accurate-enables-airborne-chemical.html Mon, 06 Apr 2026 17:40:02 EDT news694707637 The fight against widespread burnout in the health care workforce should begin with the training of future health care administrators, according to a new paper from the George Mason University College of Public Health. Published in the Journal of Health Administration Education, the paper examines how health administration programs can better prepare future leaders to address burnout by focusing on workplace factors such as working conditions, leadership support, job design and workload, social connections, and opportunities for advancement. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-03-ways-future-health-leaders-tackle.html Sun, 29 Mar 2026 15:30:02 EDT news693580973 Night shift workers living with type 2 diabetes (T2D) face challenges in maintaining a healthy diet and managing their condition. The findings by King's College London, as part of a series of studies published in Diabetic Medicine, underscore the need for tailored support to help this group improve their health and well-being. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-03-night-shifts-worsen-diabetes.html Sat, 28 Mar 2026 09:00:07 EDT news693487700 Efforts to address workplace violence against health care professionals need to evolve beyond preventing individual incidents to confronting systemic challenges that impede patient-centered, trauma-informed care, according to an article published in AACN Advanced Critical Care. Titled "Five Topics Overlooked in Workplace Violence Discussions in Health Care Settings," the study examines five underrecognized yet critical domains of inquiry that form the basis for practice and cultural changes in workplace violence prevention (WVP) on non-psychiatric units. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-03-workplace-violence-health-requires-paradigm.html Wed, 25 Mar 2026 16:40:01 EDT news693652843 Nine leading medical societies are calling for updated safety standards in fluoroscopy laboratories, often called "cath labs," where clinicians performing minimally invasive procedures face radiation exposure and orthopedic injuries from heavy protective equipment. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-03-medical-societies-alara-safety-standard.html Tue, 24 Mar 2026 09:00:05 EDT news693467710 A study conducted at the University of Jyväskylä shows that regular leisure-time physical activity started at a young age prevents a decrease in work ability at the end of a career. The result is societally significant, as productivity losses due to reduced work ability cost billions of euros annually. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-03-physical-ability-lifelong-childhood-career.html Thu, 19 Mar 2026 15:00:03 EDT news693144841 Ballet is an art of illusion: dancers seem to float across the stage and, in their leaps, appear to defy gravity for a moment. The effort behind this lightness and grace usually remains invisible to audiences. "Professional dance is a high-performance sport," says Professor Eileen Wanke of the Institute of Occupational, Social and Environmental Medicine at Goethe University Frankfurt. "It requires exceptional physical control and athleticism, developed through many years of intensive training." https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-03-sensor-injury-pro-dancers.html Thu, 19 Mar 2026 11:40:04 EDT news693138962 Rheumatic and musculoskeletal disorders (RMDs) like arthritis are having a significant impact on how long people across Europe can remain healthy while working, according to a new study. A research team from Keele University has found that workers in European countries who have an RMD can expect to be healthy and in work for significantly less time than their counterparts who do not have one of these conditions, with the difference being as much as 50% in six of the countries studied. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-03-musculoskeletal-disorders-shortening-healthy-europe.html Tue, 17 Mar 2026 16:10:06 EDT news692981522 Two related studies published recently by international teams—including researchers with the UCLA Fielding School of Public Health and the UCLA Joe C. Wen School of Nursing—examined how diabetes, heart disease and other chronic illnesses can stem from a combination of working conditions and lifestyle factors. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-03-links-diet-chronic-illnesses.html Tue, 17 Mar 2026 09:50:03 EDT news692959262 Their job is to protect, promote, and restore human health and lives, but health care workers believe that their own use of alcohol and illegal drugs reduces the quality of care they provide to patients. A recent study suggests that more doctors and nurses struggle with substance use than we are aware of. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-03-doctors-nurses-substance-affects-patients.html Tue, 03 Mar 2026 17:00:04 EST news691759283 The scent of wood and visual wood elements reduce stress and significantly enhance recovery and mood indoors. The well-being effects of virtual wooden surfaces are very similar to those of genuine ones. A study carried out by the University of Helsinki and Natural Resources Institute Finland investigated how the scent of wood and walls that mimic wood affect people's recovery and mood indoors. The focus was on the effects of a scent representing Scots pine, virtual wooden walls and their combination. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-02-calmer-workplaces-scent-wood-visuals.html Thu, 26 Feb 2026 11:40:01 EST news691327442 Untreated obstructive sleep apnea may be costing the UK and US economies billions of pounds/dollars in lost productivity every year, with a considerable proportion of working-age adults experiencing symptoms indicative of the breathing disorder, suggests an analysis published online in the journal Thorax. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-02-obstructive-apnea-uk-economies-billions.html Tue, 24 Feb 2026 18:30:01 EST news691058942 A new study from the Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health identifies team creativity as a powerful, measurable driver of well-being and effectiveness in primary care. The research validates a new Primary Care Team Creativity tool and finds that higher levels of team creativity is also associated with greater job satisfaction and lower burnout among clinicians and staff. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-02-team-creativity-emerges-catalyst-high.html Tue, 24 Feb 2026 05:40:02 EST news691130007 People who work at night have a higher risk of coronary artery disease, a type of heart disease. A new study suggests that a higher fiber intake in the diet may help reduce this risk. The study included over 220,000 adults in the UK and is published in the European Journal of Epidemiology. