Precautionary practices of healthcare workers who disinfect medical and dental devices using high-level disinfectants

Details

• Personal Author:
  Boiano, James M. ; Henn SA ; Steege, Andrea L.
• Description:
  BACKGROUND: High-level disinfectants (HLDs) are used throughout the healthcare industry to chemically disinfect reusable, semicritical medical and dental devices to control and prevent healthcare-associated infections among patient populations. Workers who use HLDs are at risk of exposure to these chemicals, some of which are respiratory and skin irritants and sensitizers. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate exposure controls used and to better understand impediments to healthcare workers using personal protective equipment while handling HLDs. DESIGN: Web-based survey. PARTICIPANTS: A targeted sample of members of professional practice organizations representing nurses, technologists/technicians, dental professionals, respiratory therapists, and others who reported handling HLDs in the previous 7 calendar days. Participating organizations invited either all or a random sample of members via email, which included a hyperlink to the survey. METHODS: Descriptive analyses were conducted including simple frequencies and prevalences. RESULTS: A total of 4,657 respondents completed the survey. The HLDs used most often were glutaraldehyde (59%), peracetic acid (16%), and ortho-phthalaldehyde (15%). Examples of work practices or events that could increase exposure risk included failure to wear water-resistant gowns (44%); absence of standard procedures for minimizing exposure (19%); lack of safe handling training (17%); failure to wear protective gloves (9%); and a spill/leak of HLD during handling (5%). Among all respondents, 12% reported skin contact with HLDs, and 33% of these respondents reported that they did not always wear gloves. CONCLUSION: Findings indicated that precautionary practices were not always used, underscoring the importance of improved employer and worker training and education regarding HLD hazards. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Communicable Diseases Dental Equipment Disinfectants Health Care Facilities Workforce And Services Health Personnel Men Occupational Health Personal Protective Equipment Respiratory Tract Diseases Safety Skin Women

  More +
• Keywords:
  Dental-materials Health-care Health-care-personnel Humans Infection-control Medical-equipment Personal-protection Personal-protective-equipment Respiratory-system-disorders Skin-exposure Statistical-analysis Surveillance Worker-health Workers

  More +
• ISSN:
  0899-823X
• Document Type:
  Text
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  Ohio ; OSHA Region 5
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Division:
  DSHEFS - Division of Surveillance, Hazard Evaluations, and Field Studies
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  180-185
• Volume:
  36
• Issue:
  2
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20045772
• Citation:
  Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol. 2015 Feb; 36(2):180-185
• Contact Point Address:
  Scott a. Henn, Division of Surveillance, Hazard Evaluations and Field Studies, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Cincinnati, OH 45226
• Email:
  shenn@cdc.gov
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2015
• NORA Priority Area:
  Healthcare and Social Assistance
• Peer Reviewed:
  True
• Source Full Name:
  Infection Control and Hospital Epidemiology
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:a2b50e4ff9186460145ac1f4b3cff6464ada995e97cb9c5e8620d16785d858f9806260406be1a8bd8611912b76bb9ff7c49ddfd4133e5d850652d8d2afe9067f
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/201060/cdc_201060_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 291.17 KB ]