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Keep hospital staff safe from bloodborne pathogens

Staff Development Weekly: Insight on Evidence-Based Practice in Education, October 6, 2006

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If you are an experienced healthcare professional, you have probably practiced infection control (IC) precautions for a long time. It may seem that in the course of an overwhelming, busy day, these precautions are less than critical. The risk of infection among healthcare workers is, however, a real risk.

Your organization must reduce your risk of occupational exposure to bloodborne pathogens through the institution of policies and practices that include the following:

• A written exposure control plan
• Work practice and engineering controls that include safety needles
• Employee training programs
• Personal protective equipment (PPE)
• Housekeeping and laundry procedures

As clinicians, it is your job to understand the goals of the bloodborne pathogens standard, help implement its practices, and be able to spot potentially dangerous situations that could lead to needlesticks and other means of exposure to bloodborne pathogens.

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