BACKGROUND AND AIMS Health care workers (HCWs) are at risk of contracting and spreading hepatitis B virus (HBV) and hepatitis C virus (HCV) to others. The aim of this study was to evaluate knowledge, attitudes and behavior of physicians concerning HBV and HCV. METHODS A 29-item questionnaire (reliability coefficient = 0.7) was distributed at two national/regional congresses and two university...

OBJECTIVES understand the Social Representations about needlestick injuries elaborated by Nursing Technicians and analyze how these representations influence their conducts. METHOD the data, obtained by interviews, were processed using ALCESTE software and their analysis was based on Serge Moscovici's Social Representations Theory. RESULTS it was evidenced that, after the accident, these pr...

HOME HEALTH CARE HAS BEEN ONE OF THE fastest-growing sectors in the health care industry, but the prevention of occupational exposures in this setting has not received the attention it deserves. Of the more than 8 million U.S. health care workers who work in hospitals and other health care settings1, between 650,000 and 850,000 are employed in home health care.2 There are few data and no nation...

background education, universal precautions, using protective glasses and a standard method of used needle disposal, are the most important strategies for preventing bloodborne infections. objectives the aim of this study was to compare the effect of a face-to-face education program with the effect of an official-imperative circular, on the needle-disposal behavior of nurses working in the shah...

BACKGROUND Occupational sharps injuries are associated with transmission of bloodborne viruses to healthcare workers, including hepatitis B virus (HBV), hepatitis C virus (HCV), and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). Similarly reuse of syringes in healthcare settings might transmit these infections between patients. The objective of this study was to systematically review the evidence about th...

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) revised the Bloodborne Pathogen Standard and, on July 17, 2001, began enforcing the use of appropriate and effective sharps devices with engineered sharps injury protection. OSHA requires employers to maintain a sharps injury log that records, among other items, the type and brand of contaminated sharps device involved in each injury. Fed...

Needlestick injuries (NSIs) and sharps injuries are a potential source of harm. Such injuries can cause considerable distress and have an economic effect on both the person who is injured and the healthcare organisation. Although data regarding trained nurses are more plentiful, there is a dearth of published information and research on the incidence and causes of NSIs and sharps injuries in th...

To the Editor: The results of the study, “Impact of a Shielded Safety Syringe on Needlestick Injuries Among Healthcare Workers,” in the June 1992 issue (1992;13:349353) are encouraging. Technology that keeps the worker’s hands behind the needle at all times and covers the needle after use should significantly lower the rate of needlestick injuries. However, we noted the following inconsistencie...

A cross sectional study using multistage sampling method by means of structured interviewer administered questionnaire was designed to estimate the rate of occurrence of needlestick injuries among veterinarians involved in clinical practice and to evaluate needle handling practices and risk factors. The study was carried out during the months of August-November 2015. Out of the 215 veterinarian...