182600 Risk of sharps injuries and blood exposures among home health care workers

Wednesday, October 29, 2008: 9:15 AM

Margaret M. Quinn, ScD, CIH , Department of Work Environment, School of Health and Environment, University of Massachusetts Lowell, Lowell, MA
Pia K. Markkanen, ScD , Department of Work Environment, School of Health and Environment, University of Massachusetts Lowell, Lowell, MA
Catherine Galligan, MSc , Department of Work Environment, School of Health and Environment, University of Massachusetts Lowell, Lowell, MA
Stephanie Chalupka, EdD, PHNCNS-BC , Department of Nursing, Worcester State College, Worcester, MA
Hyun Kim, MS , Work Environment, University of Massachusetts Lowell, Lowell, MA
Rebecca Gore, PhD , Department of Work Environment, University of Massachusetts Lowell, Lowell, MA
Susan Sama, ScD, RN , Department of Work Environment, School of Health and Environment, University of Massachusetts Lowell, Lowell, MA
David Kriebel, ScD , Work Environment, University of Massachusetts Lowell, Lowell, MA
Angela K. Laramie, MPH , Occupational Health Surveillance Program, Massachusetts Department of Public Health, Boston, MA
Letitia Davis, ScD , Occupational Health Surveillance Program, Massachusetts Department of Public Health, Boston, MA
A questionnaire survey of home health care (HHC) nurses and aides was conducted to estimate their risk of injuries from sharp medical devices (“sharps”) and other blood/body fluid exposures. Risk factors for injuries and exposures also were evaluated, including the availability and use of sharp medical devices with safety features (“safety sharps”). Participants were recruited from 8 HHC agencies (26 offices) and 2 unions. Questionnaire topics included demographics, work experience, perceptions of safety climate and training, and hazards at work, as well as questions about sharps injuries (SIs) and other blood/body fluid exposures (BBFEs). Details of circumstances related to the most recent SI and BBFE also were elicited. 1225 usable questionnaires were collected (69% response rate). Over their entire HHC career, 34.9% of nurses and 6.4% of aides had at least one SI; 15.1% of nurses and 6.7% of aides had at least one BBFE. The annual SI rates per 100 full-time equivalent (FTE) employees were 5.1 SI/100 FTE for nurses and 1.0 SI/100 FTE for aides. Per-diem nurses had the highest rate of SI (13.4/100 FTE) while full-time nurses had the lowest (2.9/100 FTE). Part-timers had an intermediate rate. Most SIs occurred after use and involved disposal. Analysis of the most recent SIs among nurses for the years 2001 – 2007 showed that 65% of the cases did not use a safety sharp. A range of serious occupational hazards exists in HHC, including SIs and BBFEs. Effective interventions are needed for prevention.

Learning Objectives:
1. Recognize that home health care (HHC) workers experience a range of occupational safety and health hazards, including sharps injuries (SIs) and other blood and body fluid exposures (BBFEs). 2.Describe ways that the risks of SIs and other BBFEs can be quantified. 3.Identify major risk factors for SIs and other BBFE in the HHC environment.

Keywords: Home Care, Occupational Health Care

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I am the Principal Investigator of the federally funded study which this abstract describes.
Any relevant financial relationships? No

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.

See more of: Health and Safety for Home Health Care Workers
See more of: Occupational Health and Safety