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International Journal of Current Microbiology and Applied Sciences (IJCMAS)
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Original Research Articles                      Volume : 7, Issue:6, June, 2018

PRINT ISSN : 2319-7692
Online ISSN : 2319-7706
Issues : 12 per year
Publisher : Excellent Publishers
Email : editorijcmas@gmail.com /
submit@ijcmas.com
Editor-in-chief: Dr.M.Prakash
Index Copernicus ICV 2018: 95.39
NAAS RATING 2020: 5.38

Int.J.Curr.Microbiol.App.Sci.2018.7(6): 793-798
DOI: https://doi.org/10.20546/ijcmas.2018.706.092


Occupational Risk of Sharp Objects or Needlestick Injuries in Medical Practice
A. Kircheva1*, R. Konstantinov1, K. Stoyanova2 and E. Ivanova1
1Department of Hygiene and Epidemiology, Faculty of Public Health, Medical University – Varna, Bulgaria
2Department of Infectious Diseases, Parasitology and Dermatovenerology,
 Faculty of Medicine, Medical University – Varna, Bulgaria
*Corresponding author
Abstract:

Everyday use of sharp and cutting objects from some groups of health care workers (HCWs) presents an eminent occupational risk of exposition to blood and body fluids, potentially dangerous for transmitting blood-borne infections. Receiving an injury from sharp or cutting objects can lead to the transmission of more than 20 blood-borne pathogens. Some of them are of a particular importance to healthcare professionals due to the severe clinical course and widespread prevalence of the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), hepatitis B virus (HBV) and hepatitis C virus (HCV). The tuberculosis infection, re-emerging in human population, can also be included with its permanent presence in the biological materials of the affected patients and the amplified pathogenicity and drug resistance. The aim of the current study is to perform an epidemiological analysis of the surveillance data on the risk taking medical procedures with elevated usage of sharp and cutting objects in one of the Multi profile Hospitals for Active Treatment (MHAT) of Varna, Bulgaria. We used the data from the official reports for “risk exposure” of the hospital’s medical staff and information from additionally performed post-exposure epidemiological surveys, legislative documents of the Ministry of Health, standards and regulations of the WHO, CDC and healthcare professional organizations. Data analysis of all affected hospital personal showed the structure of the risk exposure, the most affected professional groups and the immune status regarding blood-borne infections of both the patients and the exposed personal. Based on the summarized results we were able to define the high-risk activities leading to sharp instruments or needlestick injuries in our medical practice and the possible steps for risk reducing and prevention.


Keywords: Sharps objects, Needlestick injuries, Blood-borne infections, Risk exposure, Occupational risk

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How to cite this article:

Kircheva, A., R. Konstantinov, K. Stoyanova and Ivanova, E. 2018. Occupational Risk of Sharp Objects or Needlestick Injuries in Medical Practice.Int.J.Curr.Microbiol.App.Sci. 7(6): 793-798. doi: https://doi.org/10.20546/ijcmas.2018.706.092
Copyright: This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike license.

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