Managing Occupational Exposure to Blood Borne Pathogens

Management of Occupational Exposures to Bloodborne Pathogens: Hepatitis B Virus, Hepatitis C Virus, and Human Immunodeficiency Virus This paper is written specifically for health care professionals who may, at some point during the course of their workday, be exposed to certain bloodborne pathogens, potentially resulting in serious illness. Therefore, it is important that these professionals create and maintain a plan to address key issues that may arise during the testing and care of potentially infected patients.

By writing this article, the authors hope to establish a standard procedure for dealing with occupational exposure to the pathogens for healthcare workers while also reviewing much of the current information available. The authors note that there have been many studied performed over the years that deal with exposure to bloodborne pathogens, but this article attempts to combine them into one coherent plan for all healthcare workers to follow. They reference several studies that each deal with a different aspect of exposure.

For instance, a 1988 trial conducted by Burroughs and Wellcome is cited as a treatment failure while several studies are cited that attempt to determine the risk associated with needle sticks (Gerberding and Henderson 1181). All of these studies are considered when an attempt to formulate a plan of action is undertaken. The authors evaluated the contemporary literature that deals with exposure to bloodborne pathogens, all covering different aspects of postexposure care. This included immediate postexposure care, such as cleaning and irrigating any puncture wounds.

The measures include implementation of strict reporting protocol that separates and carefully monitors the records. The monitoring of the records will enable an ongoing assessment of the risk and effects of exposure. The authors make a special point of suggesting that exposure to all body fluids and tissues be reported and evaluated regardless of the risk of HIV infection (Gerberding and Henderson 1180). It is also essential that the source of the exposure so that the true nature of the potential infection can be understood.

If the exposure is to hepatitis B or hepatitis C, the patient can be treated immediately and the risk of passing on the infection is quite low. While exposure to HIV is extremely rare, it does still occur occasionally and an exposed worker should be given counseling and testing immediately. The authors also include extensive discussion of the immediate use of zidovudine for occupational exposure to HIV, since it has shown some promise in inhibiting HIV infection (Gerberding and Henderson 1182).

However, the safety of this treatment cannot yet be confirmed, so the authors do not recommend using it automatically, but they do briefly examine a few other agents, like hyperimmune globulin (Gerberding and Henderson 1182). The authors do not present many controversial findings in this article, but the demand for zidovudine is growing as an immediate treatment after exposure. The authors find no evidence to support its efficacy and, therefore, do not condone its use.

They also question the efficacy of using other antibodies in the wake of exposure since there is little evidence suggesting they have any effect at all. The authors have clearly been working with bloodborne pathogens.