Abstract

RIVERA-VALDIVIA, Álvaro; LEON-BRATTI, María-Paz  and  CHINCHILLA, Alexis. Accidentes ocupacionales y conocimiento sobre precauciones universales en internos universitarios costarricenses. Acta méd. costarric [online]. 2005, vol.47, n.2, pp.89-93. ISSN 0001-6002.

Background and aim: medical students are vulnerable to occupational accidents with needles and other cutting devices, because of their inexperience and lack of training despite their desire to do a lot. There is no information in our country regarding the frequency of such accidents in medical interns. The aim of the present study was to study the frequency and type of occupational accidents suffered by medical interns and their knowledge about the universal precautions. Methods: cross sectional study. Of all the medical interns working in the central part of the country during October 2001 and January 2002 a randomized sample of 201 was selected (power 95%, error 5%). To this population as guided survey was applied. The survey consisted in 20 structured questions, most closed and three opened, enquiring about number of occupational accidents, types, what was done at the moment, and knowledge of the universal precautions. Results: Of all the participants 90% had been working at lease 3 months as medical interns (last year of the medical career). Over half had done both a 3 months medical rotation and a 3 months surgical rotation. The sample included students from the 5 Universities with the career of medicine. Only 37% of the interns surveyed had received anti-HBV vaccination. Sixty four percent of them admitted they had suffered at least one occupational accident with patient's blood; 20% of these admitted had suffered between 3 and 4 accidents. Of the interns that admitted had suffered occupational accidents with needles, 78% did nothing after the accident, most of them because they didn't know what should be done. Of the total sample, 93% of the interns knew little or nothing about the universal precautions; only 6% could mention three correct measures for universal precaution. Conclusion: a very high proportion of medical interns in Costa Rica suffers risky occupational accidents early in their medical practice. Most of these young doctors do nothing to prevent themselves from occupational transmitted diseases, mainly due to lack of knowledge. Their knowledge regarding universal precautions is very poor

Keywords : accidentes ocupacionales; VIH; hepatitis B; hepatitis C; precauciones universales; trabajadores de la salud.