A survey of occupational risk exposures and behaviour of healthcare workers

Abstract

To reduce the risk of transmission of microorganisms standard precautions are taken for all patients expected to be exposed to blood, body fl uids, or have contacts with mucous membranes and non-intact skin. These preventive measures are by far the best way to protect healthcare workers from adverse infections. AIM: To analyze occupational risk exposure of healthcare workers occurring when the latter come into contact with blood or other potentially infectious liquid in order to assess some aspects of the application of standard preventive measures. PATIENTS AND METHODS: 680 healthcare workers (186 physicians, 330 nurses, and 164 hospital orderlies) were included in an anonymous survey conducted at St George University Hospital, Plovdiv in 2009. The questionnaire consisted of 14 questions grouped in 3 clusters. Occupational risk exposure was defi ned as recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). We used descriptive statistics, parametric and non-parametric analysis. RESULTS: Occupational exposure was reported by 81% of the respondents for the last year with predominance of percutaneous injuries (62%). Nurses sustained the most risk exposures (86%). We found a correlation between the job category and the occupational exposure (χ 2 = 14.3, df = 2, р < 0.001). No correlation was found between length of service and injury intensity (χ 2 = 1.69, df = 2, р > 0.05). Immunisation against hepatitis virus B infection received 64.3 ± 3.8% of the healthcare personnel. Immunization covered 48.2% of the ancillary workers, which is less than the mean coverage for the respondents. Job position was found to correlate with the immunisation coverage (χ 2 = 24.41, df = 2, р < 0.001). Ninety-two percent of the healthcare workers used personal protective equipment (disposable gloves), but only 74.6% of them did this during emergencies (р < 0.001). CONCLUSION: Post-exposure follow-ups and the overall behaviour pattern after occupational risk exposure are random and non-systematic in nature. A better prevention of healthcare personnel would require a long-term training with constant knowledge upgrading, invasive procedures perfection and permanent control.

Epidemic characteristics and related risk factors of occupational exposure for pediatric health care workers in Chinese public hospitals: a cross-sectional study

“…This study also found that physicians and medical technicians had a lower risk of occupational exposure than nursing staff, at 0.320 times and 0.331 times the risk of nursing staff. This is consistent with the results of previous studies [40–42]. As front-line clinical staff, compared with physicians and medical technicians, nurses have the most contact with patients and family members; more opportunities to come in contact with sharp instruments, bodily fluids, and blood; and more onerous tasks, and no time to handle it better [43].…”

“…The hospital should rationally allocate existing human resources, reduce the work pressure of pediatric health care workers, and provide adequate protective equipment to medical personnel to reduce the risk of occupational exposure for pediatric health care workers. This study also found that years of work were not related to occupational exposure, which is consistent with the study by Ani et al [40] but differs from the results of Albertoni [45] and others. Most people believe that occupational exposure of health care workers is related to their work experience.…”

Hierarchical Linear Modeling Application in Analyzing Occupational Injuries Related Factors for Nurses in Taiwan

“…Possible reasons for this may include more extensive work experience and better occupational injury prevention training. However, a similar survey [27] of 680 medical and nursing personnel shows that the proportion of occupational injury occurrence was 77.3% for individuals with less than five years of working experience, 79.6% for those with 5 to 10 years of work experience, and 82.3% for those with more than 10 years of work experience, which contradicts the results of this study. A probable reason may be that individuals who seek treatment for light injuries may not inform their doctors that the injuries were sustained on the job.…”

The reality of waste management in primary health care units in Brazil

“…In the Asian country of Laos, 37% errors in infectious waste segregation were recorded in primary health care units (Phengxay et al, 2005). Waste from other groups, when disposed of along with infectious waste, automatically becomes infectious, thus increasing occupational risks (Kevorkyan et al, 2012;Kumakech et al, 2011;Sharma et al, 2010), disposal costs, required space for final disposal, and extraction of natural resources.…”

“…Occupational (Costa et al, 2013;Gourni et al, 2012;Gouveia and Prado, 2010;Kevorkyan et al, 2012), environmental (Gouveia and Prado, 2010;Nascimento et al, 2009;Penatti et al, 2013;Silva et al, 2013), and social (Barros et al, 2010;Corrão et al, 2013) risks inherent to inadequate waste management justify conducting studies in this area, with these possibly substantiating evidence-based interventions for occupational safety of the patient, the community, and the environment. It is necessary to urgently understand processes of waste management in primary care, since the demand for consultations through these services has increased.…”