Self-reported incidence of accidental exposures to patients' blood and body fluids by resident doctors in Nigeria

An anonymous survey of 149 resident doctors was conducted to estimate the ex tent of accidental exposures to blood and body fluids of patients over a one-year period. There was a total of 1142 exposures. Ninety-three percent of respondents reported one or more exposure incident(s). Analysis of events and procedures leading to accidental exposures revealed that recapping needles was involved in 17%, suturing accounted for 14%, setting up intravenous lines 11%, cuts with scalpel 9% and phlebotomy 9%. Surgical residents had a threefold greater risk of exposure compared with medicine residents. No trend was found for accidental expo sures by level of residency training. Seventy-four percent of the residents used universal precautions 50% or less of the time. Only half of the doctors could recall formal instruction on correct course of action after exposure and 5% of them had as undergraduates hepatitis B vaccine prior to the commencement of venepuncture duties. All but one of the residents' exposures were not reported to the Staff Medical Services Department. The doctor who reported was neither tested for hepatitis B virus or human immunodeficiency virus nor was he properly treated. Only 5 (4.6%) of the contaminating patients were evaluated serologi cally for their status of these viruses. These data emphasize the need for increased efforts toward improved early and continu ing education, prevention and correct management of accidental exposures to blood or body fluids of patients by resident doctors in Nigeria. No recent study exists that exclusively addresses this problem in doctors in tropical Africa.