National Technical Reports Library

The National Technical Information Service acquires, indexes, abstracts, and archives the largest collection of U.S. government-sponsored technical reports in existence. The NTRL offers online, free and open access to these authenticated government technical reports. Technical reports and documents in its repository may be available online for free either from the issuing federal agency, the U.S. Government Publishing Office’s Federal Digital System website, or through search engines.

Details

Exposure to Blood among Non-Hospital Health Care Workers.

PB2005105198

Publication Date	2004
Page Count	40
Abstract	The National Study to Prevent Blood Exposure in Paramedics addressed the problem of paramedics coming into contact with patient blood while treating the patient. Occupational exposure to blood is important because it is through contact with blood that paramedics can become infected with viruses such as HIV, HBV, and HCV. All of the over 150,000 paramedics in the United States are potentially at risk for these infections. Prevention of blood exposure is the primary means of protecting paramedics from these viruses. Yet before this study, policy makers and public health officials did not know how big the problem was. There were no data on the numbers of paramedics exposed for developing regulations and guidelines or planning and evaluating programs. To obtain the needed data, we conducted a national mail survey of licensed paramedics. The questionnaire and study design were developed with input from paramedics from around the country. We also conducted a separate analysis of California paramedics. California had an established needlestick prevention law that mandated the provision of safety-engineered medical devices (e.g., safety needles) to paramedics. Comparison of blood exposure rates between California paramedics and the national sample could reflect the effectiveness of this law.
Keywords	Paramedics Blood Occupational exposure Patients Incidence rates Risk factors Questionnaires Safety devices Reporting Prevention Data collection Protective equipment Samples
Source Agency	National Highway Transportation Safety Administration
Corporate Authors	Constella Health Sciences, Durham, NC.; National Inst. for Occupational Safety and Health, Washington, DC.
Supplemental Notes	Sponsored by National Inst. for Occupational Safety and Health, Washington, DC.
Document Type	Technical Report
Title Note	Final Report.
NTIS Issue Number	200517

Exposure to Blood among Non-Hospital Health Care Workers.

Exposure to Blood among Non-Hospital Health Care Workers.
PB2005105198

Publication Date	2004
Page Count	40
Abstract	The National Study to Prevent Blood Exposure in Paramedics addressed the problem of paramedics coming into contact with patient blood while treating the patient. Occupational exposure to blood is important because it is through contact with blood that paramedics can become infected with viruses such as HIV, HBV, and HCV. All of the over 150,000 paramedics in the United States are potentially at risk for these infections. Prevention of blood exposure is the primary means of protecting paramedics from these viruses. Yet before this study, policy makers and public health officials did not know how big the problem was. There were no data on the numbers of paramedics exposed for developing regulations and guidelines or planning and evaluating programs. To obtain the needed data, we conducted a national mail survey of licensed paramedics. The questionnaire and study design were developed with input from paramedics from around the country. We also conducted a separate analysis of California paramedics. California had an established needlestick prevention law that mandated the provision of safety-engineered medical devices (e.g., safety needles) to paramedics. Comparison of blood exposure rates between California paramedics and the national sample could reflect the effectiveness of this law.
Keywords	Paramedics Blood Occupational exposure Patients Incidence rates Risk factors Questionnaires Safety devices Reporting Prevention Data collection Protective equipment Samples
Source Agency	National Highway Transportation Safety Administration
Corporate Authors	Constella Health Sciences, Durham, NC.; National Inst. for Occupational Safety and Health, Washington, DC.
Supplemental Notes	Sponsored by National Inst. for Occupational Safety and Health, Washington, DC.
Document Type	Technical Report
Title Note	Final Report.
NTIS Issue Number	200517