Trivialization of blood exposure accidents in the hospital environment

Abstract

Background and objectives. Blood exposure accidents (BEA) are one of the problems faced daily by health care personnel. Materials and methods. This study aims to determine the psycho-technical characteristics of the trivialization of BEA in health care facilities in the Tangier-Tetouan-Al Hoceima region in northern Morocco, and to identify the main causes of their underreporting. We conducted a cross-sectional, descriptive study for analytical purposes over a two-month period. A total of 117 professionals agreed to participate in the study. Results. Eighty-eight of them had been victims of a blood exposure accident (BEA). 65% were nurses, 33.3% of the respondents worked in health centers and only 31.6% declared this risk. The most significant mechanism for the occurrence of the accident was pricking during injections (64.1%). The most frequent reason for the trivialization of BEA was the complexity of the reporting procedure (38.5%), and the reporting rate was therefore very low. The underestimation of the risk was clearly perceived. No contamination was recorded and several determinants of the trivialization of BEA were revealed (lack of knowledge of the procedure, no notified seroconversion, etc.). Conclusions. This study initiates a reflection on the necessary actions to be carried out to encourage health care personnel to declare BEA as an occupational accident and to prevent the resulting occupational diseases.

Keywords

• bea
• trivialization
• human error
• hospital environment
• under-reporting