What is the most common risk of exposure to bloodborne pathogens for healthcare workers OSHA quizlet?

Bloodborne Pathogens and Needlestick Prevention

Overview

What are bloodborne pathogens?

Bloodborne pathogens are infectious microorganisms in human blood that can cause disease in humans. These pathogens include, but are not limited to, hepatitis B (HBV), hepatitis C (HCV) and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). Needlesticks and other sharps-related injuries may expose workers to bloodborne pathogens. Workers in many occupations, including first responders, housekeeping personnel in some industries, nurses and other healthcare personnel, all may be at risk for exposure to bloodborne pathogens.

What can be done to control exposure to bloodborne pathogens?

In order to reduce or eliminate the hazards of occupational exposure to bloodborne pathogens, an employer must implement an exposure control plan for the worksite with details on employee protection measures. The plan must also describe how an employer will use engineering and work practice controls, personal protective clothing and equipment, employee training, medical surveillance, hepatitis B vaccinations, and other provisions as required by OSHA's Bloodborne Pathogens Standard (29 CFR 1910.1030). Engineering controls are the primary means of eliminating or minimizing employee exposure and include the use of safer medical devices, such as needleless devices, shielded needle devices, and plastic capillary tubes.

What is the most common risk of exposure to bloodborne pathogens for healthcare workers OSHA quizlet?

General Guidance

Provides information on the revised standard.

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Enforcement

Highlights directives and letters of interpretation related to bloodborne pathogens and needlestick prevention.

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Hazard Recognition

Provides references that aid in recognizing workplace hazards associated with bloodborne pathogens.

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Evaluating and Controlling Exposure

Provides information for evaluating and controlling bloodborne pathogens and needlestick hazards.

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Standards

Bloodborne pathogens and needlesticks are addressed in specific OSHA standards for general industry.

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Additional Resources

Provides links and references to additional resources related to bloodborne pathogens and needlestick prevention.

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What to do if you are stuck by a needle:

If you are stuck by a needle or other sharp or get blood or other potentially infectious materials in your eyes, nose, mouth, or on broken skin, immediately flood the exposed area with water and clean any wound with soap and water or a skin disinfectant if available. Report this immediately to your employer and seek immediate medical attention.

CDC: Emergency Needlestick Information also provides immediate access to treatment protocols following blood exposures involving HIV, HBV and HCV, including the Clinicians' Post Exposure Prophylaxis Hotline (PEPline) at 1-888-448-4911.


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Whole blood, plasma, serum, pus and purulent fluids, semen, vaginal secretions, cerebrospinal fluid, synovial fluid, pleural fluid, peritoneal fluid, pericardial fluid, amniotic fluid, and breast milk.

Other potentially infectious materials (besides blood), such as pus and purulent fluids, semen, vaginal secretions, cerebrospinal fluid, synovial fluid, pleural fluid, peritoneal fluid, pericardial fluid, amniotic fluid, and breast milk.

The NFPA Hazard Identification System uses four diamonds to communicate information about the hazards associated with a chemical. The red diamond represents its fire hazard, the blue diamond its health hazard, the yellow diamond its reactivity, and the white diamond communicates special hazard information, for example, if the chemical is a corrosive or oxidizer. Numbers from 0-4 in each diamond indicate the degree of hazard. (0= minimal, 1= slight, 2= moderate, 3= serious, 4= severe.) In the example given, the chemical is a serious fire hazard, (flashpoint below 100° F) and a slight health hazard. Work should be performed in a fume hood and personal protective equipment should be worn.

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Bloodborne diseases can be spread in the healthcare setting. Home healthcare workers are most likely to be exposed if they _________________.

- have needlestick (or any sharps) injuries
- fail to use personal respirators
- wear face masks or eye protection
- share meals with an infected patient

- have needlestick (or any sharps) injuries

Healthcare workers are most likely to be exposed to bloodborne pathogens if they have needlestick (or any sharps) injuries. Sharing meals does not expose healthcare workers to bloodborne pathogens. Percutaneous injury carries the greatest risk of transmission of bloodborne pathogens.

As a preceptor, you are observing a new nurse's injection practices. Which of the following is the only safe injection practice?

- Using the same syringe a second time when accessing an IV line, after changing the needle
- Accessing a multidose vial for the same patient with the same syringe and needle that was used just a few minutes before
- Using a single (unit) dose medication for more than one patient
- Never administering medications from the same syringe to more than one patient, even if the needle is changed
- Using the same lancing/fingerstick device for more than one patient, but using a new lancet

- Never administering medications from the same syringe to more than one patient, even if the needle is changed

Once an IV line is accessed with a syringe and needle, the syringe and needle are considered contaminated. Needles and syringes are considered single-use devices and should never be used again to enter a multidose vial, even if the syringe needle is changed. Unit dose medications should be used for a single patient only. Residual blood can remain on lancing devices; therefore, these devices should be used for only one patient, even if the lancet is changed.

