A study on biological occupational hazards in emergency medicine in Hospital Universiti Sains Malaysia
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Date
2015-05
Authors
Abuzied, Sami Osman
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Pusat Pengajian Sains Perubatan,Universiti Sains Malaysia
Abstract
Introduction: Hazards in working environment have posed significant risk to health care
workers (HCWs). Biological hazard is one of the hazards and exists in most departments in
hospital, including Emergency Department (ED). The objectives of this study were to look at
the prevalence of biological hazards in ED, determine the association of different work shift
and different triage zones with type of biological hazards. The associated factors of bloodborne
and non-blood-borne diseases were also being determined.
Objective: The of this study were to determine the biological hazards that could be
found in ED which may infect the HCWS at ED through different ways e.g. air-born and
blood borne route. In this study we would look into the distribution of biological hazards
through different work shift phase and different triage zones.
Methodology This was a prospective study conducted from 1st August 2013 to 30th
November 2013. All patients who presented to ED, Hospital Universiti Sains Malaysia
(HUSM) were reviewed based on the ED records. Hospital records of the patients with
biological hazards were traced and reviewed. Demographic data and type of biological
hazards were collected and association of work shift and triage zone were also analysed.
Final diagnosis of those with biological hazards was also being determined by reviewing
discharge note of the patients. All the data were entered using SPSS based on the sample size
of each type of biological hazards. In order to avoid missing data, work sheet form year 2013
from Microbiology department was reviewed for all patients with blood-borne biological
hazards. Based on the registered number of the patients, their visits to ED HUSM were traced
and correlated with the study period. All the data was collected using a standardised proforma
form.
Results: A total of 200 cases that presented to ED HUSM had biological hazards.
Majority of the cases was Malay (96.5%) and community acquired pneumonia .Apart from
CAP and scabies there were no statistically significant association between biological hazards
and the different time of the work shift. Majority of CAP and scabies cases came during PM
shift with the percentage of 42.6% and 78.1% respectively. Most of the biological hazards
had statistically significant association with triage zone except Human immunodeficiency
virus (HIV) and Hepatitis B virus (HBV). Majority of tuberculosis (TB), CAP and Hepatitis
C virus (HCV) cases presented to yellow zone with the percentage of 54.6%, 42.6% and
48.7% respectively. Majority of scabies and impetigo cases presented to the green zone. Age
and gender were significant association factors of blood-borne diseases.
Conclusion: Yellow zone had higher biological hazards exposure for CAP, TB and HCV
while green zone had higher exposure for scabies and impetigo to HCWs in ED HUSM. PM
shift had higher exposure for CAP and scabies. Age and male gender were the only
significant predictors for the blood-borne biological hazards exposure to the HCWs in ED
HUSM.
Description
Keywords
Occupational medicine