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-02-high-fiber-diet-linked-heart.html Mon, 23 Feb 2026 10:10:07 EST news691062814 An analysis co-led by Josefa A. Antón Ruiz, a researcher from the Department of Health Psychology at the University of Alicante (UA), reveals that 43.5% of health care professionals experienced clinically significant symptoms of insomnia during and after the COVID-19 pandemic. The article, published in the journal Current Psychology, is based on a joint analysis of 34 studies conducted in 14 countries, with a sample of 32,930 health care professionals. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-02-health-professionals-insomnia-covid-reveals.html Mon, 23 Feb 2026 10:00:02 EST news691062708 A new systematic review and meta-analysis published in Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery, the official journal of the American Academy of Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery Foundation (AAO-HNSF), reveals that musicians face substantially higher rates of tinnitus, hearing loss, and hyperacusis compared to non-musicians. The study pooled data from 67 studies encompassing more than 28,000 musicians across 21 countries. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-02-musicians-tinnitus-loss-hyperacusis-significantly.html Tue, 17 Feb 2026 14:00:06 EST news690559087 Nurses are increasingly overloaded. This is especially true in nursing homes and in home care, as shown by the results of the latest nursing survey in which more than 18,000 nurses answered questions about how they experience their daily work, with particular emphasis on the psychosocial work environment. "The survey shows that municipalities in Norway are underfunded. The staffing is not proportionate to the tasks to be performed," says Solveig Osborg Ose. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-02-survey-nurses-workload-staffing.html Thu, 12 Feb 2026 14:49:29 EST news690130141 Researchers at the University of California San Diego and the Veterans Affairs San Diego Healthcare System have identified a distinct biological pattern of chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS), a chronic respiratory illness frequently associated with exposure to airborne toxins, such as wildfire smoke and military burn pits. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-02-airborne-toxins-trigger-unique-chronic.html Wed, 11 Feb 2026 16:09:37 EST news690048541 A new study from National Jewish Health helps explain how exposure to burn pit smoke and desert dust may damage the lungs of military service members deployed to regions such as Afghanistan and Iraq. The research, published in Free Radical Biology and Medicine, sheds light on why veterans exposed to these environments face higher rates of asthma and other long-term respiratory conditions. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-02-reveals-pitrelated-particulate-triggers-lung.html Mon, 09 Feb 2026 20:00:05 EST news689849873 A study of U.S. veterans led by investigators at Mass General Brigham has identified a possible link between exposure to the Agent Orange herbicide and a rare melanoma subtype less likely to be related to sun exposure. The authors of the study, published in JAMA Dermatology, say this link warrants further examination to inform diagnostic strategies for people who may be at a greater risk for acral melanoma. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-02-agent-orange-exposure-factor-rare.html Wed, 04 Feb 2026 16:43:32 EST news689445781 Home service workers—those who provide care, inspections, or repairs inside private homes—can often lack paid sick leave, making illness a direct financial risk. New research from George Mason University College of Public Health suggests paid sick leave should be understood not only as an employee benefit, but as a preventive health intervention. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-02-paid-sick-function-disease.html Tue, 03 Feb 2026 14:23:37 EST news689350982 A new study published in the Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine has identified clear occupational factors and demographic indicators associated with elevated serum levels of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances among U.S. career firefighters. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-02-key-predictors-pfas-career-firefighters.html Mon, 02 Feb 2026 13:31:51 EST news689261462 Imagine being a dentist, and your clients roll their eyes at you, comment that you don't know what you're doing—or even spit at you. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-01-nursing-shortage-worse-nurses-daily.html Sat, 31 Jan 2026 16:40:02 EST news688912668 I have spent much of my professional life thinking about buildings—how they are designed, how they are constructed and how they shape daily life. But some structures matter far more than we usually admit. In places affected by war, the built environment does not simply fail; it actively reshapes trauma. Homes disappear. Hospitals fracture. Streets turn into obstacles instead of connections. And inside those damaged spaces, human beings are expected to keep functioning. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-01-health-workers-war-zones-built.html Tue, 27 Jan 2026 17:50:03 EST news688741358 When firefighters respond to an emergency, the gear they wear to protect themselves can also create challenges that could jeopardize their performance and safety. Their gear is bulky, and it may not fit perfectly. Those challenges can include restricted movement, added weight, and increased heat stress that raise the risk of injury and health problems down the road. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-01-hidden-firefighter-gear-revealed-effort.html Mon, 26 Jan 2026 21:30:03 EST news688656192 Mesothelioma is a rare type of cancer, most often caused by exposure to asbestos, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Mesothelioma develops in the thin tissue surrounding the lungs and other internal organs. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-01-diagnosis-treatment-mesothelioma.html Sat, 24 Jan 2026 06:50:01 EST news688373452 Restricted access to health care appointments during typical working hours leads to poorer health-related quality of life, a University of Manchester–led study has found. The research explores how being unable to attend health care appointments during normal working hours affects the health and well-being of employees. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-01-lack-employee-flexibility-health-hours.html Fri, 23 Jan 2026 13:20:22 EST news688396801 Nearly one in four U.S. physicians with an active license is over the age of 65. This has spurred a small minority of hospitals to enact policies to assess these caregivers' cognitive and physical health, with the aim of reducing lapses that harm patients. Doctors whose assessments show deficits could be asked to change their clinical schedule or to shift to administrative or teaching duties. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-01-policies-screen-doctors-lacking-fairness.html Thu, 22 Jan 2026 12:02:29 EST news688305722