Health Care Today & Bloodborne Pathogens

Bloodborne pathogens can cause dangerous diseases like Human Immunodeficiency Virus and Hepatitis B and C. The most vulnerable are healthcare workers and all those personnel who come in contact with infected persons, blood or contaminated material. And though various regulations are in place to ensure proper safeguards the risk of exposure to bloodborne pathogens is still high.

Medicine and healthcare fields have been moving at a fast rate with there being several advances for curing diseases and introduction of improved techniques. On the other hand outdated exposure control policies, lack of training and poor implementation of safety procedures can offset many potential advantages.

The following 2 tips can help in reducing the risks due to bloodborne pathogens in today’s healthcare environment.

• Better Training Options: Proper training is a key for reducing the risks associated with the spread of infection due to bloodborne pathogens. Keeping this in mind Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has introduced several online training courses which can be taken through a number of authorized providers; what’s more some of these courses with OSHA can be taken free of cost. Also several first aid training courses have added bloodborne pathogen training to first aid and Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) to increase the awareness of such pathogens and to provide training so that you can be better prepared to handle emergencies without the risk of contracting and spreading diseases.
• Updating and Modernizing Exposure Control Plans: Exposure control plans are very important for all the vulnerable occupations as they provide comprehensive guidelines for work safety. However such plans should be updated regularly to keep up with the advancements in various healthcare safety techniques and the same must be communicated to the employees through annual training. Also problems of poor documentation can be solved by using the electronic medium and a host of customized software, to keep updated records and better management and follow-up of adherence to all the safety procedures prescribed. The plan must keep complete records of all the workers in vulnerable occupations and also any cases of occupational exposure.

Better exposure control plans coupled with training can help to create awareness and better management for reducing the cases of infection caused due to bloodborne pathogens.