Analysis of characteristic and postexposure practices of occupational blood and body fluid exposures among health care workers in Chinese tertiary hospitals: a retrospective ten-year study.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Occupational blood and body fluid exposure (OBEs) is a highly concerning global health problem in health facilities. Improper or inadequate post-exposure practices increase the risk of infection with bloodborne pathogens. Understanding risk factors for OBEs and evaluating the post-exposure practices will contribute to healthcare workers' (HCWs) well-being. METHODS: This study retrospectively synthesized and reviewed the 10-year data (from 2010 to 2020) on OBEs in a tertiary teaching hospital. RESULTS: A total of 519 HCWs have reported OBEs, increasing yearly from 2010 to 2020. Of these, most were nurses (247 [47.2%]), female (390 [75.1%]), at 23-27 years old (207 [39.9%]). The hepatitis B was the primary bloodborne pathogen exposed to HCWs, with 285 (54.9%) cases, internal medicine was the main exposure site (161 [31.0%]), and sharp injury was the main exposure route (439 [84.6%]). Data analysis shows that there are significant differences between exposure route, exposed pathogens, and exposure site among the different occupational categories (X2 = 14.5, 43.7, 94.3, all P < 0.001). 3.3% of HCWs did not take any post-exposure practices. For percutaneous exposure, 4.7% did not rinse the wound, 3.3% did not squeeze out the wound, and 2.3% did not disinfect the wound. In the case of mucosal exposure, 90.4% clean the exposure area immediately. CONCLUSIONS: The data from the past decade underscores the seriousness of current situation of OBEs in Chinese tertiary hospital, particularly among young HCWs, and with hepatitis B as the predominant blood-borne pathogen. This study also identifies HCWs may take incorrect post-exposure practices. It's crucial in the future to discuss the effectiveness of main groups targeted for focused specialty-specific guidance for the prevention of such accidents, meanwhile, to include blood-borne disease immunity testing in mandatory health check-ups. Additionally, focus on optimizing post-exposure practices, offering significant steps toward prevention of such incidents and reducing infection risks should also be considered in future studies.