Following guidelines issued by the Centers for Disease Control, the Clinical Center implemented a Universal Precautions policy in November 1987 in an attempt to reduce healthcare workers' risks for occupational exposures to bloodborne pathogens. All hospital personnel whose jobs entailed potential exposure to patients' blood and body substances were required to attend a training session and complete a written examination. Based on data from surveys conducted before and twelve months after training in Universal Precautions, the frequency of cutaneous exposure to blood decreased by 50% in temporal association with implementation of Universal Precautions. Staff at the Clinical Center are required to take a refresher course in Universal Precautions annually.

The prevalence of bloodborne infections is high in Japan; however, Universal Precautions are not widely practiced in Japan. This study is designed: 1) to evaluate and compare nurses' knowledge of the epidemiology, pathogenesis, occupational risks, and appropriate prevention strategies for managing patients infected with bloodborne pathogens in the healthcare setting in seven university hospitals in Japan and at the Clinical Center of the National Institutes of Health in the US; 2) to compare self-reported levels of compliance with existing infection control recommendations designed to limit risk for exposure to bloodborne pathogens in all four institutions; 3) to compare self-reported frequencies of cutaneous exposures to blood at the four hospitals in the study; and 4) to evaluate the effect of educational intervention on nurses perceived compliance with recommendations and on the frequency of self-reported exposures to blood.

Condition
Hepatitis B Hepatitis C HIV Infection

Following guidelines issued by the Centers for Disease Control, the Clinical Center implemented a Universal Precautions policy in November 1987 in an attempt to reduce healthcare workers' risks for occupational exposures to bloodborne pathogens. All hospital personnel whose jobs entailed potential exposure to patients' blood and body substances were required to attend a training session and complete a written examination. Based on data from surveys conducted before and twelve months after training in Universal Precautions, the frequency of cutaneous exposure to blood decreased by 50% in temporal association with implementation of Universal Precautions. Staff at the Clinical Center are required to take a refresher course in Universal Precautions annually.

The prevalence of bloodborne infections is high in Japan; however, Universal Precautions are not widely practiced in Japan. This study is designed: 1) to evaluate and compare nurses' knowledge of the epidemiology, pathogenesis, occupational risks, and appropriate prevention strategies for managing patients infected with bloodborne pathogens in the healthcare setting in seven university hospitals in Japan and at the Clinical Center of the National Institutes of Health in the US; 2) to compare self-reported levels of compliance with existing infection control recommendations designed to limit risk for exposure to bloodborne pathogens in all four institutions; 3) to compare self-reported frequencies of cutaneous exposures to blood at the four hospitals in the study; and 4) to evaluate the effect of educational intervention on nurses perceived compliance with recommendations and on the frequency of self-reported exposures to blood.

Genders Eligible for Study:  Both

Criteria

Nurses who work in the four cooperating institutions who have clinical responsibilities.

Maryland
      Warren G. Magnuson Clinical Center (CC), 9000 Rockville Pike,  Bethesda,  Maryland,  20892,  United States; Recruiting

Study ID Numbers:  980066; 98-CC-0066
Record last reviewed:  January 15, 1998
Last Updated:  January 15, 1998
Record first received:  November 3, 1999
ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier:  NCT00001712
Health Authority: United States: Federal Government
ClinicalTrials.gov processed this record on 2004-11-19