Compliance with Universal Precautions among emergency department personnel: implications for prevention programs.
BACKGROUND
We developed a 50-item questionnaire to assess emergency department (ED) staff members' knowledge of bloodborne pathogen transmission, compliance with Universal Precautions, and the use of personal protective equipment.


METHODS
A questionnaire was administered to 103 ED staff members including physicians, nurses, and technicians at Barnes-Jewish Hospital in St Louis, a Level-I trauma center.


RESULTS
ED personnel had inadequate knowledge of bloodborne pathogen infection risk, underreported exposures, and underused personal protection equipment during trauma cases.


CONCLUSIONS
Further educational interventions for ED personnel are needed to increase their compliance with Universal Precautions.
Kim
L E
LE
Division of Infectious Diseases, Washington University School of Medicine, St Louis, MO 63110, USA.
Evanoff
B A
BA
Parks
R L
RL
Jeffe
D B
DB
Mutha
S
S
Haase
C
C
Fraser
V J
VJ
D003428:Cross Infection / Q000517:prevention & control*; D004634:Emergency Medical Technicians; D004636:Emergency Service, Hospital; D005260:Female; D019983:Guideline Adherence; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008923:Missouri; D011481:Protective Clothing / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014193:Trauma Centers; D016635:Universal Precautions