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Occupational exposure to blood and body fluids and the effect of two intervention programmes on safe work practices.

Peter Boswarva and Geraldine Dolan

• [Abstract]

Abstract

Objectives:

1. To review occupational exposure incidents (OEI) of registered nurses (RN) to blood and body fluids to determine pre-exposure safe working practice (SWP) and the circumstances under which the OEI occurred.
2. To evaluate the effectiveness of body substance isolation lectures (BSI) and the Employee Counselling and Testing Programme (ECTP) on SWP of nursing staff.

Method:

Analysis of OEI reports submitted to the hospital Occupational Health and Safety Department for the six months January - June, 1991. A questionnaire designed to assess the level of SWP pre- and post-OEI was sent to all currently employed nursing staff who reported an OEI during the above period. Paired t-tests were used to compare behaviours between groups.

51 RNs reported an OEI, of which 41 (80%) attended ECTP. 0Els consisted of 44 sharps injuries (43 needlesticks) and 7 skin or mucous membrane splashes. Of the sharps injuries, 50% occurred during disposal or by improper disposal of the sharp, 32% occurred during use, and 4.5% were inflicted by a colleague. 39 questionnaires were distributed to RNs reporting an OEI of which 26 (67%) were returned. 21 (81%) had attended the ECTP. 13 (50%) had attended BSI prior to the OEI. 4 (15%) claimed no input from either BSI or ECTP. There was no significant difference in pre-OEI behaviour whether or not the RN received BSI lectures (p = 0.013 and p = 0.040 respectively). BSI was not a factor in SWP post-OEI (p>0.2). Post-OEI behaviours were not significantly different in those who had attended ECTP and those who had not.

Counselling in SWP immediately after an OEI appears to be more effective in encouraging SWP than pre-incident lectures.

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