A risk can be defined as a high or low chance that someone could be harmed and how serious that harm can be. The development of risk management strategies is essential for the prevention of both hepatitis B and hepatitis C in the healthcare setting. The risk management process involves the identification of the risk, the analysis of the risk, the elimination or reduction of the risk, the ongoing evaluation of the risk management and efficient occurrence management of the accidents or infections that take place (Prevention).
Also, it is vital to enforce the education of healthcare workers of the standard precautions who may be exposed to blood or body fluids which are potentially contaminated with blood borne pathogens, such as hepatitis viral infections (Leonard). These standard precautions outline that all body fluids, blood, non-intact skin and mucous membranes must be treated on the presumption that they contain probable infectious transmissible pathogens.
In terms of the risk assessment of BBV’s transmission in our healthcare setting, this requires information derived from different sources. These sources include prevalence studies among occupational staff and patients, surveillance data from the surveillance scientist and team members and also the studies of frequency of blood contacts. In this study (risk and management), the standard universal precautions to protect healthcare workers and patients from infection with blood borne pathogens which were developed in 1987 by the centre for disease control and prevention (CDC) were reviewed in cases of exposure to healthcare workers and patients. In this review the...
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In conclusion, it is evident from the literature cited that there are many risks associated with the transmission of blood borne viruses in the healthcare setting. On a positive note, it is clear that the majority of these risks can be reduced or even avoided in some cases. The majority of needlestick injuries in healthcare workers can be avoided by simply wearing appropriate personal protective clothing such as gloves and gowns to avoid splashes of blood or body fluids contaminated with blood. The correct waste segregation and disposal of needles and sharps will reduce the risk of transmission of BBV’s to waste handlers. Evidently, the hepatitis B vaccine is very successful and is implemented in all hospitals for healthcare workers who perform exposure prone procedures and are at a high risk of transmitting the infectious viral agent.
It is imperative that Health Care Professionals learn to manage risk. There are many factors to think about including environment, assessment, identification and prioritising when managing risk. Being able to strategically implement preventative measures will help in managing risk. Risk management works hand in hand with all enablers set out by chapelhow.
Following the proper guidelines for reducing the risk of transmission of TSEs in a clinical setting, the risk has been greatly reduced. As mentioned before no iatrogenic transmission from a medical instrument has been recorded since 1976 since following the standard guidelines. In an experiment by Amin et al., they examined the risk of transmission of vCJD via contact tonometry. They outlined that transmission could be further reduced by using larger volumes of washes for extended periods of time and also adding wiping between washes (16). This could help in the future to completely eradicate TSE transmission completely by increasing sterilisation methods. Proper training on all aspects of transmission of TSEs through medical equipment and proper sterilisation methods should be updated just to keep staff up to date to prevent the risks of TSEs transmission.
Risk is the possibility of injuries or accidents occurring in your settings. Every individual health and social care settings has its own hazards which poses a potential risk. Risk assessment must be use to evaluate and minimise the risk if they are inseparable from the person centred care of the user. The risk factors in the care setting could have psychological, social, financial and physical instabilities.
When working practitioners must not only protect the children they work with when in the school setting and off site, but also themselves. Whether in school or off-site the school safeguarding policy should be referred to, to give guidance and adhered to at all times.
Hepatitis B Virus (HBV) is a double-stranded DNA virus in the Hepadnaviridae family. The infectious particle is 42nm in diameter, with a genome 3200 nucleotides long. It has an outer envelope and an icosahedral nucleocapsid, which contains viral DNA polymerase and has a diameter of 27nm. The envelope contains the HBV surface antigen (HBsAg); this is the molecule to which anti-HBV antibodies are directed. The non-infectious hepatitis B particles are composed of HBsAg only and come in the form of filaments and spheres. Their only likely purpose is binding up antibodies so the infectious particles can remain free. In humans HBV infects hepatocytes where it replicates within the nucleus, but can also be found in smooth muscle, bone marrow, kidneys, thyroid glands and other sites.
