Occupational Exposure to Blood and Body Fluids Among Pre-Hospital Emergency Medical Services Workers in Mashhad, Northeast of Iran.

BACKGROUND: This study aimed to assess occupational exposure to blood and body fluids (BBFs) and the use of protective equipment among pre-hospital emergency medical services (EMS) workers in Mashhad, Iran.

METHODS: This cross-sectional questionnaire survey-based study was conducted from July 2020 to March 2021 in Mashhad. All pre-hospital EMS workers of Mashhad were invited to participate in the study using the census technique. The questionnaire was about occupational exposure to BBFs, infection control, protective measures, health program, and demographic information.

RESULTS: In total, 442 participants answered the questionnaire (response rate: 82.77%). Based on the findings, 420 (95.2%) and 402 (91.2%) participants had been exposed to BBFs as pre-hospital EMS workers. Moreover, 31.5% and 38.5% of these exposures were caused by contaminated needles and lancets, respectively. The BBFs incidents have occurred despite 98% of the EMS workers reporting there is a needle safety disposable box in the ambulance. The relationship between awareness of precaution measures after exposure to BBFs and training course completion was significant (P<0.0001).

CONCLUSION: This study demonstrated the high prevalence of occupational exposures to BBFs among pre-hospital EMS workers. Considering the significant relationship between the completion of standard precautions courses and awareness of BBFs' post-exposure measures, it is recommended to consider multi-faceted strategies for continuous monitoring, training, and follow-up of pre-hospital EMS workers.