Awareness, Concerns, and Protection Strategies Against Blood-Borne Viruses Among Emergency Medicine Staff

Objectives The present study aimed to evaluate the awareness and measures taken to prevent infections of blood-borne pathogens (BBPs) among emergency department (ED) staff at King Abdulaziz Medical City in Riyadh. Method A cross-sectional research approach was adopted. The study recruited a sample of 200 ED medical staff from King Abdul Aziz Medical City in Riyadh city. A self-filled questionnaire was used to elicit data related to awareness and concerns, in addition to the protection strategies adopted by the ED medical staff. The gathered data was analyzed using the Statistical Package of Social Sciences (SPSS, v. 26). Results The study found that 42.5% (n=85) of the emergency room (ER) staff did not use regular eyewear at all, 30% (n=60) did not use face shields at all, and about 75.5% of the enrolled ED staff successfully converted to double-gloving. In addition, it was found that patients with active AIDS (64%), patients with active hepatitis (60.5%), and patients with known HIV infection (60%) were the most reported factors influencing the decision to use double-gloving. Moreover, it was found that the highest reported reasons for not double -gloving were that double-gloving is not necessary (56%, n=112) and double-gloving decreases hand sensation (31%, n=62). Finally, the study found that the most reported reasons for not using barriers other than gloves precautions were non-necessity of barriers other than gloves (31% (n=62) and non-availability (26.5%, n=53). Conclusion The study concluded that ER medical staff in King Abdul-Aziz Medical City in Riyadh perceived a high level of lifetime risk of infection when performing procedures and that there is a lack of education and awareness of ER staff related to using personal protective equipment (PPE) and double-gloving when performing procedures in the ER.