Contamination incidents among doctors and midwives: reasons for non-reporting and knowledge of risks.

A 6-month retrospective self-administered questionnaire study of 482 doctors and 380 midwives in two NHS Trusts was undertaken. The response rate was 384 (80%) and 293 (77%) respectively. The study revealed that only nine per cent of doctors and 46% of midwives had reported the contamination incidents they had received. The doctors' main reason for non-reporting was 'too time consuming' and midwives' was 'did not consider anything could be done', although their awareness of the active management of contamination incidents by occupational health departments was good. Seventy-seven per cent of doctors and 69% of midwives underestimated the risk of contracting hepatitis B virus from a needlestick injury, whilst 52% of doctors and 36% of midwives underestimated the risks of acquiring infection with HIV (human immunodeficiency virus) infection following such an injury. Strategies for improving the knowledge of the potential risks of contamination incidents and methods for facilitating ease of reporting are discussed.

[1]  As.  Diseases of Occupations , 1995 .

[2]  J Waterman,et al.  Under-reporting of needlestick injuries by medical students. , 1994, The Journal of hospital infection.

[3]  O. N. Gill,et al.  Health care workers and HIV: surveillance of occupationally acquired infection in the United Kingdom. , 1993, Communicable disease report. CDR review.

[4]  A. Cockcroft,et al.  Hepatitis B immunization and exposure to blood among surgical staff , 1993, The British journal of surgery.

[5]  K. Gaffney,et al.  Phlebotomy practices/needles stick injuries/hepatitis B status/among interns in a Dublin hospital. , 1992, Irish medical journal.

[6]  A. Yassi,et al.  Determinants of blood and body fluid exposure in a large teaching hospital: hazards of the intermittent intravenous procedure. , 1991, American journal of infection control.

[7]  P. Baxter,et al.  Infection risks in hospital staff from blood: hazardous injury rates and acceptance of hepatitis B immunization. , 1990, The Journal of the Society of Occupational Medicine.

[8]  D. Low,et al.  Epidemiology of needlestick injuries in house officers. , 1990, The Journal of infectious diseases.

[9]  Guidelines for prevention of transmission of human immunodeficiency virus and hepatitis B virus to health-care and public-safety workers. , 1989, MMWR supplements.

[10]  M. Wallace,et al.  HIV SEROCONVERSION WITH PROGRESSIVE DISEASE IN HEALTH CARE WORKER AFTER NEEDLESTICK INJURY , 1988, The Lancet.

[11]  B. Hamory,et al.  Underreporting of needlestick injuries in a university hospital. , 1983, American journal of infection control.

[12]  J. Maynard,et al.  Hepatitis B infection in physicians. Results of a nationwide seroepidemiologic survey. , 1978, JAMA.

[13]  L. Barker,et al.  Transmission of serum hepatitis. , 1970, JAMA.