What to include on an exposure report
What to include on an exposure report
If an occupational blood or body fluid exposure occurs, employee health practitioners must ensure that certain information is recorded in the employee's confidential medical record, according to new Public Health Service guidelines.
That information usually is recorded on a form the facility designates for this purpose and should include exposure circumstances and postexposure management, as follows:
· date and time of exposure;
· details of the procedure being performed, including:
- where and how the exposure occurred,
- if the exposure was related to a sharp device,
- type of device,
- how and when in the course of handling the device the exposure occurred;
· exposure details, including:
- type and amount of fluid or material,
- severity of the exposure (for a percutaneous exposure, depth of injury and whether fluid was injected; for a skin or mucous-membrane exposure, estimated volume of material, duration of contact, and condition of the skin [chapped, abraded, or intact]);
· details about the exposure source:
- whether source material contained HIV or other bloodborne pathogens,
- whether the source is an HIV-infected person, and if so, the stage of disease, history of antiretroviral therapy, and viral load, if known;
· details about counseling, postexposure management, and follow-up.
Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Public Health Service guidelines for the management of health-care worker exposures to HIV and recommendations for postexposure prophylaxis. MMWR 1998; 47(No. RR-7):1-33.
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