Surgeons' and occupational health departments' awareness of guidelines on post-exposure prophylaxis for staff exposed to HIV: telephone survey.

Surgeons face the occupational risk of parenteral transmission of infection, in particular with HIV, percutaneous exposure to which carries an estimated risk of transmission of 0.3%. This risk may be reduced by antiretroviral prophylactic treatment. The UK Department of Health issued guidelines on post-exposure prophylaxis in June 1997. We assessed whether the guidelines had been implemented and whether surgeons were aware of them in the South and West health region.