Infection Control Practices in a University Blood Bank, Alexandria, Egypt

• Main Authors: Nagwa Y. Abou El Enein, Abdel Hamid M. El Sherif
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Alexandria University 2010-06-01
• Series: Journal of High Institute of Public Health
• Subjects: blood bank; infection control; vaccination
• ISSN: 2357-0601; 2357-061X

Background: The adoption and implementation of sound measures for the control and prevention of infection in blood banks is as important as it is in other clinical departments in the health care organizations. Objectives: assessment of the infection control practices in Alexandria University Blood Bank (AUBB) and identification of annual seroprevalence of viral hepatitis among blood donors in AUBB in the last 10 years. Methods: Cross sectional descriptive study was conducted at AUBB. The sample included 10 physicians, 27 technicians and 18 nurses. Based on the average daily attendance of blood donors, each physician was observed while examining 30 patients. Each nurse was observed while bleeding 30 patients. Each technician was observed while taking samples from 30 patients while each of the technicians working inside the laboratories was observed for 30 occasions. Observation was done by using especially designed checklists. All the blood bank staff under study was interviewed by using specially designed structured questionnaire. Review of the blood bank registers was done to identify annual seroprevalence of viral hepatitis among blood donors in AUBB in the last 10 years Results: The AUCBB was found to be deficient of many resources required for proper implementation of infection control practices. The majority of health care worker in the blood bank including physicians, technicians and nurses were not trained on infection control procedures. Only 5.5 % of nurses was trained. Half percent (50 %) of the physicians, 39% of the nurses and 66.6 % of technicians washed their hands before starting work but, none of them washed hands between donors. All technicians, 80 % of nurses and 90 % of the physicians wore gloves. There are no policy and procedures for occupational hazards exposure to blood and body fluids or to sharp injuries although there is high incidence of needle stick injuries specially among nurses (94.4%). The vaccination coverage to HBV vaccine is poor especially among nurses. Regarding, the frequency of positive results to Transfusion Transmissible Infections (TTIs) as hepatitis B virus (HBV), hepatitis C virus (HCV), and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) among blood donors in AUBB in the last 10 years, the average prevalence of HBS Ag positive cases among blood donors was 1.46 % and the average HCV positive is 4.62 %. HIV prevalence was 5 per 100,000. It is observed that the trend is decreasing from the year 2000 to the year 2009. Conclusion and Recommendations: Development of policy and procedure manual for infection control in AUBB with supply of resources such as equipment and materials needed for appropriate implementation of infection control guidelines. Education and training of all Health care workers in blood bank about infection control procedures is recommended. Also, HBV Vaccination of all staff who are working in blood bank and exposed to infection should be mandatory.