Hospital housekeepers: Victims of ineffective hospital waste management |
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| Authors: | Priscilla Santos Ferreira Ream Anaclara Ferreira Veiga Tipple Thaís Arvelos Salgado Adenícia Custódia Silva Souza Sandra Maria Brunini Souza Hélio Galdino-Júnior |
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| Institution: | 1. Postgraduate Program in Nursing, College of Nursing, Federal University of Goias, Goiania, Brazil;2. Department of Nursing, Nutrition and Physiotherapy, Pontifical Catholic University of Goias, Goiania, Brazil |
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| Abstract: | Improper waste management exposes hospital housekeepers to biological risk. The objectives of this study were to identify the frequency and profile of exposure incidents, classify the role of sharps waste, and compare the first and last occurrences for hospital housekeepers with multiple exposure incidents. A retrospective epidemiological study using Brazilian records from 1989 to 2012 was conducted. Data analyzed included hospital treatment records and the state notification database. Probabilistic linkage was performed using LinkPlus and data analysis using SPSS. There were 996 (11.6%) injuries, with 57 (6.1%) workers reporting multiple occurrences, for a total of 938 workers. These were primarily needlestick injuries (98.5%), involving blood (85.6%), caused by hypodermic needles (75.1%), and improper sharps disposal (70.8%). The number of workers completing vaccination after their first injury and before their last injury was statistically significant. Additional efforts to prevent and manage exposure incidents are needed. |
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| Keywords: | Hazardous waste hospital housekeeping needlestick injuries occupational health occupational injuries |
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