(Press-News.org) A large-scale survey of South African healthcare workers has revealed major gaps in workplace
protection against tuberculosis, HIV and hepatitis, according to a University of British
Columbia health researcher.
Presenting findings today at the 2014 annual meeting of the
American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), Dr. Annalee Yassi says issues such
as confidentiality, stigma, technological capacity and staff training need to be addressed while
improving hospital resources and protocols.
Preliminary results of the 2012 baseline
survey of more than 1,000 healthcare workers in three hospitals show that more than 68 per cent
of patient care staff had never been screened for TB; nearly 20 per cent were not vaccinated
against hepatitis; and 55 per cent did not wear respiratory protection when needed. Despite
South Africa's high TB and HIV rates – 18 per cent of its adult population is HIV-positive – and
risk of hepatitis transmission, recapping of used needles before disposal and washing and
reusing of gloves were common, with more than 20 per cent surveyed reporting needlestick injury
or unprotected exposure to bodily fluids.
Yassi, who is helping South Africa implement
occupational health guidelines developed by the World Health Organization (WHO), says healthcare
workers in developing countries face greater health challenges while serving significantly more
patients.
"In addition to massive workloads, healthcare workers in developing countries
are more likely to get sick from the workplace," says Yassi, a professor in UBC's School of
Population and Public Health, noting that healthcare workers in South Africa are at three times
the risk of contracting TB than other South Africans, and more than seven times more likely to
be hospitalized for drug-resistant TB. A 2013 WHO estimate showed South Africans were almost 300
times more likely to contract TB than Americans.
"Considerable progress is being made,
including better standard operating procedures and screening," says Yassi. "But there's much
more we can do to ensure a healthy workplace for the international health care workforce."
INFORMATION:
Dr. Annalee Yassi's AAAS presentation, Promoting Health Equity by Addressing the Needs of
International Health Workers, is at 10-11:30am CST, Feb. 14, 2014.
Visit news.ubc.ca for
more story ideas, media-friendly experts and subscribe to UBC health science media releases. For
more UBC research presented at AAAS, visit news.ubc.ca/category/aaas.
South African healthcare workers face greater risk for TB, HIV
2014-02-14
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