Hospital nurses' occupational exposure to blood: prospective, retrospective, and institutional reports

• Published in: American journal of public health (1971) Vol. 87; no. 1; pp. 103 - 107
• Main Authors: Aiken, L H, Sloane, D M, Klocinski, J L
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Washington, DC Am Public Health Assoc 01.01.1997; American Public Health Association
• Subjects: Acquired immune deficiency syndrome; Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome - transmission; AIDS; Biological and medical sciences; Blood; Chemical, physic and infectious diseases; Data collection; Discount coupons; Estimates; Hepatitis; HIV; Human immunodeficiency virus; Humans; Immune system; Incidence; Infections; Medical sciences; Needlestick injuries; Needlestick Injuries - complications; Needlestick Injuries - epidemiology; Nurses; Nursing; Nursing Staff, Hospital; Occupational accidents; Occupational Exposure; Occupational medicine; Physic and infectious agents; Prospective Studies; Public health; Public health. Hygiene-occupational medicine; Questionnaires; Retrospective Studies; Risk Factors; United States - epidemiology; Urban Health; USA; United States; North America; America; Human; Immunopathology; Occupational disease; Health staff; Hepatic disease; Hospital environment; AIDS; Occupational exposure; Immune deficiency; Epidemiology; Blood; Infection; Viral hepatitis B; Viral disease; Risk factor; Digestive diseases; Occupational medicine; Nurse
• DOI: 10.2105/AJPH.87.1.103
• ISSN: 0090-0036

This study examined nurses risk of exposure to blood resulting from injuries with needles and sharps, the methods of estimating those risks, and the factors affecting risks. Nurses on 40 medical units in 20 hospitals in cities with a high incidence of AIDS were studied. Percutaneous injuries were documented for every shift during a 30-day period. These prospective reports were compared with retrospective and institutional reports. Factors affecting the likelihood of injuries were explored. Based on the prospective reports, the rate of injuries to staff nurses was 0.8 per nurse-year. Prospective and retrospective rates were similar, while institutional rates were significantly lower. Factors associated with increased injuries included recapping needles and temporary work assignments. Working in hospitals characterized by professional nurse practice models and taking precautions to avoid blood contact were associated with fewer injuries. Injuries from needlesticks are more common than institutional reports suggest and do not occur at random. Diminishing the frequency with which nurses recap needles, increasing precautions they take, reducing use of temporary nursing personnel, and implementing organizational changes may lower the odds of nurses being injured.