Hepatitis is inflammation of the liver. There are currently five known viruses that cause can hepatitis (Microbiology, 10e). The hepatitis C virus (HCV) is transmitted through contact with the blood of an infected person; however, it is now more commonly spread among IV drug users that share needles. Healthcare workers are also at risk for contracting HCV, but with standard precautions, the risk is low. “Prior to 1992, some people acquired the HCV infection from transfusions of blood or blood products. Since 1992, all blood products have been screened for HCV, and cases of HCV due to blood transfusion now are extremely rare. HCV can be passed from mother to unborn child. Approximately 4 out of every 100 infants born to HCV-positive mothers become infected with the virus. A small number of cases are transmitted through sexual intercourse; however, the risk of transmission of HCV from an infected individual to a non-infected spouse or sexual partner without the use of condoms over a lifetime has been estimated to be between 1% and 4%. There have also been some outbreaks of HCV when instruments exposed to blood have been re-used without appropriate disinfection.” (Microbiology, 10e)
The risk of this Public Health dilemma is that if M.R.S.A. is becoming even more dominant in hospitals what is preventing this epidemic from expanding to an even more dangerous ...
"Preventing Exposures to Bloodborne Pathogens among Paramedics." Workplace Solutions (2010): n. pag. National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health. Web. 9 Feb. 2014.
The Strategic Prevention Framework or “SPF” is a guiding process one should follow when creating and delivering prevention programs and activities. This process is broken down into 5 steps and follows the principals of sustainability and cultural competence. This ensures the needs of the community are being identified and addressed, which results in effective prevention programs with favorable results. These 5 steps are: Assess Needs, Build Capacity, Plan, Implement, and Evaluation. Each step has an important component that supports the planning and delivering of these programs.
Due to their direct contact with patients, personnel of health care teams are exposed to a higher risk of contracting diseases. Specifically, this risk becomes more potential for dental professional teams if we know that most of the human microbial pathogens are isolated from oral secretions. They can cause serious diseases that might transmit from patients to the personnel, and vice versa (Bednarsh & Molinri, 2010). In 1970 and the early 1980s, result showed the tendency among dental professionals to have more certain infectious diseases than the general public due to their exposure to blood and saliva of their patients (Bednarsh & Molinri, 2010). Disease, such as hepatiti...
(2014) shed light on two key components for infection control, which includes protecting patients from acquiring infections and protecting health care workers from becoming infected (Curchoe et al., 2014). The techniques that are used to protect patients also provide protection for nurses and other health care workers alike. In order to prevent the spread of infections, it is important for health care workers to be meticulous and attentive when providing care to already vulnerable patients (Curchoe et al., 2014). If a health care worker is aware they may contaminate the surroundings of a patient, they must properly clean, disinfect, and sterilize any contaminated objects in order to reduce or eliminate microorganisms (Curchoe et al., 2014). It is also ideal to change gloves after contact with contaminated secretions and before leaving a patient’s room (Curchoe, 2014). Research suggests that due to standard precaution, gloves must be worn as a single-use item for each invasive procedure, contact with sterile sites, and non-intact skin or mucous membranes (Curchoe et al., 2014). Hence, it is critical that health care workers change gloves during any activity that has been assessed as carrying a risk of exposure to body substances, secretions, excretions, and blood (Curchoe et al.,
Needlestick injury is the piercing of the skin caused by a needle, which was in contact with blood or other body fluids, before the exposure. It is very important that appropriate precautions are taken to prevent needlestick injuries, to avoid any untreatable blood-borne diseases. The common blood-borne diseases that have infected healthcare workers are Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV), Hepatitis B, Hepatitis C, or Viral Hemorrhagic Fevers. During the inspection, nurses who were assigned to draw blood were seen handling the needlestick carelessly, leaving our organization concerned about their safety. This organization’s goal is to provide equipment and support for all countries, especially developing countries with any healthcare issues. Staff in hospitals should view needlestick injuries as a serious concern towards their employees and should tak...
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