Occupational Risk of Sharp Objects or Needlestick Injuries in Medical Practice

Everyday use of sharp and cutting objects from some groups of health care workers (HCWs) presents an eminent occupational risk of exposition to blood and body fluids, potentially dangerous for transmitting blood-borne infections. Receiving an injury from sharp or cutting objects can lead to the transmission of more than 20 blood-borne pathogens. Some of them are of a particular importance to healthcare professionals due to the severe clinical course and widespread prevalence of the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), hepatitis B virus (HBV) and hepatitis C virus (HCV). The tuberculosis infection, re-emerging in human population, can also be included with its permanent presence in the biological materials of the affected patients and the amplified pathogenicity and drug resistance. The aim of the current study is to perform an epidemiological analysis of the surveillance data on the risk taking medical procedures with elevated usage of sharp and cutting objects in one of the Multi profile Hospitals for Active Treatment (MHAT) of Varna, Bulgaria. We used the data from the official reports for “risk exposure” of the hospital’s medical staff and information from additionally performed post-exposure epidemiological surveys, legislative documents of the Ministry of Health, standards and regulations of the WHO, CDC and healthcare professional organizations. Data analysis of all affected hospital personal showed the structure of the risk exposure, the most affected professional groups and the immune status regarding blood-borne infections of both the patients and the exposed personal. Based on the summarized results we were able to define the high-risk activities leading to sharp instruments or needlestick injuries in our medical practice and the possible steps for risk reducing and prevention.