Scholars@Duke
Carol Ann Epling

Carol Ann Epling

Assistant Professor in Family Medicine and Community Health
Family Medicine and Community Health, Occupational & Environmental
eplin002@mc.duke.edu
Duke Box 3834, Durham, NC 27710
2200 W Main St Ste 400, Durham, NC 27705

Scholarly Works - Journal articles

Partnerships to Care for Our Patients and Communities During COVID-19.

Journal article J Am Board Fam Med · 2021 The Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic forced not only rapid changes in how clinical care and educational programs are delivered but also challenged academic medical centers (AMCs) like never before. The pandemic made clear the need to have coord ... Full text Open Access Link to item Cite

Implementation of a Pooled Surveillance Testing Program for Asymptomatic SARS-CoV-2 Infections on a College Campus - Duke University, Durham, North Carolina, August 2-October 11, 2020.

Journal article MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep · November 20, 2020 On university campuses and in similar congregate environments, surveillance testing of asymptomatic persons is a critical strategy (1,2) for preventing transmission of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). All students at D ... Full text Open Access Link to item Cite

Surgical Team Stability and Risk of Sharps-Related Blood and Body Fluid Exposures During Surgical Procedures.

Journal article Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol · May 2016 OBJECTIVE: To explore whether surgical teams with greater stability among their members (ie, members have worked together more in the past) experience lower rates of sharps-related percutaneous blood and body fluid exposures (BBFE) during surgical procedur ... Full text Open Access Link to item Cite

Surgical Procedure Characteristics and Risk of Sharps-Related Blood and Body Fluid Exposure.

Journal article Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol · January 2016 OBJECTIVE To use a unique multicomponent administrative data set assembled at a large academic teaching hospital to examine the risk of percutaneous blood and body fluid (BBF) exposures occurring in operating rooms. DESIGN A 10-year retrospective cohort de ... Full text Open Access Link to item Cite

Impacts of Workplace Health Promotion and Wellness Programs on Health Care Utilization and Costs: Results From an Academic Workplace.

Journal article J Occup Environ Med · November 2015 OBJECTIVE: This study evaluated the impacts of a long-standing workplace health promotion (HP) program on health care utilization and costs and estimated return on investment (ROI). METHODS: Analyses used a retrospective, observational cohort design based ... Full text Link to item Cite

Latex allergy symptoms among health care workers: results from a university health and safety surveillance system.

Journal article Int J Occup Environ Health · 2011 We sought to describe risk factors for latex glove allergy symptoms among health care workers by combining data from an active clinical surveillance program and a comprehensive occupational health surveillance system. A total of 4,584 employers completed a ... Full text Link to item Cite

Risk of sharp device-related blood and body fluid exposure in operating rooms.

Journal article Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol · December 2008 OBJECTIVE: The risk of percutaneous blood and body fluid (BBF) exposures in operating rooms was analyzed with regard to various properties of surgical procedures. DESIGN: Retrospective cohort study. SETTING: A single university hospital. METHODS: All surgi ... Full text Link to item Cite

Upper extremity musculoskeletal symptoms and disorders among a cohort of women employed in poultry processing.

Journal article Am J Ind Med · January 2008 BACKGROUND: We evaluated musculoskeletal problems among women employed in poultry processing in rural northeastern North Carolina. Poultry processing is the largest single employer of women in this economically depressed region with a black majority popula ... Full text Link to item Cite

Are we failing vulnerable workers? The case of black women in poultry processing in rural north Carolina

Journal article New Solutions · August 1, 2007 © 2007, Baywood Publishing Co., Inc. In 1989, North Carolina Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) inspectors cited two poultry processing plants in northeastern North Carolina for serious repetitive motion problems. In 1990, investigators f ... Cite

Musculoskeletal symptoms among poultry processing workers and a community comparison group: Black women in low-wage jobs in the rural South.

Journal article Am J Ind Med · May 2007 BACKGROUND: Poultry processing is characterized by rapid line speed and extreme division of labor. Morbidity associated with this work has been reported by scientists, journalists and workers in this fast growing industry. METHODS: Cross-sectional data fro ... Full text Link to item Cite

Are we failing vulnerable workers? The case of black women in poultry processing in rural North Carolina.

Journal article New Solut · 2007 In 1989, North Carolina Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) inspectors cited two poultry processing plants in northeastern North Carolina for serious repetitive motion problems. In 1990, investigators from the National Institute for Occupa ... Full text Link to item Cite

Depressive symptoms among working women in rural North Carolina: a comparison of women in poultry processing and other low-wage jobs.

Journal article Int J Law Psychiatry · 2007 We report on the prevalence of self-reported depressive symptoms and associated factors among women employed in a poultry processing plant and a community comparison group of other employed women in northeastern North Carolina in the southern United States ... Full text Link to item Cite

Exploration of work and health disparities among black women employed in poultry processing in the rural south.

Journal article Environ Health Perspect · December 2005 We describe an ongoing collaboration that developed as academic investigators responded to a specific request from community members to document health effects on black women of employment in poultry-processing plants in rural North Carolina. Primary outco ... Full text Link to item Cite

Blood and body fluid exposure risks among health care workers: results from the Duke Health and Safety Surveillance System.

Journal article Am J Ind Med · December 2004 BACKGROUND: Health care workers (HCWs) are at risk of exposures to human blood and body fluids (BBF). Needlestick injuries and splashes place HCWs at risk for numerous blood-borne infections including human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), hepatitis B (HBV), ... Full text Link to item Cite

An integrated comprehensive occupational surveillance system for health care workers.

Journal article Am J Ind Med · June 2004 BACKGROUND: Workers in the health care industry may be exposed to a variety of work-related stressors including infectious, chemical, and physical agents; ergonomic hazards; psychological hazards; and workplace violence. Many of these hazards lack surveill ... Full text Link to item Cite

Nail gun injuries among construction workers.

Journal article Appl Occup Environ Hyg · May 2003 Pneumatic nail guns greatly increase worker productivity and are extensively used in wood frame building construction, with especially high use in residential construction. One surveillance report of nail gun injuries in Washington State has been published ... Full text Link to item Cite

Clinical findings for residents near a polyurethane foam manufacturing plant.

Journal article Arch Environ Health · 2002 Clinical findings for 38 community residents who complained of symptoms they attributed to exposure to air emissions from nearby fiber processing and polyurethane foam manufacturing facilities are reported. Common complaints included headache, mucosal irri ... Full text Link to item Cite

Upper respiratory problems.

Journal article Prim Care · December 2000 This article provides an overview of occupational upper respiratory problems which are commonly encountered in a primary care setting and have received formal study. Emphasis is placed on diagnostic methods. The importance of recognizing occupational upper ... Full text Link to item Cite

Endemic work-related febrile respiratory illness among construction workers.

Journal article Am J Ind Med · August 1995 Construction workers building Denver International Airport (DIA) reported work-related respiratory and flulike symptoms of several months duration. We performed a cross-sectional interview study of 495 randomly selected DIA workers from six contractors in ... Full text Link to item Cite