Preventing Exposures to Bloodborne & Infectious Disease: Identifying Disparities Between Surgical Professions and All Other Hospital Personnel

Details

• Personal Author:
  Laramie A ; Mitchell A
• Description:
  Background. Bloodborne infectious diseases continue to be a notable occupational health threat in healthcare. Among those born between 1945-1956, the mortality rate of Hepatitis C is greater than that from 60 other infectious diseases combined. As this generation accesses healthcare more and more frequently, the risk of occupational exposure among those that care for them is higher than in decades past. Continuing to stay focused on eliminating exposures to blood and body fluids in healthcare is an important element in eliminating disparities among those working in various occupations. Methods. Occupational incident surveillance data from 2012-2016 from the Massachusetts Sharps Injury Surveillance System and International Safety Center Exposure Prevention Information Network (EPINet) will be analyzed to quantify percutaneous exposure incidents. Aggregate data will be compared between datasets to identify differences over time and any differences when comparing surgical staff to personnel in other departments (e.g., patient rooms, emergency department, ICU/CCU, etc.). Results: Physicians sustain the largest numbers of suture (54.2%), syringe (6.3%) and scalpel blade (5.6%) injuries in the OR. Nurses and technologist/technical professions experience more injuries from needles on syringes and from unsafe device passing. Additional analysis is being conducted now and results will be shared. Conclusions. There are occupational health and safety disparities not just between healthcare personnel based on experience and level of training, but also between occupation groups. Members of surgical and support staff teams are impacted by the facility (employer) and/or surgical leadership's decisions to not put the most effective controls into place. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Blood Epidemiology Health Personnel Hematologic Diseases Needlestick Injuries Occupational Health Safety
• Keywords:
  Author Keywords: Occupational Health And Safety Bloodborne Diseases Health Care Delivery Health Care Workers Needlestick Injuries Nurses Occupational Health Disparities Physicians Sharps Surgery
• Publisher:
  American Public Health Association
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Cooperative Agreement
• Genre:
  Abstract or Summary
• Place as Subject:
  California ; Massachusetts ; OSHA Region 1 ; OSHA Region 6 ; OSHA Region 9 ; Texas
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20066457
• Citation:
  Creating the Healthiest Nation: Health Equity Now. APHA 146th Annual Meeting and Exposition, November 10-14, 2018, San Diego, California. Washington, DC: American Public Health Association, 2018 Nov; :414959
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2019
• Performing Organization:
  Massachusetts State Department of Public Health
• Peer Reviewed:
  False
• Start Date:
  20050701
• Source Full Name:
  Creating the Healthiest Nation: Health Equity Now. APHA 146th Annual Meeting and Exposition, November 10-14, 2018, San Diego, California
• End Date:
  20260630
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:7c4d4a6f09f44c46231f53cd6267b16ee36c1fd3aece9e217b5dad0c4ce87a94c1f4427057d1d6cd09e3b67249d84e999eb879a0763c54e6a678f48ae85d964d
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/231093/cdc_231093_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 79.33 KB ]