INTRODUCTION

Needlestick injury is a major healthcare hazard. The burden of the problem is difficult to estimate due to underreporting by healthcare workers.

OBJECTIVES

To gain insight into the level of knowledge and perception, attitude and practices of obstetrician-gynecologist (OB-GYN) residents and subspecialty fellows-in-training in a tertiary hospital on blood-borne diseases from needle stick injuries and postexposure prophylaxis.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

A cross-sectional study among all residents and fellows in training of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology of a tertiary hospital was conducted in December 2017. The explanatory sequential mixed method approach of data collection was utilized using a self-administered original pilot-tested questionnaire and focused group discussion.

RESULTS

Eighty-four OB-GYN s in training took part in the study. The prevalence of needle stick injury was 80.95%, but only about half of the incidents were reported. There was no statistically significant difference in the knowledge and attitudes toward management and policies on needlestick injuries between fellows and residents. The fellows appeared to be more frequently compliant with practices to prevent and manage needle stick injuries compared to the residents. There is weak but statistically significant positive relationship between the respondents’ knowledge and practice scores.

CONCLUSIONS

Although the respondents have very good knowledge, adherence to the practices to prevent and manage needlestick injuries is low.

Human ; Female ; Attitude ; Blood-borne Pathogens ; Knowledge ; Needlestick Injuries ; Sharps Injuries

Objective: To explore the reentry rate of reactive blood donors in the bloodborne pathogen infection screening in Hangzhou City, and analyze the donation behavior of those who successfully returned. Methods: A retrospective analysis of the return data of blood donors with reactive bloodborne pathogen screening markers was conducted at Zhejiang Provincial Blood Center from June 2017 to May 2022. The reentry process for blood donors with reactive bloodborne pathogen screening markers in Hangzhou City is as follows: after the initial screening period of 6 months, donors can voluntarily apply for return to the blood center. Samples are collected and subjected to routine enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) screening for HBsAg, anti-HCV, HIV Ab/Ag, and anti-TP, as well as a single nucleic acid (HIV/HCV/HBV) test. For samples that show non-reactivity in both ELISA and nucleic acid tests, serum biomarker testing for the reasons of exclusion is performed using chemiluminescence immunoassay (CLIA), and those with non-reactivity are allowed to return. Results: A total of 4 583 reactive blood donors who met the criteria for re-entry applied for reentry, out of which 475 applications were received from donors in the Hangzhou area. Among these, 279 donors were successfully readmitted, resulting in a success rate of 58.74% (279/475). By the end of December 2021, out of the 174 donors who successfully returned, 114 donors chose to donate again. They collectively donated 39 530 ml of whole blood and 1 147.2 therapeutic doses of platelets. Among these, 21 donors once again showed reactivity for pathogen infection biomarkers, accounting for 18.42% (21/114). Conclusion: The reentry strategy has somewhat mitigated the attrition of blood donors. Nevertheless, there are instances where donors who were successfully readmitted show reactivity once more in the screening for pathogen infection biomarkers.
Humans ; Blood Donors ; Blood-Borne Pathogens ; Retrospective Studies ; Mass Screening/methods* ; Biomarkers ; HIV Infections ; Nucleic Acids ; Hepatitis B virus

Objective: To explore the reentry rate of reactive blood donors in the bloodborne pathogen infection screening in Hangzhou City, and analyze the donation behavior of those who successfully returned. Methods: A retrospective analysis of the return data of blood donors with reactive bloodborne pathogen screening markers was conducted at Zhejiang Provincial Blood Center from June 2017 to May 2022. The reentry process for blood donors with reactive bloodborne pathogen screening markers in Hangzhou City is as follows: after the initial screening period of 6 months, donors can voluntarily apply for return to the blood center. Samples are collected and subjected to routine enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) screening for HBsAg, anti-HCV, HIV Ab/Ag, and anti-TP, as well as a single nucleic acid (HIV/HCV/HBV) test. For samples that show non-reactivity in both ELISA and nucleic acid tests, serum biomarker testing for the reasons of exclusion is performed using chemiluminescence immunoassay (CLIA), and those with non-reactivity are allowed to return. Results: A total of 4 583 reactive blood donors who met the criteria for re-entry applied for reentry, out of which 475 applications were received from donors in the Hangzhou area. Among these, 279 donors were successfully readmitted, resulting in a success rate of 58.74% (279/475). By the end of December 2021, out of the 174 donors who successfully returned, 114 donors chose to donate again. They collectively donated 39 530 ml of whole blood and 1 147.2 therapeutic doses of platelets. Among these, 21 donors once again showed reactivity for pathogen infection biomarkers, accounting for 18.42% (21/114). Conclusion: The reentry strategy has somewhat mitigated the attrition of blood donors. Nevertheless, there are instances where donors who were successfully readmitted show reactivity once more in the screening for pathogen infection biomarkers.
Humans ; Blood Donors ; Blood-Borne Pathogens ; Retrospective Studies ; Mass Screening/methods* ; Biomarkers ; HIV Infections ; Nucleic Acids ; Hepatitis B virus

