Risk of Contact with Blood and Blood Products and the Relationship of this Risk with Some Variables in the Akdeniz University Medical Faculty Hospital Health Care Workers

• Main Authors: F. Zuhal GÖKKOCA, Levent DÖNMEZ
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Bilimsel Tip Yayinevi 1999-12-01
• Series: Flora Infeksiyon Hastalıkları ve Klinik Mikrobiyoloji Dergisi
• Subjects: Health care workers; Bloodborn disease; Universal precautions
• Online Access: http://www.floradergisi.org/getFileContent.aspx?op=REDPDF&file_name=1999-4-4-278-286.pdf

Health care workers constitutes an important occupational group because they have a higher risk of contacting, getting sick and infecting others with blood born pathojens than the general population. In this study, a questionnaire was given to 759 (93.4%) of 813 health workers in the Akdeniz University Medical Faculty Hospital to determine their exposure to blood and blood products, and their personel protection practices. Relationship of exposure risk with some variables was also investigated. 56.1% of the participants were teaching staff, 18.2% were sixth class students and 25.7% were nurses. There was percutaneous-blood contact in 34.3% off the participants, mucocutaneous-blood contact in 28.6% and intact skin-blood contact in 67.6%. Blood exposure risk was greatest among surgeons, nurses, female health workers, those under 45 years of age, these dealing with blood and those not using personel protection. Only 30.2% of the participants were protecting themselves. Percutaneous contact with blood or blood products mostly occurred while using a syringe (36.1%) and mucocutaneous contact mostly occured with splashed blood and blood products (74.2%). Exposure of health workers to blood and blood products continues. Educational efforts must go on and access to personel protection equip.