Occupational exposures to blood and body fluids among health care workers at university hospitals.
Srp Arh Celok Lek
; 141(11-12): 789-93, 2013.
Article
em En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-24502099
ABSTRACT
INTRODUCTION:
Occupational exposure to blood and body fluids is a serious concern of health care workers and presents a major risk of transmission of infections such as human immuno-deficiency virus (HIV), hepatitis B virus (HBV), and hepatitis C virus (HCV).OBJECTIVE:
The aim of this study was to determine the frequency and circumstances of occupational blood and body fluid exposures among health care workers.METHODS:
Cross-sectional study was conducted in three university hospitals in Belgrade. Anonymous questionnaire was used containing data about demographic characteristics, self-reported blood and body fluid exposures and circumstances of percutaneous injuries.RESULTS:
Questionnaire was filled in and returned by 216 health care workers (78.2% of nurses and 21.8% of doctors). 60.6% of participants-health care workers had sustained at least one needlestick injury during their professional practice; 25.9% of them in the last 12 months. Of occupational groups, nurses had higher risk to experience needlestick injuries than doctors (p = 0.05). The majority of the exposures occurred in the operating theatre (p = 0.001). Among factors contributing to the occurrence of needlestick injuries, recapping needles (p = 0.003) and decontamination/cleaning instruments after surgery (p = 0.001) were more frequent among nurses, while use of a needle before intervention was common among doctors (p = 0.004). Only 41.2% of health care workers had reported their injuries to a supervisor in order to obtain medical attention. 50.2% of health care workers were vaccinated with three doses of hepatitis B vaccine.CONCLUSION:
There is a high rate of needlestick injuries in the daily hospital routine. Implementation of safety devices would lead to improvement in health and safety of medical staff.
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Coleções:
01-internacional
Base de dados:
MEDLINE
Assunto principal:
Sangue
/
Líquidos Corporais
/
Exposição Ocupacional
/
Ferimentos Penetrantes Produzidos por Agulha
/
Pessoal de Saúde
/
Transmissão de Doença Infecciosa do Paciente para o Profissional
/
Hospitais Universitários
Tipo de estudo:
Etiology_studies
/
Observational_studies
/
Prevalence_studies
/
Risk_factors_studies
Limite:
Adult
/
Female
/
Humans
/
Male
/
Middle aged
País/Região como assunto:
Europa
Idioma:
En
Ano de publicação:
2013
Tipo de documento:
Article