[Accidental exposure to blood by midwives in French maternity units: results of the national surveillance 2003].
OBJECTIVE
Midwives appear to be the health care workers exposed to the highest rates of bloodborne injury. In this paper - based on a national survey - we describe the bloodborne injuries occurring in this profession.


METHODS
During the year 2003, 241 hospitals took part in a national survey of bloodborne injuries. Employees registered anonymous standardized reports of bloodborne events with the Occupational Medicine Unit. The data were processed by the coordination center for the fight against nosocomial infections (C. CLIN) which is in charge of the national analysis of all the events reported in this database.


RESULTS
169 of the 6973 bloodborne events reported during 2003 (2.4%), were signed by midwives or midwife students. The first three most frequent accidents reported were: ocular projections during childbirth, pricks when repairing episiotomy, pricks or cuts when handling soiled instruments.


CONCLUSIONS
Improving knowledge of risk as well as promotion of protection/prevention measures well adapted to this profession should be helpful in optimizing future attitudes.
Vincent
A
A
Centre de Coordination de la Lutte contre les Infections Nosocomiales (C. CLIN) Sud-Est, Pavillon 1M, Centre Hospitalier Lyon-Sud, 69495 Pierre-Bénite Cedex.
Cohen
M
M
Bernet
C
C
Parneix
P
P
L'Hériteau
F
F
Branger
B
B
Talon
D
D
Hommel
C
C
Abiteboul
D
D
Coignard
B
B
D000328:Adult; D017848:Blood-Borne Pathogens; D003428:Cross Infection / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000517:prevention & control; D005260:Female; D005602:France / Q000453:epidemiology; D006281:Health Occupations; D006282:Health Personnel; D006801:Humans; D017053:Infection Control / Q000379:methods*; D008297:Male; D008880:Midwifery / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D016602:Needlestick Injuries / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000517:prevention & control; D009784:Occupational Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology*; D016273:Occupational Exposure; D016272:Occupational Health; D012307:Risk Factors