Occupational Exposure to Bloodborne Pathogens

Letters16 March 2004Occupational Exposure to Bloodborne PathogensAmy J. Behrman, MD and David A. Allan, MD, PhDAmy J. Behrman, MDFrom Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, University of Pennsylvania Health System, and Presbyterian Medical Center, University of Pennsylvania Health System, Philadelphia, PA 19104.Search for more papers by this author and David A. Allan, MD, PhDFrom Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, University of Pennsylvania Health System, and Presbyterian Medical Center, University of Pennsylvania Health System, Philadelphia, PA 19104.Search for more papers by this authorAuthor, Article, and Disclosure Informationhttps://doi.org/10.7326/0003-4819-140-6-200403160-00031 SectionsAboutFull TextPDF ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissions ShareFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail TO THE EDITOR:Dr. Seibert's painful story of occupational HIV exposure (1) should resonate with all clinicians. In our program, which serves 2 teaching hospitals, we have evaluated more than 5000 employees with body fluid exposures since 1988, using Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines (2). Specific measures we have found useful to minimize health care worker anxiety and facilitate postexposure prophylaxis include 1) orienting hospital staff to report body fluid exposures immediately to the occupational medicine clinic or the emergency department, 2) implementing triage protocols to minimize waiting times, 3) providing 24-hour consult coverage of occupational medicine by ...References1. Seibert C. Stuck. Ann Intern Med. 2003;138:765-6. [PMID: 12729434] LinkGoogle Scholar2. Updated U.S. Public Health Service Guidelines for the Management of Occupational Exposures to HBV, HCV, and HIV and Recommendations for Postexposure Prophylaxis. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 29 June 2001. Available at www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/rr5011a1.htm. Google Scholar Author, Article, and Disclosure InformationAffiliations: From Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, University of Pennsylvania Health System, and Presbyterian Medical Center, University of Pennsylvania Health System, Philadelphia, PA 19104. PreviousarticleNextarticle Advertisement FiguresReferencesRelatedDetailsSee AlsoStuck Christine Seibert Occupational Exposure to Bloodborne Pathogens Michael L. Landrum , Robert J. O'Connell , and Gregory A. Deye Metrics Cited ByCurrent World LiteratureOccupational Exposure to Bloodborne PathogensMichael L. Landrum, MD, Robert J. O'Connell, MD, and Gregory A. Deye, MD 16 March 2004Volume 140, Issue 6Page: 492KeywordsAnxietyBody fluidsHIVHealth care providersHospital medicinePathogensPostexposure prophylaxisPrecision medicineResearch laboratoriesTriage ePublished: 16 March 2004 Issue Published: 16 March 2004 CopyrightCopyright © 2004 by American College of Physicians. All Rights Reserved.PDF DownloadLoading ...