Objective: To analyze the risk factors of blood-borne occupational exposure among medical staff and explore the relevant intervention measures. Methods: In June 2020, the data of blood-borne occupational exposure and related factors reported by medical staff in a grade Ⅲ, Grade A general hospital from 2011 to 2019 were analyzed by retrospective investigation. Results: Among 431 cases of blood-borne occupational exposure, 69.37% were nurses. It mainly occurred in medical staff with 0-4 years of service, accounting for 63.57%; The main place of occupational exposure was in the ward 47.56%; Sharp instrument injury was the main occupational exposure route 91.65%. Occupational exposure department was mainly surgery department 17.87%; The main source of exposure was hepatitis B virus (HBV) 37.12%, followed by treponema pallidum 20.19%. Statistical analysis results show that: Exposure sites (χ(2)=43.585, P<0.01) , exposure sources (χ(2)=22.693, P<0.01) , treatment methods after exposure (χ(2)=18.866, P<0.01) , Flushing (χ(2)=31.963, P<0.01) and disinfection (χ(2)=14.216, P<0.01) were significantly different. Conclusion: The effective measures to reduce blood-borne occupational exposure are to strengthen occupational protection training of medical staff, standardize operation procedures, strengthen supervision of key groups and departments, improve reporting, monitoring and follow-up systems to realize informatization, and do a good job in risk control.
Blood-Borne Pathogens ; Humans ; Medical Staff ; Needlestick Injuries ; Occupational Exposure/prevention & control* ; Retrospective Studies ; Risk Factors

Accidental sharps injuries are a serious problem in healthcare, many healthcare workers acquire infectious diseases from bloodborne pathogens by sharps injuries during their work. The cost of injury and exposure takes an emotional and financial toll, which has attracted worldwide attention. This paper analyzed the regulatory requirements on sharps injury prevention devices in the United States and the European Union, described the classification and basic requirements of sharps injury prevention devices, evaluation of protective functions, risk identification and control to provide references for regulation and development of such products in our country.
Blood-Borne Pathogens ; Communicable Diseases ; Humans ; Needlestick Injuries/prevention & control* ; Protective Devices ; United States

PURPOSE: Exposure to blood and body fluids represents a significant occupational risk for nurses. This study was done to identify the level of knowledge of and compliance with blood-borne pathogen prevention of hospital nurses according to clinical experience, and to identify factors affecting compliance with blood-borne pathogen prevention. METHODS: A descriptive correlational study was conducted in which self-reported knowledge of and compliance with blood-borne pathogen prevention was assessed. The relationships between variables were examined. Registered nurses who were employed (n=345) were surveyed. Data were analyzed using, t-test, ANOVA, Pearson correlation, and multiple linear regression. RESULTS: Nurses with more than 5 years experience had greater knowledge of blood-borne pathogen prevention than nurses with less than 5 years experience. However, there was no significant difference in compliance with blood-borne pathogen prevention between the two groups. No significant correlation was found between knowledge and compliance with blood-borne pathogen prevention according to experience standards. In nurses with less than 5 years experience, gender, age, reported exposure to a blood-borne pathogen, and compliance with principles of prevention had a significant impact on compliance with blood-borne pathogen prevention. For nurses with more than 5 years experience, reporting after exposure to blood-borne pathogen was a contributing factor to compliance with blood-borne pathogen prevention. CONCLUSION: The study results show that to improve the implementation of preventive measures against blood-borne pathogens different strategies are needed, depending on clinical experience of the nurses.
Blood-Borne Pathogens ; Body Fluids ; Career Mobility ; Compliance ; Humans ; Linear Models ; Nurses

Needlestick injury (NSI) is a serious occupational hazard against healthcare workers (HCWs) in a hospital setting with multiple implications, thus adherence to post-NSI management including follow-up protocol is crucial.This research was conducted to describe the distribution of NSI cases among HCWs working in Ministry of Health Malaysia (MOH)’s hospital in Selangor and adherence to a follow-up protocol, as well as the factors related to it.This was a cross-sectional quantitative study reviewing retrospectively all notified NSI cases in January-September 2016. Data were taken from Sharps Injury Surveillance (SIS) system and analyzed into descriptive and analytical statistics.There were 143 notified NSI cases. The majority of the cases were female(76.2%), Malay(60.1%), medical doctors(56.6%) and in a medical-based department (44.8%). The median age of NSI cases was 27 years old (IQR:5) and median years of employment was 1.5 (IQR:4.5). Most cases happened in a ward setting (58.7%) involving contaminated (95.8%) hypodermic needle (43.4%), occurred mostly during the procedure of drawing blood (23.1%). Only 86.7% of NSI cases were source-known and some were tested positive with blood borne pathogens. However, no occurrence of seroconversion among the injured HCWs detected. The overall adherence rate to the follow-up protocol was 72.3%. Multiple logistic regression yielded significant association between age, gender, department, device contamination, procedure conducted and source HBV status with adherence to follow-up of post-NSI protocol. Further comprehensive studies involving more determinants such as therapy-related factors and potential interventions are needed to optimize adherence rate to the follow-up protocol post-NSI.
guideline adherence ; needlestick injuries ; health personnel ; post-exposure prophylaxis ; blood-borne pathogens

