5 Important Precautions to Avoid Regarding Bloodborne Pathogens
The field of medical science has seen a tremendous advancement in the past couple of decades. Despite this commendable fact, we also have seen a rise in the number of diseases that are harmful today, especially those that can be transmitted through blood. The risk of getting infected is thus also increasing for people associated with the health care industry. As such, anyone working in healthcare who deals with blood, tissue, saliva and other body fluids samples is at a risk.
For instance, bloodborne pathogens are pathogens that are present in the blood and can cause diseases like HIV, Hepatitis B, Hepatitis C, and other forms of STDs. These can very easily pass from one person to another through blood contact or mucous membrane and many other factors.
These forms of diseases spread at alarming rates in the recent past and can be fatal when not identified within a specified time span. Even the blood that is used for transfusion needs to be thoroughly investigated for transmission of these deadly pathogens that may be present in any blood donors.
Since people associated with the health care industry are at a high risk for getting infected with these bloodborne pathogens, an effort has to be made to consciously avert the spread of diseases. This is possible by taking some easy to follow precautions. The five most important things that health care professionals should focus on are listed below:
– People involved in blood sampling should ensure that gloves and other safety equipment used by them are intact and free from any cracks and damage. The diseases can be very easily transmitted through broken or torn gloves in case of a needle prick or an injury when dealing with infected blood.
– Extreme care has to be taken by people who have any kind of cuts, wounds, rashes and burns on their hands or other parts of the body that can be exposed directly to the blood samples while working on them.
– Anyone coming in contact with needles and other sharp surgical instruments need to take extra precaution in order to avoid any contact from them.
– There has to be extreme care exercised even when the needles and other blood samples are disposed of after use.
– Finally the person who comes into contact with the blood or feels contamination has taken place should be sure to wash their skin thoroughly with germicidal multiple times and seek immediate medical advice.
A lot of times it is only negligence that is responsible for the transmission of bloodborne pathogens and thus the people involved in blood sampling must be given proper training and knowledge to handle blood samples safely. This will not only ensure that people in the health care service are protected but also avoid the spread of dangerous diseases to a very large extent. Apart from this, even medical units must establish proper standards to treat blood that is used for transfusion for treatment of viruses and bacteria that may be present in the blood of donors.
For more information, please visit our bloodborne pathogens website.
For more information, please visit our bloodborne pathogens website http://www.bloodborne-pathogens.com
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