Occupational exposure to bodily fluids in oral and maxillofacial surgery: an evaluation of reporting practices and attitudes among staff at a major teaching hospital in the UK.

Our aim was to evaluate experience, practice, and beliefs about reporting of occupational exposures to blood and other body fluids among a sample of 88 healthcare providers working in oral and maxillofacial surgery at Sheffield Teaching Hospitals. We used a cross-sectional survey to evaluate awareness of the Trust's policy for reporting occupational exposure, recent incidence of exposure, and current reporting practices. Beliefs were measured using questions derived from the theory of planned behaviour. Fifty-five people responded, 14 of whom had been exposed to bodily fluids in the previous 12 months. Of those, 10 did not report it. Fifty-three respondents were certain that the Trust had a protocol in place for reporting sharps injuries to staff. Most (n=51) said the Trust had a protocol for reporting mucocutaneous exposure to blood. Respondents placed equal importance on reporting exposures that affected both themselves and patients, but intention to report exposure of patients was significantly higher than for themselves (z score -3.18, p<0.0001). We conclude that OMFS healthcare workers generally think that occupational exposures should be reported, but there are shortcomings in practice.