Barroso-Aguirre J, Pimentel-Nieto D, Morales-Carmona F, Cosme-Pérez J, Santillán-Palomo V, Rivas-Torres MP, Santana-Motta M, Ibarra-Chavarría V, Camacho-Molina A, Cornu-Gómez ML

Language: Spanish
References: 0
Page: 141-149
PDF size: 127.98 Kb.

ABSTRACT

Background: Accidents with sharp material occur frequently among health workers. Numerous reports have documented the transmission of pathogens through body fluids, being the acquisition of HIV, HBV and HCV by occupational exposure one of the serious complications caused by a stab wound. Objective: To determine the incidence of accidents with sharp material at the National Institute of Perinatology Isidro Espinosa de los Reyes in order that from this information strategies are designed for health workers working in the institution. Material: By means of the design of an observational, descriptive and longitudinal study, an epidemiological study was carried out to determine the frequency and distribution of accidents with sharp material in the period July 2005 to June 2007. Method: The data was registered by the EPINet (Exposure Prevention Information Network) system. Descriptive statistics was conducted and the incidence of accidents was reported. Results: In total, 125 accidents were registered, of which 105 (84%) accidents were caused by needle punctures or sharp material and 20 (16%) by splash of blood and/or body fluids. Therefore, 4.3 accidents occur per month and 19.8 accidents per 100 beds. Nurses, nursing students, and residents are the groups with the highest percentage of accidents, and the operating room and recovery room are the sites where they occur most frequently. The suture, a multistage procedure using various instruments such as syringes with needles, embodies the ideal situation where these accidents happen. Conclusions: The institutional figures allow us to make decisions for the organization of prevention and action strategies in services where the greatest number of accidents occur. Additionally, this information allow us to prioritize the place where instruments can be introduced with safety devices and the type thereof, in our case those related to the suture and incision of tissues.