Accidents involving biological material during cleaning of reusable medical devices in nursing

Abstract Objective To assess incidence and factors associated with occupational accidents involving biological material that occur during the cleaning of reusable medical devices among nursing staff in Brazil. Methods This is a retrospective cohort study conducted between 2015 and 2019. The population was divided into two groups for comparison purposes, one composed of professionals who suffered accidents while cleaning reusable medical devices and the other composed of professionals who suffered accidents under other circumstances. The study data were extracted from the Notifiable Diseases Information System (number of accidents) and the Brazilian National Registry of Health Establishments (number of professionals). The factors associated with the incidence of occupational accidents involving biological material (dependent variable) during the cleaning of reusable medical devices were analyzed using multiple Poisson regression. Results The mean incidence rate of occupational accidents involving biological material was 115.0 cases per 100,000 nursing professionals between 2015 and 2020, and, among nursing technicians, the incidence was 151.6 cases per 100,000 professionals. For nursing professionals, it was found that the risk of accidents was 2.49 times higher in percutaneous exposure. The risk of accidents was 1.87 times higher when the material involved was blood. The risk increased even more when the device involved was a blade/blood lancet and others. Conclusion The incidence rate was high and was associated with demographic, work-related and accident-related factors.