Anxiety in health care workers after exposure to potentially HIV-contaminated blood or body fluids

In order to measure anxiety in health care workers (HCWs) reporting occupational exposures to potentially contaminated body fluids, we enrolled 55 HCWs in a prospective study. Percutaneous and mucous membrane exposures were most frequent. 27% of study participants estimated their risk of HIV-infection as above 1%. Personality bound anxiety was not high, but acute anxiety showed a high variability. In a multiple regression model high personality bound anxiety, lower age and being a HCW other than physician independently predicted higher acute anxiety scores. No HIV or hepatitis C virus infection occurred. HCWs encounter significant anxiety after occupational exposure to potentially contaminated body fluids despite the possibility of potent post exposure prophylaxis.