Verstege EJ, Van der Woude WM, Loosschilder GH; International Conference on AIDS.
Int Conf AIDS. 1994 Aug 7-12; 10: 264 (abstract no. PC0423).
National Committee on AIDS Control, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
OBJECTIVES: To investigate knowledge and use of the Universal Precautions (UP) for HIV listed by the Working party on Infection Prevention (WIP) in the Netherlands. METHODS: A sample of 18 doctors and 57 nurses, working on the accident & emergency ward, the theatres and the surgical wards of nine hospitals were interviewed. RESULTS: The application of a series of acts, prescribed by the UP's, was sufficient. Although 95% used gloves when they were exposed to bodily fluids, other attributes such as protective glasses, masks and aprons were only used on occasional basis. Likewise, the recognition of samples of the UP's varied substantially. An average of 70% of the respondents recognized a sample, with a minimum of 20% and a maximum of 93%. 61% was aware of the source of the samples. Still 75% of the respondents thought it useful for infection-control to know whether a patient is HIV-positive and 68% is more or less worried about possible infection. Surprisingly 21% did not report any needle-accidents. A LISREL-model showed that although knowledge is a strong indicator of application, application of the UP's is almost equally governed by anxiety, and less by prior experience with AIDS-patients. CONCLUSIONS: The expectations that doctors and nurses are ill-informed about the UP's and do not apply the precautions sufficiently, is not confirmed. However, the aim of the WIP is not fully accomplished. Precaution is not a habit and it is not universal. It is mainly seen as an exception, applied whenever a patient is suspected of being HIV-positive. Therefore, doctors and nurses should be encouraged to use Universal Precautions from habit, to protect themselves, as well as the patients.
Publication Types:
Keywords:
- Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome
- Communicable Diseases
- Gloves, Protective
- HIV Infections
- HIV Seropositivity
- Humans
- Infection Control
- Netherlands
- Nurses
- Physicians
- Universal Precautions
- Work
- methods
- therapy
Other ID:
UI: 102210550
From Meeting Abstracts