Occupational blood and body fluid exposure of university health care workers

Background: Occupational exposure to bloodborne pathogens caused by percutaneous injuries or mucosal contamination is common in hospital settings. Methods: Reports of exposures to human blood and body fluids from Padua university health care workers since 2004 to 2006 and compliance with the follow-up after injury according to the patients’ source were analysed. Results: The injury reports were 497. The residents in surgery and anesthesiology were significantly more injured than the others, and the compliance with follow-up was low: from 26.3% (hepatitis B virus) to 40% (hepatitis C virus) with positive source, less than 30% with a negative source, as far as 40% with an unknown source. No seroconversion was observed in subjects completing the follow-up. Conclusions: We suspect underestimation of injury reports and low compliance with the follow-up requests that health care workers adhere to the protocols and follow the standard procedures to prevent exposures to blood-borne pathogens.