Incidence of work accidents involving exposure to biological materials among healthcare workers in Brazil, 2010-2016

• Published in: Revista brasileira de medicina do trabalho 2019, Vol.17 (2), p.188-200
• Main Authors: Santos Gomes, Sâmea Cristina, de Jesus Mendes Caldas, Arlene
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Original
• ISSN: 1679-4435; 2447-0147
• DOI: 10.5327/Z1679443520190391

Work accidents involving exposure to biological materials (WAEMB) are frequent among healthcare workers (HCW) and might have consequences for their health. To describe the characteristics of WAEMB involving HCW and post-exposure measures in Brazil as a whole. Ecological study based on secondary data recorded by System of Information on Notifiable Diseases (SINAN) for the period from 2010 to 2016. We performed descriptive analysis and calculated incidence coefficients (IC) per 1,000 HCW/year using software Stata 14.0. The highest IC corresponded to 2014 (16.84). On analysis per state, the highest IC corresponded to Goiás, Minas Gerais, São Paulo and Paraná. Most victims were women, nursing assistants or technicians (64.71%), workers aged 15-31 years old, and with ≥12 years of formal education. Most accidents involved blood (74.93%) and percutaneous exposure (75.33%); needles were the most frequent causative agent (57.59%). About 29.71% of victims did not wear gloves at the time of the accident, and 1.12% refused chemoprophylaxis. Data missed for several variables of interest. Our description points to the need for effective preventive measures mainly based on use of personal protective equipment, lifelong learning and continuing education for HCW and adequate WAEMB reporting.