Abstract
Hundreds of thousands of occupational exposures to the blood and body fluids of patients can occur each year in healthcare settings. Accidental needlestick or “sharps” injuries caused by hollow-bore needles, scalpels or other sharp objects constitute an important occupational health hazard for healthcare professionals and provide the most important route of infection of healthcare workers by human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), hepatitis B virus (HBV), and hepatitis C virus (HCV).
Both anecdotal and survey data suggest that healthcare students and professional staff receive variable and often inadequate education and training in infection control. The purpose of this article is to present an update about occupational infection risks, with details of a new interactive CD-ROM which provides key infection control training materials on bloodborne viruses, for students and staff.