Too Many Healthcare Workers Exposed To Bloodborne Viruses, UK

A new report from the Health Protection Agency shows that healthcare workers are still being exposed to bloodborne virus infections, even though such exposures are largely preventable. According to data collected by the Agency, eleven healthcare workers were infected with hepatitis C via needle stick injuries in the last eight years; two of these incidents were reported in the last 12 months.

The report entitled Eye of the Needle shows that even though a lot has been done to protect healthcare workers through the course of their work, the number of reported occupational exposures increased by 49% in three years; from 206 in 2002 to 306 in 2005. This rise could be due to increased awareness of the risks of needlestick injuries or a genuine increase in the number of injuries: either way th e report draws attention to the need for NHS Trusts to provide local protocols and information on the risk of bloodborne viruses in the work place and to ensure that healthcare workers are adequately trained on how to prevent injuries.

Just under half of those exposed were nursing professionals. However although doctors and dentists comprise a much smaller group of healthcare workers, they reported a similar number of injuries, which suggests they have a higher injury rate.

Dr Fortune Ncube who compiled the report for the Agency said, "These figures show us that there are still too many healthcare workers being exposed to hepatitis C, hepatitis B and HIV through the course of their work. Most needle stick injuries are preventable. It is crucial that interventions to prevent occupational exposure injuries, such as the use of retractable needles are examined."

On the whole, the report shows encouraging results on the implementation of national policies in the management of these infections, with the exception of Hepatitis C Guidelines on testing and follow-up. The report recommends improvements in the level of information that is collected on each incident. The current methods of gathering this information have worked well in identifying and dealing with incidents, but the report recommends that a more detailed surveillance system is established to provide better information.

Professor Pat Troop , Chief Executive of the HPA said "The HPA will continue to monitor these exposure incidents; however we also encourage NHS managers to ensure the guidance is followed so that staff are effectively protected."

-- This report includes all occupational exposures to bloodborne viruses in healthcare workers that were reported to the Health Protection Agency between 1 January 1997 and 31 December 2005 from 180 reporting centres, geographically scattered throughout England with four actively reporting centres in Wales and two in Northern Ireland . Reporting to the surveillance is voluntary. Therefore the data used in this release refers to a small number of hospitals (40 in total) that consistently reported exposures to the programme between 2002 and 2005.

-- 47% or 478 out of 1007 of exposures involved nurses and 41% or 409 out of 1007 involved doctors and dentists.

-- Hepatitis means swelling or inflammation of the liver. The most common causes of hepatitis are viral infections. Hepatitis C infection (also known as Hep C or HCV) is one such virus that can cause long-lasting infection and can lead to liver disease including liver cancer. In the absence of treatment it is estimated that around 15-20% of infected people clear their infections naturally within the first 6 months of infection. For the remainder, hepatitis C is a chronic infection that can span several decades and can be life-long.

-- The first documented case in the UK of a health care worker acquiring HIV following an occupational exposure was in 1984. Following this, a passive surveillance system was established, involving health care workers in England , Wales and Northern Ireland for exposures to HIV. This was changed to a more active surveillance system in July 1997, and was expanded to include hepatitis B and hepatitis C. There were no new cases of HIV in healthcare workers from HIV positive patients in 2005.

Article Source: http://www.content.onlypunjab.com

-- The full report can be accessed here

www.hpa.org.uk

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