P2342 - The Impact of Workplace Bathroom Access and Privacy on Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) Patients

Larissa Lushniak, MD¹, Adam Angel, MD², Gregory Sayuk, MD, MPH², Chien-Huan Chen, MD, PhD^1
1Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO; ²Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis / Barnes-Jewish Hospital, St. Louis, MO

Introduction: A notable gap exists in our understanding of how IBS symptoms affect patients’ professional decision-making. Our study aims to query whether IBS patients in specific occupation groups are more affected by their symptoms and bathroom access and privacy in the workplace.

Methods: Patients with an active diagnosis of IBS who follow in the GI clinics at an academic center were identified using ICD-10 codes. Participants were emailed a survey which included 11 Likert scale questions and multiple-choice items. Responses were dichotomized into two groups (agree vs. disagree) to facilitate analysis. Binary logistic regression was used to assess the association between the nature of occupations with bathroom accessibility and its impact on career decisions. Odds ratios were reported at 95% CI using SPSS.

Results: 871 patients were chart reviewed and 598 (68.7%) met study criteria. 171 patients consented to the survey. Response rate was 59.1%, leaving a total sample size of 101. The study population was female-predominant (62.3%) with a mean age 44 (range 24-76). 58.4% were white and 40.6% black. Most experienced IBS symptoms at least 3 times per week (66.4%). 13 occupation fields were represented with healthcare (26.7%) and education (12.7%) being the most common. 56.4% of respondents worked in an office, 26.7% worked outdoors, and 17.8% worked from home. Compared to patients who work indoors, outdoor workers are significantly more affected by access to bathrooms (OR 9.9, CI 2.0-48.8, p=0.005), significantly more likely to have quit a job due to lack of bathroom access or privacy (OR 11.4, CI 2.8-45.9, p=0.001), and significantly less likely to be allowed to leave their work location to use the bathroom when needed (OR 0.190, CI 0.06-0.60, p=0.005). Additionally, a significant amount of current indoor workers did not accept a new job because they feared a lack of bathroom access and privacy compared with outdoor workers (OR 2.5, CI 1.4-4.4, p=0.002).

Discussion: Bathroom access and privacy in the workplace may pose greater challenges to IBS patients in certain professions, particularly those based primarily outdoors (e.g., construction). These observations should inspire additional studies to identify symptom and patient-specific factors that might drive IBS influences on patient careers, and furthermore identify opportunities to improve the workplace environment for IBS patients.


Disclosures:


Larissa Lushniak, MD¹, Adam Angel, MD², Gregory Sayuk, MD, MPH², Chien-Huan Chen, MD, PhD¹. P2342 - The Impact of Workplace Bathroom Access and Privacy on Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) Patients, ACG 2024 Annual Scientific Meeting Abstracts. Philadelphia, PA: American College of Gastroenterology.