Occupational exposure among health care workers at a tertiary comprehensive hospital

Abstract:

ObjectiveTo investigate occupational exposure among health care workers (HCWs) in a tertiary comprehensive hospital, and analyze the causes and preventive measures of occupational exposure. Methods134 cases of occupational exposure among HCWs in a hospital from January 2010 to December 2013 were analyzed. ResultsOf  HCWs sustained occupational exposure, doctors， nurses, and technicians accounted for 59.70%， 19.40%, and  9.70% respectively. The main cause for occupational exposure was nonstandardized management of the sharps  （46.27%，n=62）,followed by unexpected operation（42.54%，n=57）and inadequate protective measures ( 11.19%， n=15);The main exposure mode was sharp injury(94.78%，n=127), mucosal exposure accounted for 5.22% (n= 7); 42.54% of exposure sources were not clear， 57.46% of exposure sources were  clear， 35.82%, 12.69%, 3.73%, and 2.24% of  which were hepatitis B virus(HBV)， hepatitis C virus(HCV)， Treponema pallidum(TP), and human immunodeficiency virus(HIV); 2.24%(n=3）of exposure sources were coinfection of HBV and HCV；0.74%(n=1) was coinfection of  HIV, HBV,HCV, and TP.  95.52% of occupational exposures were treated correctly. ConclusionThe highrisk population for occupational exposure are nurses, standard occupational precautions and management of the sharps can reduce the occurrence of occupational exposure among HCWs.