Occupational exposure to bloodborne pathogens, particularly hepatitis A, B, C or HIV, can result in debilitating or fatal disease. Even the post-exposure prophylactic treatment can have serious health and economic consequences. Health care workers are at risk of infection from bloodborn pathogens, primarily as a result of percutaneous injuries from needles and other sharp devices but also from mucus membrane and skin exposures to contaminated blood or body fluids. Most of the research on the risks of bloodborne pathogen exposures is based on information from hospitals workers; little information exists about the risks to home health care workers. The objective of the project SHARRP is to evaluate the risks of exposure to blood and sharps injury in a large population of home health care workers by: estimating the incidence of exposures to blood and percutaneous injuries; identifying and evaluating risk factors associated with these exposures; and assessing the availability and use of medical safety devices. This work will assist home health care agencies, unions, professional organizations, and goverment agencies concerned with home health care workers by providing information that leads to more effective worksite safety interventions.
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