Healthcare workers, particularly physicians in low-income countries are continually plagued by high incidences of occupational exposure to blood and body fluids (BBF). The prevalence is exceedingly heightened in physicians because of their direct involvement with patient care. This comprehensive study focuses on the prevalence and contributing factors of occupational exposure to blood and body fluid in a teaching hospital in northern Ethiopia, where 255 physicians were engaged through simple randomization.
Unified findings were drawn through the utilization of descriptive statistics, bivariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses to identify significant associated factors. These statistics revealed that 94 individuals (36.9%) had experienced occupational exposure to blood and body fluid in the trailing three months and overall 210 individuals (82.4%) had lifetime exposure. The exposure was found to be most prevalent among residents (52.1%) and interns (35.1%).
Further results demonstrated that the departments with the highest exposure rates were obstetrics and gynecology (30.8%) followed by general surgery (24.5%). Saliently, three primary factors have shown significant correlation with BBF exposure in this study: working more than 8 hours per day, lack of infection prevention training, and inconsistent use of gloves.
These findings point to an urgent requirement for occupational safety measures which include providing adequate training, ensuring the constant availability and usage of personal protective equipment like gloves, and managing workloads. Moreover, by curbing the exposure to blood and body fluids, it’s possible to significantly reduce the transmission of blood-borne pathogens like the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), hepatitis B virus (HBV), and hepatitis C virus (HCV) among healthcare workers.
Ultimately, the study emphasizes the critical need for the development and implementation of targeted safety measures to protect vulnerable healthcare workers. Not only would this step prevent the transmission of bloodborne infections, but it also significantly imparts toward improving the overall safety of patients and healthcare staff full-time.