A multi-center study of the comparative evaluation of occupational exposure to blood and body fluids among health care workers in Edo central senatorial district, Nigeria

Abstract

Introduction: according to the World Health Organization, annually, about 3-4million health care workers (HCWs) are exposed to blood and body fluids (BBFs). This accidental exposure may lead to infections by blood borne pathogens, in particular, hepatitis B virus (HBV), hepatitis C virus (HCV), and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). This is highly worrisome especially in developing countries like ours where the prevalence of blood borne infections are high and the standard precautions´ practices are poor. Objectives: to determine and compare the prevalence and pattern of occupational exposure to BBF among HCWs at the three level of health care. Methods: the cross-sectional study was conducted amongst 492 HCWs working in 34 health care facilities in Edo Central Senatorial District, Edo State, Nigeria Results: one hundred and eighty nine (38.4%) of the HCWs at the three levels of health care delivery reported having sharps injuries, of these exposures, majority (50.4%) of HCWs in the primary health care centres (PHC) had more exposure to BBFs compared to the secondary(SHC) and tertiary health care (THC) centres where 34.9% and 24.4% had sharp injuries respectively. Similarly, 56.1% of the HCWs at the three levels of health care had exposure to BBFs via mucocutaneous route. Comparatively, more (62.8%) of the HCWs in the SHC had more BBFs exposure compared to HCWs in the in the PHC and THC (24.4%: 60.9%) respectively. Sharp exposures and BBFs splash exposures were common among health assistants (52.2%) and doctors (83.5%), compared to the other categories of HCWs at the three levels of health care. Conclusion: given the high prevalence of occupational to BBFs recorded at the three level of health care delivery, it is no gainsaying that occupational exposure to blood and body fluids requires urgent attention by hospital management and HCWs at all levels through continuous education on infection control and prevention.