Poster
# 91
Poster |
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6th Internet World Congress for Biomedical Sciences |
João Tadeu Damian Souto Filho(1), Sandro Bichara Mendonça(2)
(1)(2)FMC - Campos dos Goytacazes. Brazil
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[Occupational Health] |
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[Hygiene, Public Health & Preventive Medicine] |
[Infectious Diseases] |
Professionals from Health area that have activities in emergencial medical attendance and are in straight contact with sharp instruments, are potentially exposed to the risk of occupational. These accidents are important because of their capacity of transmit trough the blood serious pathogenical agents.
The occupational accidents prevention needs a constantly planning, application and evaluation of educational programs and proceedings controls. This topics of this program must include: professional education, preventive vaccination, identification and reduction of acts with risks, and instruction for the use of individual protection equipment.
In some circumstances, the instinct of help can overcome the instinct of self protection. However, the security in the work is primordial. In many times the speed that a medical professional have to act is too high, that the biossecurity laws are forgotten.
In this way, we made a comparative study to examine the incidence and prevalence of accidents involving sharp instruments with health care workers. And analyze in a quantitative and qualitative way the results with values of the research done in 1997, with a likely population.
The population of this study involve professional that work in the health area, that have their activities at Ferreira Machado Hospital - HFM, a hospital of a large number of attendance in Campos dos Goytacazes, Rio de Janeiro State, Brazil.
Using epidemiological questionnaire, we interviewed 163 professionals.
This group were divided in many categories: occupation (physician, medical student, nurse, nurse assistant, cleanness servant and laundry servant), time of work (one year, between one and 3 years, between 3 and five years and more than five years).
We asked if each one have an accident with sharp instruments, and if positive, we classified according with the instrument: needle of syringe, needle of suture, scalpel, scissors, ampoule, and others. And also, we questioned if the occupational accident was notified to the hospital, and if the person made any laboratories exam.
We interviewed 163 health care workers of the Ferreira Machado Hospital. They were grouped in this proportion: 17% physicians, 27% medical students, 4% nurses, 48% nurse assistants, 2% cleanness servants and 2% laundry servants. This number was analyzed in 1997 and in 1999.
In 1997, occupational accidents with sharp instruments occurred with 68% of physicians, 52% of medical students, 71% of nurses, 76% of nurse assistants, 0% of cleanness servants and 0% of laundry servants. In 1999, we have accidents with 57% of physicians, 63% of medical students, 66% of nurses, 63% of nurse assistants, 20% of cleanness servants and 2% of laundry servants.
Specifying with which sharp instrument the accident occurred, we had in 1997, 53% with needles of syringe, 7% with needles of suture, 11% with scalpels, 0% with scissors and 29% with ampoules. In 1999, the same question showed this results: 40% with needles of syringe, 17% with needles of suture, 17% with scalpels, 15% with scissors and 11% with ampoules.
The frequency of making laboratorial exams in case of occupational accident, we found in 1999: 12% of physicians, 27% of medical students, 0% of nurses, 38% of nurse assistants, 0% of cleanness servants and 0% of laundry servants. In 1997, it was: : 89% of physicians, 68% of medical students, 0% of nurses, 54% of nurse assistants, 0% of cleanness servants and 0% of laundry servants.
And the question if the occupational accident was notified to the Hospital Infection Control Center of HFM, in 1997 was answered positive in 8% of physicians, 0% of medical students, 0% of nurses, 14% of nurse assistants, 0% of cleanness servants and 0% of laundry servants. And in 1999, 8% of physicians, 0% of medical students, 0% of nurses, 22% of nurse assistants, 0% of cleanness servants and 0% of laundry servants.
Analyzing the professional groups, we noticed a similar proportion in the 1997´s and 1999´s studys. This similarity shows that, in a practical way, nothing has changed in this period.
The frequency of occupational accidents with sharp instruments in both studys is balanced. And between all groups divided by occupation, the different and higher values occurred with cleanness servant and laundry servant. The results of these two groups is not compatible with the reality because of the wrong proceedings of these professionals, that make than much more exposed to occupational accidents.
In two years the biosecurity material were given and started to be used constantly. But the number of accidents didn´t reduce. In this way, we think that not only is necessary personal biosecurity materials, but is important to apply educational programs for all health care workers.
Apparently harmless proceedings can be, in the reality, potential risk situations, that could be avoided.
We have to show the importance of the excessive number of work hours that health care workers have to work. This factor is intimately related with physicians, medical students, nurses and nurse assistant.
The accidents with laundry servants happened because of the improper presence of sharp instruments in all materials that are send to the laundry.
Analyzing the number of professionals that had an accident, we become surprised with the extremely low quantity of them that have done laboratorials exams. This values express the conscious absence of health care workers. And the number of notification to the Hospital Infection Control Center of HFM were very low too.
The occupational accident damage reaches a high economical and social importance, involving not only the individual purpose, but the collective.
According to the 1997´s study, a inconvenient situation persist in this public institution, that shows, in a near future, low quality medical services. That is because of the increasing of pathogenical agents transition between health care workers, and with their patients.
The health care workers are not satisfactorily aware about the risks of transmission of blood microorganisms in occupational accidents with sharp instruments.
And, we noticed the necessity of educational programs, planned and executed in a right way. This, become the most important factor of the high incidence of these accidents.
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[Occupational Health] |
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[Hygiene, Public Health & Preventive Medicine] |
[Infectious Diseases] |
