Abstract

MORALES-AGUIRRE, José Juan. Sharp object related accident involving health personnel in a pediatric hospital. Bol. Med. Hosp. Infant. Mex. [online]. 2006, vol.63, n.4, pp.247-254. ISSN 1665-1146.

Introduction. The needle-stick and sharp device injuries constitute a risk to which health personnel is exposed. Objective. To describe the frequency and mechanisms of exposition to infectious biological products in health care personnel. Material and methods. It was an observational and descriptive study from the reports of the epidemiological surveillance program concerning to the exposition to infectious biological products in the health care personnel from Hospital Infantil de Mexico Federico Gomez in Mexico City, happened from January 1, 1991, to December 31, 2004. Results. We observed 848 laboral accidents during this period. The average of accidents per 100 beds/ year was 29.9 with a variation from 4.6 to 56.4. There were 8.29 accidents for 1 000 outcomes/year, with a limit from 1.6 to 14.4. The events appeared mainly in the nursery personnel with 345 episodes (40.6%), followed by resident doctors with 220 events (25.9%). The most frequent mechanism was needle pinch in 616 (72.6%), being the hands the anatomical site most commonly affected in 677 cases (79.8%). The areas most affected were: Emergency with 109 events (12.8%), Pediatric Intensive Care Unit with 96 (11.3%), and Neonatal Intensive Care Unit with 80 (9.4%), being in the matutinal turn the greater number of accidents, 507 events (59.7%). The standard precautions made by the injured personnel were: use of gloves 488 (57.5%); hand washing 404 (47.6%), use of mouth covers 304 (35.8%), use of gown 253 (29.8%), use of lenses 134 (15.8%), none 144 (16.9%). Concerning to the background of vaccine administration against hepatitis B, only 445 (52.4%) had been applied at least one dose and 403 (47.5%) none. Conclusions. The occupational exposition to biological product is an important problem in health care personnel, specially in hospitals that offer attention to pediatric patients, due the difficulties implied in taking care of children. Reinforcing the educative strategies about use of standard precautions in the appropriate sampling techniques and the use of biosafe equipment could help to reduce the frequency of the accidents with sharp devices.

Keywords : Potentially infectious biological products; laboral accidents; sharp devices; health personnel; exposition mechanisms.

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