Exposure to risk fluids in health personnel. Evaluation of direct costs in their management

• Published in: Revista chilena de infectología 2018, Vol.35 (5), p.490-497
• Main Authors: Vergara, Teresa, Véliz, Elena, Fica, Alberto, Dabanch, Jeannette
• Format: Article
• Language: Spanish
• Subjects: Chile; Disease Notification; Hospitals, Military; Humans; Infectious Disease Transmission, Patient-to-Professional - economics; Infectious Disease Transmission, Patient-to-Professional - prevention & control; Occupational Exposure; Personnel, Hospital; Retrospective Studies
• ISSN: 0717-6341
• DOI: 10.4067/s0716-10182018000500490

Health personnel are exposed to accidents with blood and other potentially infectious biological fluids in their clinical practice. Management of these events has high costs that are likely to be reduced. To give a general description of work accidents and their associated costs. All healthcare workers reports of exposure to blood or risk fluids between 2010 and 2015, were included. Health care costs were calculated. Records were analyzed in a retrospective manner. 189 exposures to risk fluids were reported during the study period with an average of 31 accidents per year. 83.5% of the studied sources were negative for HIV, HBV and HCV, 12.6% was with unknown source and only 3.7% was positive for any of them. The costs associated with management of risk exposures was $ 2,765,890 Chilean pesos/year (4,274 USD). The average cost per event was $ 73,171 Chilean pesos (113 USD). Approximately 80% of this figure corresponds to basic management protocol. Exposure to risk fluids in health personnel is frequent and has a high cost. This cost can be reduced by the application of prevention measures to give the healthcare workers a safer environment for their daily practice.