Injuries exposed to blood or body fluids have a risk of blood borne virus (BBV).
These include injuries from:
- needle sticks
- sharps (for example, scalpel injury during surgery)
- human bite
- broken skin exposure
- mucous membrane exposure
BBV infections include:
- hepatitis B (HBV)
- hepatitis C (HCV)
- human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)
These infections can cause long-term health effects.
What to do after being exposed to BBV
If you have been exposed to a BBV you must report the incident to your manager. You should follow local procedures immediately. Getting an early assessment of the incident improves your treatment outcome.
You should attend an emergency department. A risk assessment of the incident will be carried out. Treatment or advice will be given based on this risk assessment.
After completing the immediate management described in the EMI guidance, your manager should refer you to the occupational health service, using the occupational health referral letter. The EMI guidance covers emergency injury management, post-exposure prophylaxis, source risk assessment, and serology sampling.
Following a referral, the occupational health service will provide the following:
- recipient interval testing (if indicated)
- fitness for duty assessment
- completion of Hepatitis B vaccination course (if applicable)
Managing and preparing needles and sharp instruments
Properly managing needles and sharp instruments reduces the risk of injury.
Managers must put measures in place to manage incidents.
These measures include:
- ensuring staff are aware of local procedures
- providing appropriate equipment and adequate training
- ensuring appropriate action after an incident
EU sharps directive and regulations
Managing a potential Blood Borne Virus (BBV) exposure
Service areas must have local procedures to follow in case of an incident of BBV.
Local procedures for managing a BBV incident include:
- employee, manager, source patient, medical team and occupational health responsibilities
- name and contact details for the manager of the service
- emergency department details
Procedures should be based on the Emergency Management of Injuries (EMI) guidelines and toolkit - EMI guidelines - hpsc.ie