Occupational Exposure to Blood and Body Fluids, Biosafety Practices, and Postexposure Prophylaxis Utilization among Critical Care Nurses

Aim and background: The nature of emergency services exposes critical care nurses to blood and bodily fluids on a regular basis, increasing their risk of infections.Despite established biosafety guidelines and postexposure prophylaxis (PEP) protocols, occupational exposure and gaps in preventive practices remain significant global concerns.The study aimed to evaluate the prevalence of exposure to occupational hazards, the practice of biosafety precautions in intravenous procedures, and the utilization of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) postexposure prophylaxis among critical care nurses.Materials and methods: A descriptive survey design was used among 200 nurses aged 21-50 years, working in the casualty, emergency ward, and intensive care unit (ICU) of Safdarjung Hospital, New Delhi, selected by convenience sampling.A demographic profile questionnaire was used to gather data, along with a structured questionnaire to assess the prevalence of occupational hazards and the utilization of postexposure prophylaxis, and an observation checklist to assess biosafety practices.Ethical clearance was obtained from the Institutional Ethics Committee (IEC), and the data were analyzed using appropriate descriptive and inferential statistical methods to meet the study objectives.Results: Among critical care nurses, in the previous 12 months, 13% of respondents reported they had been exposed to blood and bodily fluids at work.Most exposures were single episodes (41%), with repeated exposures also noted.Mucous membrane/non-intact skin exposure with small amounts predominated (85%), with blood being the most often involved fluid (75%).Incident reporting was suboptimal, with only 41% reporting to hospital authorities.Although 96% followed standard precautions at the time of exposure, unexpected patient movement and needle handling were the leading causes.In all cases (100%), postexposure prophylaxis was not indicated.Regarding biosafety practices among nurses providing emergency care, the majority (84%) demonstrated average practice, 12% had poor practice, and only 4% exhibited good biosafety practices.Conclusion and clinical significance: For emergency nurses, occupational exposure to blood and bodily fluids continues to pose a serious risk, reinforcing the necessity of strengthening biosafety procedures and ensuring timely access to postexposure prophylaxis.