Document ID (ISN) | 61264 |
CIS number |
93-2073 |
ISSN - Serial title |
0271-3586 - American Journal of Industrial Medicine |
Year |
1993 |
Convention or series no. |
|
Author(s) |
Longbottom H.M., Cox K., Sokas R.K. |
Title |
Body fluid exposure in an urban tertiary care medical centre |
Bibliographic information |
May 1993, Vol.23, No.5, p.703-710. Illus. 14 ref. |
Abstract |
The increasing prevalence of the human immunodeficiency (HIV) and hepatitis B virus has focused attention on the risks that health care workers face when exposed to potentially infective body fluids. This study establishes a profile of 320 parenteral exposure incidents and 47 exposure incidents to mucous membranes or abraded skin, reported in a medical centre between July 1988 and July 1990. It was found that 102 (27.8%) of the incidents involved an HIV-positive patient, that 130 (35.4%) of the reporting employees had completed their hepatitis B vaccination at the time of the incident, and that, although the majority of incidents involved employees with patient contact, service workers also were represented (4.6%, n=17). Factors contributing to incidents included recapping (10.9%, n=40), full needle-boxes (7.6%, n=28), and inappropriate disposal (13.1%, n=48). A health fair featuring walk-in hepatitis B immunisation attracted 260 participants, 90% of whom completed the entire immunisation series. This significantly improved the immunisation rate of employees subsequently reporting body fluid exposure. |
Descriptors (primary) |
blood; infectious diseases; infectious hepatitis; risk factors; hospitals; health care personnel; immunodeficiency syndrome |
Descriptors (secondary) |
immunization; virus diseases |
Document type |
D - Periodical articles |
Country / State or Province | USA |
Subject(s) |
Medicine, hygiene and first aid
|
Broad subject area(s) |
Biological hazards
|
Browse category(ies) |
Liver diseases HIV/AIDS Health care services Bacterial and parasitic diseases Viral diseases (other than aids)
|