Accidental exposure to body fluids among rural health workers in North-Western Nigerian State of Sokoto

Abstract

Primary health facilities in Nigeria provide health care services to the rural majority of Nigeria population and often provide such services within inclement settings that pose high risk to their staff. The objective of this survey is to determine the exposure experiences of 420 primary care providers from the various cadres selected through a multistage random sampling process in primary health care (PHC) facilities in the headquarters of the 23 Local Government Areas in Sokoto State using questionnaire structured to elicit related information. Exposure prevalence among study group was found to be 58.3% with needle prick contributing the highest proportion of exposure (33.08%) and with the highest rate of 19.76% among respondents. Generally, exposure was highest among doctors (2.28 exposures per doctor), followed by the nursing staff and senior community health extension workers. The outpatient department was found to be the point of service with the highest risk of exposure. Training on safety in health care setting followed by on-site mentoring and safety practice monitoring mechanism with periodic supportive supervision are recommended to enhance adherence to safety practice. The establishment of safety policy and incorporation of safety education in educational institutions are long term preventive measures.

Keywords: Primary health care facilities, PHC workers, accidental exposure, safety policies

Journal of Pharmaceutical and Allied Sciences, Vol. 7 No. 3 (2010)