P-172 Management and Costs of Blood Exposure Accidents in the Occupational Medicine Department of Rabta Hospital, Tunisia

Introduction A blood exposure accident (AEB) is defined as any contact with blood or a biological fluid containing blood. In fact, it is a frequent reason for consultation in occupational medicine, particularly in healthcare settings. Our objective was to describe the profile of AEB. Methods Cross-sectional retrospective descriptive study conducted in the Department of occupational on medecine on cases of AES reported in 2022. Results We collected 164 cases with a mean age of 30. 71 years. The services that provided the most were general surgery (12. 2%), emergency (11. 6%), orthopaedic (9. 1%) and medical resuscitation (7. 9%). They were nursing staff in 96. 4% of the cases, mostly medical residents and interns (45. 1%). The tasks most often incriminated were fingering (32. 3%), surgical procedures (14. 6%) and capping (12. 2%). The mechanism of exposure was essentially primarily needle prick (83. 5%). The time limit for taking care was respected by the victims of the AES in 96. 3% of cases. The source person was known in 86% of cases or 141 cases. Hepatitis B prophylaxis was indicated in 6 cases (3.7%). Triple therapy was indicated in 30 cases. The cost of treating AES in 2022 was 131.2 Tunisian Dinars (TD), with a total expenditure of 20,372.8 TD. Discussion AEB are common in the care setting and represent a significant expense for the hospital, which implies the need to strengthen preventive measures. Conclusion The occupational doctor’s role is crucial in risk assessment and victim care, as well as in raising awareness and informing staff.