OBJECTIVES This study investigated the knowledge, awareness and practices of health care workers towards universal precautions at the University Hospital of the West Indies. The study also examined the prevalence of injuries experienced by health care workers, as well as incidence of accidents and compliance with post-exposure prophylaxis. MATERIALS AND METHODS A cross sectional survey was co...

Introduction: Dental students are at high risk for occupational exposure to blood borne pathogens (including HBV, HCV and AIDS) via sharps and needle stick injuries (NSIs). The aim of this study was to evaluate sharps and needle stick injuries among dental students and students' practice regarding protective strategies against blood borne pathogens. Methods: This cross-sectional study was perfo...

Objectives: This study investigated the knowledge, awareness and practices of health care workers towards universal precautions at the University Hospital of the West Indies. The study also examined the prevalence of injuries experienced by health care workers, as well as incidence of accidents and compliance with post-exposure prophylaxis. Materials and Methods: A cross sectional survey was co...

background: current who best infection control practices for injections do not address the use of hub cutters due to insufficient evidence on safety and efficacy. objective: to assess the impact of the use of hub cutters on 1) the frequency of needle-stick injuries (nsis) and other blood exposures among workers and 2) the volume of sharps waste in a mass vaccination campaign setting. methods: d...

Results Health worker working 3 or more nights duties/week and more than 36 hours duty per week (p<0.05) were more prone to injuries. The prevalence of NSSI in both the hospitals was 840 / 1000 HCW / year (84%) and majority of injuries occurred among nurses (p<0.00) besides laboratory assistants and housekeepers. A large amount of injuries occurred in injection room and in-patient departments. ...

I read the recently published article by Adib-Hajbaghery et al. (1) in your journal with interest. Healthcare workers (HWCs) are at high risk of infection with hepatitis B virus (HBV) and hepatitis C virus (HCV) transmitted through blood and infected fluids; the infected staff can transfer these viruses to uninfected patients while providing services (2). Adib-Hajbaghery et al. (1) reported tha...