Introduction: Health services create conditions for occupational risks related to the health and safety of health workers. The management of safe and healthy working conditions in healthcare is the basis of public healthcare.
Aim: The aim of the study is to study and analyze the dangerous medical practices related to the exposure of blood and body fluids in high-risk medical staff—medical laboratory technicians in medical diagnostic laboratories in Varna.
Results: The results of the surveys among 107 people, including 5 managers of clinical laboratories, 49 laboratory technicians, and 53 clients/patients, confirm the working hypotheses.
Failure to follow the rules of safe technique at work creates conditions for exposure to bloodborne infections. The most common reasons lie in the capping of used needles, non-use of gloves, or improper disposal of a sharp object in inappropriate containers. The immune status of medical laboratory technicians is not checked regularly, and non-immunized persons also work. The results of the surveyed clients reveal insufficient awareness of the risk exposures and the spread of bloodborne infections. It is worrying that 23% of them assume that doctors are fully responsible for the prevention of blood-borne virus infections.
Conclusion: Bloodborne infections pose a significant risk to both society and healthcare professionals, but they can be prevented by measures aimed at minimizing the risk of infections: prevention of high-risk practices, compliance with universal precautions, the introduction of low-risk instruments and devices, and hepatitis B vaccination.
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