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. 2019 Mar 9;24(1):18.
doi: 10.1186/s12199-019-0769-9.

Occupational exposure to blood and body fluids and associated factors among health care workers at the University of Gondar Hospital, Northwest Ethiopia

Jemal Yasin  1 , Roman Fisseha  2 , Feleke Mekonnen  2 , Ketsela Yirdaw  3
Affiliations

Occupational exposure to blood and body fluids and associated factors among health care workers at the University of Gondar Hospital, Northwest Ethiopia

Jemal Yasin et al. Environ Health Prev Med. .

Abstract

Background: Occupational exposure to blood and body fluids (BBFs) is a serious concern for health care workers (HCWs) and presents a major risk factor for transmission of infectious diseases such as hepatitis B virus (HBV), hepatitis C virus, and human immune deficiency virus. The main objective of this study was to assess the magnitudes of occupational exposure of blood and body fluids and associated factors among health workers at the University of Gondar Hospital.

Methods: An institution-based cross-sectional study was conducted from 1 February to 31 May 2017 at the University of Gondar Hospital. A total of 282 health care workers were selected by simple random sampling technique. Descriptive data was presented as absolute number with percentage, and multivariate analysis was used to assess the statistical association between associated factors and occupational exposure to BBFs. A P value of < 0.05 was considered as statistical significant.

Result: A total of 282 HCWs participated with the mean (±SD) age of 30.51 ± 5.86 year. Of the total, 58.5% (165) and 42.2% (119) of the study participants had been exposed to BBFs splash and needlestick injury (NSI) in their lifetime, respectively. However, 39.0% (110) and 20.6% (58) of the HCWs were exposed to splash and NSI in the past 1 year, respectively. Not wearing eye goggle, lack of training on infection prevention, taking of HBV vaccination, and recapping of used needle were risk factors associated with BBFs splash exposure, whereas taking HBV vaccination and recapping of used needle were associated risk factors with NSI exposure.

Conclusion: This study showed a high percentage of occupational exposure to blood and body fluids among health care workers. Not wearing eye goggle, HBV vaccine status, and recapping needles were found to be independent predictors of occupational exposure to BBFs among HCWs. Therefore, relevant stakeholders need to formulate strategies to create a favorable working environment and increase their adherence to universal precautions.

Keywords: Blood and body fluids; Health care workers; Occupational exposure.

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Conflict of interest statement

Ethics approval and consent to participate

Ethical approval was obtained from the research and ethics review committee of School of Biomedical and Laboratory Sciences, University of Gondar. All the study participants were informed about the purpose of the study and their right to refuse participation or terminate their involvement during the study. Finally, written consent were obtained from the study participants before data collection. All Information provided by each respondent was kept confidential.

Consent for publication

Not applicable

Competing interests

The authors declare that they do not have competing interests.

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