If you are exposed to a patient's blood or OPIM, immediately _____________.

- notify your supervisor about the exposure
- isolate the patient for later examination
- identify the source of the exposure
- wash the exposed area

- wash the exposed area

The first step, taken immediately after any exposure to blood or OPIM, is to wash the exposed area with soap and water. If mucous membranes are affected, flush well with water. Irrigate eyes with clean water, saline, or sterile irrigants.

Healthcare workers are at risk of infection from HIV, HBV, HCV, or other bloodborne pathogens through ____________.

- needlesticks or other sharps injuries
- mucous membranes in the eyes, nose, or mouth
- non-intact skin (such as a hang-nail) contact with infectious materials
- all of the above

- all of the above

Healthcare workers are at risk of infection from any bloodborne pathogen through needlesticks, other sharps injuries, the mucous membranes (eyes, nose, mouth), or any non-intact skin contact with infectious materials.

Three of the most concerning bloodborne pathogens are ______________.

- hepatitis A, hepatitis B, hepatitis C
- Escherichia coli, HIV, hepatitis C
- Clostridium difficile, hepatitis C, HIV
- hepatitis B, hepatitis C, HIV

- hepatitis B, hepatitis C, HIV

The three most serious bloodborne pathogens are hepatitis B, hepatitis C, and HIV.

Which of the following best describes a safeguard against exposure to bloodborne pathogens in the healthcare setting?

- Use your best judgment about which precautions to use in the care of all patients.
- Use Standard Precautions in the care of all patients.
- Use Droplet Precautions only in the care of patients known or suspected to have a bloodborne disease.
- Use Standard Precautions only in the care of patients known or suspected to have a bloodborne disease.

- Use Standard Precautions in the care of all patients.

Use Standard Precautions in the care of all patients to guard against exposure to blood or OPIM.

_____________ are an example of engineering controls to limit exposure to bloodborne pathogens.

- Safety needles
- Posters about handwashing guidelines
- Policies against recapping needles
- Body substance isolation practices

- Safety needles

Engineering controls are devices that have built-in safety features to limit exposure to hazardous materials or situations.

Which of the following is not an engineering control used to safeguard against exposure to bloodborne pathogens?

- Safety needles
- Sharps disposal box
- Wiping clean your laptop computer
- Needleless IV infusion set

- Wiping clean your laptop computer

Cleaning a laptop computer is a work practice control to prevent contact with infectious material on the computer.

Other potentially infectious material (OPIM) includes all of the following except _____________.

- pericardial fluid
- sweat
- vaginal secretions
- semen

- sweat

OPIM does not include sweat.

Your employer must offer (at no cost to you) a vaccine against ___________ if your job _____________.

- hepatitis B; puts you at risk for exposure to bloodborne pathogens
- HIV; puts you at risk for exposure to patients who have AIDS
- hepatitis C; is in any aspect of healthcare
- hepatitis B and hepatitis C; requires patient contact

- hepatitis B; puts you at risk for exposure to bloodborne pathogens

There are not yet vaccines against HIV or hepatitis C, although antiviral treatments are available to help fend off these diseases following exposure. Employers must offer the vaccine against hepatitis B to any employee whose job includes a risk of exposure to bloodborne pathogens.

What is the most common risk of exposure to bloodborne pathogens for healthcare workers?

Bloodborne pathogens and workplace sharps injuries. Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), hepatitis B virus (HBV), and hepatitis C virus (HCV) are three of the most common bloodborne pathogens from which health care workers are at risk.

What is the most common bloodborne pathogen exposure route in the healthcare setting quizlet?

Percutaneous exposure or contamination of non-intact skin or mucous membranes (eyes, nose, mouth). What is the most common route of exposure to bloodborne pathogens for healthcare workers? Percutaneous, by contaminated needles or other sharp devices.

What is the most common risk of exposure to bloodborne?

Hepatitis C, another hepatotropic virus, is the most commonly reported bloodborne infection in the United States and a serious public health problem.

What is the most common bloodborne pathogen exposure route in the healthcare setting?

What is the most common exposure route in the healthcare setting? Bloodborne pathogen transmission in the healthcare setting occurs predominantly by percutaneous or mucosal exposure of health care workers and public safety professionals to infected patients' blood or body fluids.