Abstract
To investigate the relation between knowledge of universal precautions and rates of exposure to blood and body fluid during clinical training, a cohort of 155 students was surveyed following training in universal precautions and 18 months later. A total of 127 students (82%) participated; 58 (46%) experienced at least one exposure during the first clinical training year. Knowledge of universal precautions was inversely associated with the frequency of mucous membrane exposures (p=.001); an apparent “dose-response” effect was evident (one-way analysis of variance;F=5.2,p=.007). Students are frequently exposed to blood and body fluid during clinical training. Higher levels of retained knowledge about universal precautions are associated with a decreased risk of mucous membrane exposure.
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This study was supported in part by an Educational Development Grant from the University of Iowa College of Medicine. Results of this study were presented in part at the 34th Inter-science Conference on Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy (ICAAC), Orlando, FL, October 1994. Dr. Doebbeling is the recipient of a Special Emphasis Research Career Award, 1 KOI OH00131-03, from the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH).
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Diekema, D.J., Albanese, M.A., Schuldt, S.S. et al. Blood and body fluid exposures during clinical training. J Gen Intern Med 11, 109–111 (1996). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02599587
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02599587