Occupational blood and body fluid exposure of university health care workers

Background: Occupational exposure to bloodborne pathogens caused by percutaneous injuries or mucosal contamination is common in hospital settings. Methods: Reports of exposures to human blood and body fluids from Padua university health care workers since 2004 to 2006 and compliance with follow-up after injury according to the patients' source were analyzed, Results: The injury reports were 497. The residents in Surgery and anesthesiology were significantly more injured than others, and the compliance with follow-up was low: from 26.3% (hepatitis B virus) to 40% (hepatitis C virus) with a positive source, less than 30% with a negative source, as far as 40% with an unknown Source, No seroconversion was observed in subjects completing the follow-up. Conclusion: We Suspect underestimation of injury reports and low compliance with the follow-up requests that health care workers adhere to the protocols and follow the standard procedures to prevent exposures to bloodborne pathogens. (Am J Infect Control 2008;36:753-6.)