The summaries are free for public
use. The Chronic Liver Disease
Foundation will continue to add and
archive summaries of articles deemed
relevant to CLDF by the Board of
Trustees and its Advisors.
Abstract Details
The bloodborne pathogen standard in private practice
Davis D1, Carlton A, Wisch JS. Community Support Oncol. 2014 Mar;12(3):82-3.
Author information
1New England Hematology Oncology Associates, Newton, MA USA Email: ddavis@neho.org.
Abstract
It's now more than 20 years since the government issued standards to reduce the risk for sharps injury that health care workers are exposed to in their daily working lives. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) issued the Bloodborne Pathogen Standard (BPS) in 1991 for the regulation of occupational exposure to bloodborne pathogens including HIV, hepatitis B, and hepatitis C. The legislation incorporated the Centers for Disease Control's (CDC's) guidelines for universal precautions with recommendations for the use of personal protective equipment (gown, gloves and other protective barriers) and of puncture-resistant sharps containers, prohibiting the recapping of contaminated needles, and vaccination for hepatitis B.1 However, although OSHA and the CDC set the groundwork for reducing the risk for sharps injury through changes in work processes, the risk has not been eliminated completely.