Extraction of an impacted third molar is one of the most frequently performed techniques in oral and maxillofacial surgery. Surgeons can suffer numerous external injuries while extracting a tooth, with percutaneous injuries to the hand being the most commonly reported. In this article, we present a case involving a percutaneous injury of the surgeon's femoral region caused by breakage of the fissure bur connected to the handpiece during extraction of the third molar. We also propose precautions to prevent such injuries and steps to be undertaken when they occur.
Accidents, Occupational ; Blood-Borne Pathogens ; Hand ; Infection Control ; Molar, Third* ; Surgery, Oral ; Tooth ; Tooth Extraction ; Wounds, Penetrating

OBJECTIVETo investigate the knowledge, attitudes, and practices regarding blood-borne occupational exposure among reproductive health staff in Tianjin, China.

METHODSBy random, stratified, and clustered sampling, 507 reproductive health-related medical workers in Tianjin were selected. A Self-Administered KAP Questionnaire on blood-borne occupational exposure was employed to gauge the general characteristics, awareness of knowledge, attitudes to occupational exposure, implementation of pre-exposure protection, incidence of occupational exposure, and demands for continuing education.

RESULTSAmong all respondents, 63.15% (305/483) were aware of the reporting procedures and related departments after the incidence of occupational exposure. The awareness rate of classification of HIV occupational exposure was 48.45% (234/483). About preventive medication time after HIV and hepatitis B virus exposure, the awareness rates were 37.89% (183/483) and 31.47% (152/483), respectively. The average score of occupational exposure knowledge among respondents was 74.45±14.00. The multivariate analysis indicated that medical staff of obstetrics and gynecology, females, doctors and high-level medical institutions showed significantly higher awareness than urology professionals, males, nurses, and medical staff of primary health care institutions, respectively (t = 12.140, t = 5.428, t = 2.582, F = 4.218, P<0.05). Of the respondents, 93.17% (450/483) and 94.41% (456/483) thought that washing hands properly and wearing protective glasses were effective methods for the prevention of occupational exposure, but only 15.94% (89/483) and 3.93% (19/483) adhered to proper hand washing and wearing protective glasses within nearly one year in practical work. Of the respondents, 60.46% (292/483) had experienced the occupational exposure during their vocation, and 95.65% (462/483) needed respective trainings.

CONCLUSIONThe awareness of occupational exposure among reproductive health-related medical staff is lacking, especially in preventative medication and reporting procedures after the incidence of occupational exposure. The implementation of protective measures is inadequate and incidence of occupational exposure is higher. Therefore, continuing education is necessary to improve the knowledge and attitudes towards occupational exposure in medical staff. At the same time, strict and effective supervision and management system should be established.

Adult ; Blood-Borne Pathogens ; Female ; Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice ; Health Personnel ; statistics & numerical data ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Occupational Exposure ; prevention & control ; Reproductive Health Services ; manpower ; Surveys and Questionnaires ; Young Adult

OBJECTIVETo compare the clinical manifestations between inhaled and blood-borne Staphylococcus aureus pneumonia (SAP) and the antibiotic resistance between the isolates of inhaled and blood-borne Staphylococcus aureus.

METHODSThe clinical data of 44 pediatric SAP cases in the Children′s Hospital, Chongqing Medical University from January 2008 to December 2013 were retrospectively analyzed. Twenty-four cases were identified as inhaled SAP, and 20 cases as blood-borne SAP.

RESULTSInhaled SAP was more common in children younger than 3 years of age, while blood-borne SAP was more prevalent in children older than 6 years of age. Patients with inhaled SAP had significantly higher incidence rates of cough, wheeze, moist rales, dyspnea and empyema than those with blood-borne SAP (P<0.05). The patients with blood-borne SAP were more vulnerable to severe fever, unconsciousness, dysfunction of liver and kidney, pyogenic osteomyelitis, septic arthritis, sepsis, and abscess of skin and soft tissues (P<0.05). Inhaled SAP isolates had significantly higher rates of resistance to amoxicillin/clavulanic acid, oxacillin, and cefoxitin than blood-borne SAP isolates (P<0.05), while the latter had a higher rate of resistance to cotrimoxazole (P<0.05).

CONCLUSIONSInhaled SAP often occurs in children younger than 3 years of age, and the respiratory manifestations are commonly seen. Blood-borne SAP often occurs in children older than 6 years of age, with the infectious-toxic symptoms that result in multiple organ infection and dysfunction. The isolates of inhaled and blood-borne SAP have different antibiograms.

Adolescent ; Age Factors ; Blood-Borne Pathogens ; isolation & purification ; Child ; Child, Preschool ; Drug Resistance, Bacterial ; Female ; Humans ; Infant ; Male ; Pneumonia, Staphylococcal ; drug therapy ; microbiology ; Retrospective Studies