Case study: Keeping our healthcare workers healthy - Prevention of blood-transmitted infections

Gesundheitsmanagement Burger-Wieland OEG (OEG Health Management).

In their daily work, nursing and laboratory staff, doctors and cleaners frequently handle sharp and pointed objects such as syringes and scalpels. These could be contaminated with the body fluids of patients, whose infection status is unknown. Needle wounds and cuts produced by such contaminated objects may lead to blood-transmitted infections like Hepatitis B and C, and HIV.

The target group was health professionals, who during their daily work are exposed to the risk of needle wounds and cuts from pointed and sharp objects contaminated with blood or other liquids.

The aim of the project was to avoid occupational infections (hepatitis B, hepatitis C, HIV) by improving the information level of health professionals and enabling them to take adequate preventive measures.

• This project produced a CD-ROM for health professionals, which provides help and instruction for drawing up internal hospital guidelines and for standardising working procedures in order to minimise the risk of blood transmitted infections, and which also provides knowledge of emergency measures in case of accident.

•  ‘The website for health professionals’www.gesundheitsberufe.at) was created with the aim to provide updates for the CD-ROM as well as a calendar of events and an order form for the newly-developed medium. It went online in June 2002. 

• An information leaflet in German and English about the new available information and training media for the prevention of blood-transmitted infections among healthcare professionals (CD-ROM, training film, and handbook).

• A programme of promotion of these materials was undertaken, with the project receiving publicity through a range of activities

Distribution

• 165 hospitals and nursing homes

• 72 nursing schools

• 250 divisions of occupational medicine

• 145 orders received on the internet

• 1,000 copies within the target group by the pharmaceutical enterprises

• distribution of over 200 copies to security experts

• 20 copies to midwifery academies

• general practitioners with the support of the medical association .