Blood and Body Fluid Exposures Among US Medical Students in Botswana

Merlin, Jessica S.; Morrison, Gail; Gluckman, Stephen J.; Lipschik, Gregg Y.; Linkin, Darren R.; Lyon, Sarah; O’Grady, Elizabeth; Calvert, Heather; Friedman, Harvey M.

doi:10.1007/s11606-010-1586-4

Cited by 20 publications

(14 citation statements)

References 15 publications

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“…The best strategy seems to involve a practical component with reinforcement of appropriate practices as students enter their senior years. Educational programmes, especially procedural training, have been shown to decrease the number of exposure incidents [5,30,31]. Training should be comprehensive and practical, specifically aimed at helping students identify high-risk settings and taking the necessary precautions, including getting assistance, or even delaying the procedure [24].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Exposure incidents among medical students in a high-prevalence HIV setting

Rossouw¹,

Rooyen²,

Richter³

2017

J Infect Dev Ctries

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Introduction: Occupational injuries in medical students are concerning, especially in countries with a high prevalence of bloodborne infections. With more HIV-infected patients on antiretroviral treatment, appropriate post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) depends on knowledge of source patients' infection status and treatment response. This study determined the number and type of exposure incidents, reporting practices, and PEP use among medical students at the University of Pretoria, South Africa. Methodology: Data were collected from an anonymous voluntary questionnaire completed by medical students from years 1 to 6 of study as well as from incident records archived at the Department of Family Medicine. Data were described and tests of association performed in Stata 11. Results: Thirteen percent of students overall and 21% of senior students reported an incident in the preceding year. The majority of incidents occurred during phlebotomy, with fatigue and work pressure found to be major contributing factors. Underreporting was common and many students displayed a lack of risk awareness and a preference for managing the incident privately. Although 59% knew the HIV-status of the source patient, less than a third knew the viral load and only 16.9% the regimen. Side-effects on antiretroviral treatment used for PEP were common and only about three-quarters of the students completed the course. Conclusions: We recommend targeted training, especially in the senior years, together with improving the work environment through attention to working hours, sharps disposal and ready availability of safety devices, improved reporting systems, individualised PEP, and possibly the implementation of an occupational injury support line.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Exposure incidents among medical students in a high-prevalence HIV setting

Rossouw¹,

Rooyen²,

Richter³

2017

J Infect Dev Ctries

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“…Travelers delivering direct patient care and those who are otherwise at risk for blood and body fluid exposure should have a predefined strategy for preventing, risk stratifying, and treating such exposures . The risk of HIV transmission is estimated to be 0.3% after a percutaneous exposure to HIV‐infected blood and 0.09% after a mucous membrane exposure.…”

Section: The Trainee's Personal Health and Wellnessmentioning

confidence: 99%

Guidelines for Safety of Trainees Rotating Abroad: Consensus Recommendations from the Global Emergency Medicine Academy of the Society for Academic Emergency Medicine, Council of Emergency Medicine Residency Directors, and the Emergency Medicine Residents' Association

Hansoti

Douglass

Tupesis

et al. 2013

Academic Emergency Medicine

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The goal of a global health elective is for residents and medical students to have safe, structured, and highly educational experiences. In this article, the authors have laid out considerations for establishing a safe clinical site; ensuring a traveler's personal safety, health, and wellness; and mitigating risk during a global health rotation. Adequate oversight, appropriate mentorship, and a well-defined safety and security plan are all critical elements to a successful and safe experience.

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“…Some studies have investigated occurrences of illness and accidents during medical electives abroad, but little is known about whether illness rates in medical students are similar to those in other students who study abroad. Previous studies on specific risks have focused mainly on medical students and their risk for exposure to blood‐borne viruses …”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Previous studies on specific risks have focused mainly on medical students and their risk for exposure to blood-borne viruses. [20][21][22][23][24][25] In 2008, a national Swedish conference on the management of students who study abroad called for research-based, uniform guidelines to help students prepare for studying overseas. Most of the literature on student-oriented pre-travel preparation is experience-based rather than research-based.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%