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ABSTRACT
* CONTRACTING A DISEASE from bloodborne pathogens has been identified as an occupational hazard for perioperative personnel for more than two decades. Perioperative staff members are particularly vulnerable to percutaneous exposure.
* DESPITE KNOWN HAZARDS, research has shown that perioperative staff members continue to take risks by not consistently complying with standard precautions and not reporting all percutaneous injuries.
* HEALTH CARE WORKERS (HCWs) and their employers need to work together to ensure that workplaces are safe. This article discusses mechanisms of bloodborne pathogen transmission, compliance with standard guidelines, and the social and economic costs of contracting a bloodborne illness. Steps to ensure that HCWs are protected also are outlined. AORN J 83 (April 2006) 834-846.
Contracting a disease from bloodborne pathogen infectious agents has been identified as an occupational hazard for perioperative staff members for more than two decades.1 In 1996, there were 786,885 occupational exposures to bloodborne or other body fluid pathogens in the United States, a calculated rate of 30 exposures per 100 hospital beds.2
Although standard precautions were introduced to health care workers (HCWs) in the 1980s, research continues to report that there is less than 100% compliance among HCWs with measures demonstrated to decrease disease transmission.2 Despite the known hazards, HCWs in the surgical setting continue to take risks by practicing without the appropriate equipment, such as protective gowns, eyewear, or waterproof garments.2
Hospital administrators and managers must be aggressive in providing optimal safety programs, which are required under new Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations QCAHO) survey requirements. An institution that has good safety programs in place will experience multiple benefits, such as
* enhanced employee-employer relations,
* decreased number of worker injuries and compensation costs associated with such injuries,
* decreased liability,
* improved employee performance, and
* improved quality of work life.3
Knowledge and understanding of occupational hazards and the potential exposure to bloodborne pathogens should be derived from evidencedbased practice. This article discusses bloodborne pathogens and mechanisms of transmission, compliance with universal guidelines, and the social and economic costs of contracting a bloodborne illness from an occupational source. Steps to ensure that HCWs are protected also are outlined.
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