The use and failure rates of protective equipment to prevent blood and bodily fluid contamination in the obstetric health care worker.
OBJECTIVE
To determine the frequency of use and the failure rate of protective equipment by obstetric staff during common obstetric procedures.


METHODS
A prospective observational study was conducted of multiple obstetric procedures. The presence, area of specialty, level of training, and gender of each team member were recorded along with the use of protective equipment (cap, mask, eyewear, gown, gloves, and shoe protection). These observations were recorded by two trained observers. Blood and bodily fluid contamination of the protective equipment was quantified and recorded for each person. A forensic medicine reagent (Luminol; Cluefinders Inc., Tampa, FL) was used to detect trace amounts of blood on the inner surface of a selected subset of gowns that had gross external contamination but no obvious penetration.


RESULTS
Two hundred forty-one obstetric procedures were observed involving 1022 medical personnel. The use of at least one piece of protective equipment was noted 88% of the time. Compliance with universal precautions by attending and resident physicians in all deliveries (vaginal, forceps, vacuum, cesarean) was observed in 65 (25.2%) medical personnel. The use of protective equipment varied by the type of procedure, area of specialty, and level of training of the team member. In the gowns examined with the forensic medicine reagent, 44% of the cases demonstrated laboratory evidence of penetration. The frequency of gown failure varied with the type of surgical gown used.


CONCLUSIONS
Despite the mandate in the medical community for universal precautions, the rate of compliance remains low. However, even among the compliant medical staff, protective equipment labeled as impenetrable has a high failure rate.
Ahmad
F K
FK
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, St. John Hospital and Medical Center, Detroit, Michigan 48236, USA.
Sherman
S J
SJ
Hagglund
K H
KH
D001769:Blood; D001826:Body Fluids; D004868:Equipment Failure; D006282:Health Personnel; D006801:Humans; D017758:Infectious Disease Transmission, Patient-to-Professional / Q000517:prevention & control*; D009774:Obstetrics; D016273:Occupational Exposure / Q000517:prevention & control*; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011482:Protective Devices / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*