Knowledge and occupational exposure to blood and body fluids among health care workers and medical students

Introduction: Health workers and medical students are at occupational risk of blood-borne diseases during the accidents, that is, via percutaneous injury or entry of blood or body fluids through the mucosa or injured skin. Objective: to review and analyze the knowledge, attitudes and perception of risks of blood-borne diseases of the clinical course students and health workers as well as the frequency of accidents. Material and methods: Cross-sectional study was carried out among the students of the Faculty of Medicine in Belgrade, and health workers of the Clinical Center of Serbia. The subjects responded anonymously to questionnaire specially designed for the study. Results: Both students and health workers were aware, in a high percentage, of the fact that the risk of hepatitis B spread was about 30%. Significantly more students gave affirmative reply that blood as biological material was a potential hazard of HIV infection spread (p=0.001), and significantly more students knew that HIV would not be spread by sweat (p=0.001). Hepatitis B vaccination was administered only to 24.1% of students and 71.4% of health workers. About 10% of students and 65.5% of health workers experienced some accident. There was no significant difference of accidents between nurses/technicians and physicians (p>0.05), as well as of accidents and a total length of service (p>0.05). The majority of accidents occurred during the use of needle/sharp object (in 27.3% of students and 33.1% of health workers). About 40% of students and slightly over a half of the workers reported the accidents to appropriate authorities. Additional education in this field is considered necessary by 73% of students. Conclusion: During the studies and via continuous medical education it is necessary to upgrade the level of knowledge on prevention of accidents, what would, at least partially, influence their reduction. [Acknowledgment. Projekat Ministarstva nauke Republike Srbije, br. 175046]