Assessment of Occupational Exposure to Blood and Other Body Fluids Among Healthcare Workers in a South‐Western Chinese Tertiary Hospital From 2018 to 2023: A Descriptive Cross‐Sectional Study

TL;DR

This study analyzed occupational exposure to blood and body fluids among healthcare workers in a Chinese hospital from 2018 to 2023, finding high rates among certain groups and locations.

Contribution

The study provides a detailed, six-year analysis of occupational exposure patterns in a specific Chinese hospital setting.

Findings

The highest incidence of occupational exposure occurred in 2019, with a decline observed in subsequent years.

Needlestick and sharps injuries were the most common type of exposure, primarily affecting medical students, nurses, and cleaning staff.

Despite frequent exposures, no healthcare workers contracted diseases, as confirmed by follow-up testing.

Abstract

Healthcare workers face significant occupational exposure risks from biological and non‐biological hazards, with needlestick injuries being the most common hazard. This study aimed to assess the extent of occupational exposure among various healthcare workers.

A descriptive cross‐sectional study.

This study was conducted from 2018 to 2023 in a south‐western Chinese tertiary hospital. The data about occupational exposure to blood and other body fluids were collected, including characteristics of healthcare workers and source patients, characteristics of such exposure and circumstances leading to such exposure.

There were 675 occupational exposure events from 2018 to 2023, predominantly involving female (78.81%) and individuals under 30 years old (62.81%). All of the individuals had received training (100.00%) and 58.52% had received vaccination against hepatitis B. The most common occupational exposure to blood and other body fluids was needlestick and sharps injuries (83.56%), with HBV being the primary disease associated with the exposure (22.96%). The incidence rate peaked in 2019 (60.38 per 1000 person‐years) and declined thereafter, with medical students, cleaning staffs and nurses experiencing the highest rate of exposure. The majority of incidents occurred in hospital wards (50.07%) and operating rooms (18.52%), often involving fingers (76.30%), and happened during patient care (17.63%), needle withdrawal (17.19%), and surgery operation (14.37%). Despite the high number of exposures, no medical staff contracted diseases from such exposure over the 6‐year period, as confirmed by a 6‐month serological follow‐up.

The highest incidence rate was observed in 2019, followed by a decline. Medical students, cleaning staffs and nurses had the highest occupational exposure incidence rates. The majority of the exposures occurred in hospital wards and operating rooms, primarily on the fingers and were most commonly caused by syringe needles or scalp needles. These results highlight the need for continued vigilance and targeted interventions to reduce the risk of occupational exposure among these groups, particularly in locations where such exposures are most common.

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