Over the last decade, more than 60,000 people in the United States were put at risk for contracting hepatitis B virus (HBV) and hepatitis C virus (HCV) because workers in nonhospital healthcare facilities failed to follow basic infection control practices. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is now on the case.
That disturbing finding was brought to light by the first full review of all the CDC investigations over the past 10 years of healthcare-associated viral hepatitis outbreaks. The review appeared in the January 6 issue of the journal Annals of Internal Medicine.
“This report is a wake-up call,” said Dr. John Ward, director of CDC’s Division of Viral Hepatitis. “Thousands of patients are needlessly exposed to viral hepatitis and other preventable diseases in the very places where they should feel protected. No patient should go to their doctor for health care only to leave with a life-threatening disease.”
Your employees can teach themselves about bloodborne pathogens, as demanded by OSHA’s BBP standard, with BLR’s Interactive CD Course: Bloodborne Pathogens program. Try it at no cost or risk. Get the details.
In the United States, transmission of HBV and HCV while receiving health care has been considered uncommon. However, a review of CDC outbreak information revealed a total of 33 identified outbreaks outside of hospitals in 15 states during the past decade. Of those, 12 occurred in outpatient clinics, 6 in hemodialysis centers, and 15 in long-term care facilities, resulting in 450 people acquiring HBV or HCV infection.
Patients were exposed to these potentially deadly diseases because healthcare personnel failed to follow basic infection control procedures and aseptic technique in injection safety. The reuse of syringes and the blood-contamination of medications, equipment, and devices were identified as common factors in these outbreaks.
“More and more patients in the United States receive their health care in outpatient settings,” said Dr. Denise Cardo, director of CDC’s Division of Healthcare Quality Promotion. “To protect patients, infection control training, professional oversight, licensing, innovative engineering controls, and public awareness are needed in these healthcare settings.”
CDC officials say the report shows the need for ongoing professional education for healthcare providers, as well as consistent state oversight in detecting and preventing the transmission of bloodborne pathogens in health-care settings.
CDC assists local health departments by providing routine surveillance, outbreak investigation support, field personnel, and lab expertise. CDC also works with key partners to ensure adherence to proper infection control practices.
CDC and its partners are working to address this important patient safety problem through a number of efforts, including:
- Improving viral hepatitis surveillance, case investigation, and outbreak response, such as providing support for health departments to thoroughly investigate all individuals identified to have HBV or HCV infection
- Strengthening the capacity of state and local viral hepatitis prevention programs
- Augmenting CDC’s National Healthcare Safety Network, the national surveillance system for tracking healthcare-associated infections, to collect outpatient setting information
- Partnering with the Hepatitis Outbreaks’ National Organization for Reform (HONOReform), a patient advocacy foundation, to create patient and provider education materials
Try the unique, self-directed, self-testing program, Interactive CD Course: Bloodborne Pathogens, at no cost or risk. Find out more.
- Continued improvement of injection safety practices through educational outreach efforts with professional nursing and anesthesiology organizations
- Working with partners in the dialysis, diabetes, and long-term care communities to promote safe care practices
- Working with regulators and professional societies to strengthen licensure and accreditation processes, with an emphasis on safe injection practices
- Exploring ways to improve curricula in nursing and medical schools related to safe healthcare practices.
As we have harped on before—and will continue to harp on—the risk of contracting bloodborne pathogens such as HBV and HCV is not limited to healthcare facilities or healthcare workers. Many other workers—including first-aid providers, housekeeping personnel, first responders, police, firefighters, funeral home employees, lifeguards, and more—are also at risk.
OSHA requires employers to provide bloodborne pathogen training to any and all employees with a reasonably anticipated risk of exposure to blood. Tomorrow we’ll look at the elements of that training, and at a resource that will help you painlessly satisfy those requirements.
This is a very thought provoking essay. What would be very helpful would be a summary of what the average employee can do to ensure that the facility they may using as patients does in fact conform to CDC’s regulations and suggestions. Without that input this document on its own may tend to simply increase anxiety levels and actually keep individuals from seeking services they need.