Abstract
Bloodborne pathogens (BBP) are microorganisms in human blood that can cause life-threatening diseases and pose a severe risk to health care workers (HCWs). In fact, circumstances like scalpel injuries, needle sticks, and splashes exposed HCWs to the transmission of BBP. The prevalence of blood borne diseases (BBD) among South African HCWs is estimated to mimic that of the general population, with rates ranging from 0.2% to 16% for HBV, 17.9% for HIV, and 2.4% for HCV. Therefore, despite strategies to protect HCWs, BBD among HCWs remains a public health problem. This raises questions about the practice of protective measures in healthcare facilities. Therefore, the main objective of this research is to assess compliance by medical staff with strategies for preventing BBD in a few medical institutions in Johannesburg, South Africa (S A). The research data was collected using a population-based survey approach, using a self-administered questionnaire adapted in English from a total number of 300HCWs. Considering an error margin of 5% and two clusters, the estimated sample size was calculated at 185 at a 95% confidence level, using the Epi-Info version 7.2 programme. Finally, after cleaning the data, the sample size was 151. All staff working in the selected hospitals who met the criteria and gave their consent after being informed participated in the study. The IBM Statistical Package of Social Sciences (SPSS) statistical software version 29.0 was used for data analysis using frequency distributions, summary statistics, measures of central tendency and logistic regression models. The chi-square test and Pearson correlation were performed to assess the possible associations between demographic variables, attitudes and knowledge of HCWs and practices of BBD prevention measures in the selected hospitals. The results of the research indicated that most participants working as HCWs at the selected hospitals were female (78.8%), and the most represented professional category was nurses, with 69.50%. In addition, the findings show that 42.4% of HCWs were within the age group of 30-39 years. More than 90% of the participants stated that measures to prevent HCWs among HCWs are available and accessible at their workplace.
The study revealed a high perception of the severity and susceptibility to BBD among most respondents, indicating a good level of knowledge about BBD. In addition, we observed a positive attitude among respondents towards BBD prevention measures. Indeed, a significant proportion of participants regardless of their profession, perceived
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the benefits of BBD prevention measures, as they believed that these measures could improve their safety in the workplace. Compliance with preventive measures against BBD among healthcare professionals was partial, with low proportions of use of certain PPE such as protective eyewear and gowns. The proportion of respondents who reported always wearing gloves was acceptable but low compared to the results of previous studies. The regression analysis revealed a significant relationship between the extent of implementation of measures to prevent BBD and the professions(P=0.05). Factors such as refusal to discriminate against patients and discomfort and embarrassment caused by protective clothing were identified as barriers to the implementation of preventive measures against BBD at the selected hospitals. It would be important for management to implement awareness-raising and training sessions on the use of PPE in order to improve the practice of preventing blood-borne diseases in the workplace.