Feasibility Study of Using Radio-frequency Identification Technology in Estimating the Time Pattern of Exposure to Causative Agents of Occupational Diseases.

BACKGROUND: At workplaces, the workers exposed to several harmful agents such as physical, chemical, and biological pollutant that cause occupational diseases. There are a lot of jobs that not allow a certain pattern of exposure to this agent. In this article, we introduce a technology named radio-frequency identification (RFID) to estimate the exposure time of workers to harmful agent. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This applied study was carried out experimentally in an industry in Isfahan province, Iran. Twenty-nine participants selected from the workers without a fixed pattern of exposure. Two methods used to measure the exposure time of them. The first method was based on a self-made RFID device and conducted by the workers. The second method performed by stopwatch, which was carried out by the occupational hygienist. The results were analyzed using SPSS 20 and descriptive statistics, Spearman correlation coefficient, and paired samples t-test. RESULTS: The mean age of the participants was 36.48 ± 5.889 and job experience was 9.06 ± 6.316 years. Spearman correlation coefficient shows that there is a significant correlation between the exposure times measured by the workers and occupational hygienist (R in all zones was higher than 0.9, P < 0.05). Paired samples t-test shows that there are no significant differences between the mean exposure times measured by the workers and occupational hygienist in each zone and in all the zones (P > 0.05). CONCLUSION: RFID technology is an appropriate method to evaluate the exposure time of workers without fixed pattern of exposure to causative factors of occupational diseases. It can also be used in other fields of occupational health engineering.

Clinical Presentation and the Outcome of Therapy in a Cohort of Patients with Methadone Toxicity in Iran.

BACKGROUND: Agonist maintenance therapy with methadone is amongst the preferred remedies for treating opioid dependence and is increasingly supported by the regional governments in this part of the world. In this study we have investigated the clinical manifestations and factors affecting the outcome of therapy in patients with methadone poisoning in a Middle-Eastern (Iranian) referral tertiary care University hospital. METHODS: In this prospective and descriptive-analytic study which was done in a tertiary care and referral University hospital in Iran (2012-2013) all of the admitted patients with a clear and reliable history of methadone poisoning (n=433) were included and demographic data, Clinical status on admission including Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) score, time elapsed from ingestion to hospital admission, average dose of naloxone used, any history of psychiatric disorder, type of toxic exposure, co ingestion of other medication, hospitalization time and the outcome were recorded and statistically analyzed. RESULTS: The average length of hospital stay was 33 ± 26 hours. 80.1% of patients had ingested methadone alone, and 90.3% survived. Complications were pulmonary edema (7%), aspiration pneumonia (1.4%), generalized tonic colonic seizure (0.9%), and renal failure (0.5%). GCS, systolic blood pressure and respiratory rate were lower in fatal cases and GCS had prognostic value for the outcome of therapy in methadone intoxicated patients. Patients with higher GCS on admission had better outcome [OR =0.47 (95% CI: 0.38-0.580); P value< 0.0001]. CONCLUSION: Admission time GCS score maybe considered as an important predictor for the outcome of therapy in methadone poisoning.