Patterns of occupational exposure to patients' body fluids among health care workers in Tikuranbesa University Hospital, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

Abstract

Background: Accidental exposure to patients’ body fluids (BFs) is an occupational hazard among health care workers (HCWs). The study aimed at describing the patterns of exposure to patients’ BFs among HCWs at a university hospital in Ethiopia. Methods: A contextual descriptive cross-sectional design was used for this study. Self-administered questionnaires were used to collect data. Results: The one year and professional life prevalence of occupational exposure to patients’ BFs among HCWs was 33.5% and 66.5% respectively. Circumstances that led to participants’ exposures to patients’ BFs include needle stick injuries to fingers and splashes to the eyes (82.4%); conducting procedures included blood withdrawal (10.8%) and inserting intravenous infusions (8.1%) and recapping of used needles (12.2%). Conclusion: Findings of this study generally indicated that occupational exposures to patients’ BF of different types and circumstances were common among all categories of HCWs in the study site. This high finding of BF exposure should not be over looked. HCWs should follow the universal precaution protocol and PEP need to be strengthened