Work-related diseases of health care workers

Objective: analysis of current literature on work-related diseases in health care workers (HCW).

Matherials and methods: the literature review was performed using RSCI, PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science (Core Collection) databases on 13 February 2025 for the following keywords: healthcare workers, work-related diseases, occupational diseases, health preservation, health of healthcare workers. Articles published between 2005 and 2024 were selected for analysis.

Results: HCW are characterized by high occupational morbidity compared to other socio-professional groups and the general population due to exposure to various harmful factors in the workplace. Among HCW, chronic work-related diseases prevail, which include diseases of the circulatory system, metabolic syndrome, overweight and obesity, diabetes mellitus, mental disorders, diseases of the musculoskeletal and reproductive systems, digestive and respiratory organs, as well as allergic and infectious diseases.

Conclusions: regulatory legal documents regulate the issues of control and prevention of the negative impact of harmful and dangerous factors on the HCW. Active implementation and modernization of existing health-saving measures is required due to the high risk of work-related diseases among HCW.

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