Are you a healthcare worker? Then, surely you may face a lot of occupational hazards on the job. When working with infected and sick patients, naturally it brings contacts with dangerous materials and fluids, including blood. In order to ensure patient and worker safety, having the right PPE for bloodborne pathogens is important to prevent the contact and spread of potential diseases. Here let us discuss why high-quality PPE is important for healthcare workers and how it makes the environment safer for everyone involved.
What Is A Bloodborne Pathogen?
A bloodborne pathogen is a microorganism that passes through the bloodstream. These pathogens can easily transfer from person to person through the individual’s bloodstream. The bloodborne pathogens are commonly transferring through open wounds such as small cuts.
The common bloodborne pathogens include:
- Hepatitis B Virus (HBV)
- Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV)
- Hepatitis C Virus (HCV)
Many healthcare workers are exposed to these pathogens and other potentially infectious materials (OPIM) regularly. OPIM may include other bodily fluids such as saliva, amniotic fluid, cerebrospinal fluid, and others. If you are a healthcare worker, then easily you may get infected. In order to ensure your safety, it is best for you to look for the PPE for bloodborne pathogens. By wearing protective gear in the healthcare industry, you can ensure your safety and others too.
How Workers Prevent Bloodborne Pathogens?
Now, with technological innovations, there is a high rate of new diseases transferring. The center for disease control and prevention CDC and occupational health and safety administration (OSHA) regulations follow various standards to ensure the worker’s safety. So, workers and employers should be familiar with infection control, including universal precautions, standard precautions, and transmission-based precautions. Here have listed some standards:
Universal Precautions (UP):
In the 1980s, this standard was introduced as an infection control to prevent workers from HIV, HBV, and other bloodborne pathogens in human blood. It is an approach of infection control of blood and other bodily fluids as infectious.
Standard Precautions (SP):
This was introduced in 1996, which added additional infection prevention control elements to UP to prevent healthcare workers. It not only controls pathogens in human blood and also certain other body fluids to which UP does not apply. It includes hand hygiene, safe injection practices, and the use of certain types of PPE based on the anticipated environment, and safe management of contaminated equipment and other things in the workplace. This is a proactive preventive method to protect healthcare workers and patients.
Transmission-Based Precautions (TBP):
Although following the standard and universal precautions in the workplace, TBP goes another step further with additional controls to interrupt the route of transmission. If the person is suspected to be infectious, the different types of TBP measures are applied based on what is known. For instance, if blood droplets get into the air or on the surfaces, the workers are well trained to clean up the contamination without risks to themselves or the patient.
Today, in the recent outbreaks of emerging infectious diseases, it is important to wear the right PPE equipment to ensure everyone’s safety. Not only is wearing important but also the healthcare workers should know how to handle them. It is important to provide the necessary training and guidelines for the workers to ensure their safety in all aspects.
Why Is PPE Recommended When Working With Bloodborne Pathogens?
Health care employees need to work in varying environments, and in order to ensure their safety, they need to wear the right type of PPE equipment. Depending on the situation, healthcare workers should wear the PPE that helps to prevent the spread of blood-borne pathogens. Here have listed some PPE.
- Face masks
- Disposal gloves
- Eye goggles
- Protective apparel
- Full face shield
- Safety glasses with side shields
- Lab coats
- Aprons
- Gowns
- Mouthpieces for resuscitation
- Bloodborne Pathogen Kits which is filled with proactive items
When the healthcare workers wear the PPE, it does not allow the transmission of fluids or any other infectious disease. In order to ensure that nothing will penetrate through the skin by accident, healthcare professionals should wear protective apparel mandatorily. Now, wearing protective apparel has become mandatory for healthcare workers. Bear in mind that wearing the PPE can safeguard, and PPE disposal safety measures ensure your safety.
Wrapping It Up
If you are a healthcare worker, then don’t forget to wear the bloodborne pathogens ppe. It helps you from potential sources of an infected or colonized organism that transmit in the healthcare setting. Therefore, buy the PPE for bloodborne pathogens and stay safe.
