Occupational Exposure to Blood: Search for a Relation Between Personality and Behavior

• Published in: Infection control and hospital epidemiology 2000-09, Vol.21 (9), p.564-574
• Main Authors: Rabaud, Christian, Zanea, Agnès, Mur, Jean Marie, Blech, Marie Françoise, Dazy, Didier, May, Thierry, Guillemin, Francis
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Accidents; Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome - transmission; Adolescent; Adult; Biological and medical sciences; Blood; Blood-Borne Pathogens; Boredom; Data collection; Education, Continuing; Epidemiology; Female; France; Guideline Adherence; Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; Hepatitis; Hepatitis B - transmission; Hepatitis B virus; Hepatitis C - transmission; HIV; Human viral diseases; Humans; Hypodermic needles; Immunization; Infectious diseases; Male; Medical personnel; Medical sciences; Middle Aged; Needlestick Injuries; Nurses; Nursing Staff, Hospital - psychology; Occupational accidents; Occupational Exposure; Occupational Health; Operating rooms; Original Articles; Personality; Public health; Questionnaires; Risk-Taking; Schools; Sexual Behavior; Sexually transmitted diseases; STD; Training; Truth Disclosure; Viral diseases; Viral diseases of the lymphoid tissue and the blood. Aids
• ISSN: 0899-823X; 1559-6834
• DOI: 10.1086/501805

To describe the behavior of French nurses after occupational exposure to blood (OEB); to study the reasons for not reporting an OEB to the occupational medicine service or the hospital authorities, and to explore the links between personality traits and both the risk of having an OEB and the likelihood of reporting it. A descriptive and correlational study using a cross-sectional survey for data collection. Six nursing schools (four initial training institutes and two specialty training schools, one for surgical nurses and one for nurse anesthetists) and six hospitals in Lorraine. 942 nurses and 459 nursing students were approached, and 964 (69%) replied to the questionnaire. The participants received an anonymous two-part questionnaire. The first part explored the knowledge of the risk and Standard Precautions and collected details of the history of OEB. Reporting of OEB to the occupational medicine service or the hospital authorities and the nature of serological monitoring after OEB also were explored. The second part was composed of the Zuckerman sensation-seeking scale, exploring four areas: disinhibition, danger- and adventure-seeking, seeking new experiences, and susceptibility to boredom. 947 nurses were vaccinated against hepatitis B, but only 528 (56%) had checked that they were effectively immunized. Only 166 respondents (17%) stated they routinely used gloves during all procedures in which they were exposed to blood. There were 505 recorded OEB during the study period (0.24 per person per year). The most frequently reported OEB were those involving hollow needles (57%). Approximately one half (48.5%) of all OEB were reported. "Good local antisepsis immediately after the accident" was the reason most often given to justify nonreporting. Only 57% of OEB victims sought to determine the serological status of the source patient for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), hepatitis C virus (HCV), and hepatitis B virus immediately after accident. Only 40% and 31% of OEB victims checked their own HIV and HCV serostatus 3 and 6 months after OEB, respectively. Few staff adopted safer-sex measures after OEB, and some continued to donate blood in subsequent months. Logistic regression identified two variables significantly and independently linked to the risk of having at least one OEB in the 27 months preceding the date on which the questionnaire was completed: having a permanent position and having a higher degree of disinhibition. Taking into account the nu