Abstract
Objective:
One year (2003) regional analysis of all blood exposure incidents from hospitals as well as from the community.
Design:
Establishment of an easily accessible regional expert counseling center, operating 24 h a day, for all accidental blood exposures. Tasks of the center were to register incoming calls, to inform and counsel the victim, to assess the risk of the incident, and to provide a plan of further actions, including prophylactic measures.
Setting:
A Dutch region (Northeast Brabant) with 500,000 inhabitants and two major hospitals (1,786 beds).
Results:
A total of 454 incidents (1.2 per day) were recorded. Only half of the incidents occurred in the hospital setting (n = 234), whereas the others (n = 220) took place in the community setting. Nearly all (95%, n = 432) incidents occurred during work, and most of them (84%, n = 385) were related to health care activities. In the hospital setting injuries occurred with physicians (13%), nursing staff (45%), operating room (OR) staff (13%), ancillary (18%), others (10%). In the community setting, incidents took place among healthcare workers (48%), detention and police officers (10%), civilians (10%), general practitioners/dentists and their staff (8%), cleaning staff (4%) and work-related incidents not falling into any of the above categories (7%). More low risk incidents took place outside the hospital (87% vs. 68% in hospital), while high-risk incidents predominantly occurred within the hospital setting (23% vs. 6%). The hepatitis-B immunization rate was significantly lower in victims from the community than in those working in hospitals (38% vs. 96%). Reports from incidents in the community setting were delayed.
Conclusions:
Incidents that expose individuals to blood-borne pathogens occur equally frequent in the hospital and non-hospital (community) setting. Therefore, a regional expert counseling center, accessible around-the-clock, for all types of blood-exposure incidents is needed. Blood-exposure prevention programs should aim at a reduction of high-risk incidents within hospitals, and at increasing the awareness for vaccination and early reporting within the community setting.
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van Wijk, P.T.L., Pelk-Jongen, M., de Boer, E. et al. Differences between Hospital- and Community-Acquired Blood Exposure Incidents Revealed by a Regional Expert Counseling Center. Infection 34, 17–21 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1007/s15010-006-4125-9
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s15010-006-4125-9