An Analysis of Blood and Body Fluid Exposures Sustained by House Officers, Medical Students, and Nursing Personnel on Acute-Care General Medical Wards: A Prospective Study
Autor: | Edward S. Wong, J L Stotka, D S Williams, Sheldon M. Markowitz, C G Stuart |
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Rok vydání: | 1991 |
Předmět: |
Microbiology (medical)
medicine.medical_specialty Students Medical Referral Hospitals Veterans Epidemiology education MEDLINE Nursing Staff Hospital Hospitals University Nursing Occupational Exposure Surveys and Questionnaires Acute care Finger Injuries Patients' Rooms Health care Medical Staff Hospital medicine Humans Prospective Studies Needlestick Injuries Prospective cohort study Venipuncture business.industry Virginia Internship and Residency Hospital Bed Capacity 500 and over Universal Precautions Body Fluids Personnel Hospital Blood Infectious Diseases Universal precautions Emergency medicine business |
Zdroj: | Infection Control and Hospital Epidemiology. 12:583-590 |
ISSN: | 1559-6834 0899-823X |
DOI: | 10.1086/646246 |
Popis: | Objective To prospectively examine the epidemiology of blood and body fluid exposures sustained by medicine housestaff, medical school students, registered nurses (RNs), licensed practical nurses (LPNs), and nurses' aides (NAs) on general medicine wards and to define problem areas that may be amenable to change. Design Daily data collection during 9 months using a self-reporting questionnaire. Setting General medical wards in 2 tertiary referral hospitals. Participants Medicine housestaff/students and nursing personnel. Results Physicians reported 644 exposures, of which 98 (15.2%), 296 (46.0%), and 250 (38.8%) were sustained by medicine residents, interns, and students, respectively. Blood contact occurred with 591 (91.8%) exposures. For physicians, 575 (89.3%) exposures occurred during venipuncture, intravenous catheter manipulation, and arterial punctures. Interns and students most commonly incurred exposures during venipunctures and intravenous manipulations; residents commonly were exposed during emergent intravenous catheter placements. Five-hundred-twenty-two (81%) exposures occurred between 7 A.M. and 7 P.M. During 524 (81.4%) exposures, physicians were not using barrier devices. Nurses reported 235 exposures, of which 140 (59.6%), 23 (9.8%), and 72 (30.6%) were sustained by RNs, LPNs, and NAs, respectively. RN exposures commonly occurred during intravenous manipulations and glucometer fingersticks. LPNs and NAs incurred a higher percentage of exposures during nonprocedural patient care. Blood contact and wound drainage accounted for 167 (71.1%) and 31 (13.2%) exposures, respectively. Conclusions Exposures to blood and body fluids frequently are incurred by healthcare workers on general medical wards. Efforts to reduce these exposures should be directed not only at improving procedural skills of healthcare workers for venipunctures, intravenous catheter insertions, and glucometer fingersticks, but also in increasing barrier use during procedural and nonprocedural tasks. |
Databáze: | OpenAIRE |
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