skip navigation (access key=2)

Site style: Default | Large Text | Text Only

» The Eleanor Mann School of Nursing » B.S. in Nursing Undergraduate Program » Student Handbook » Needlestick/Exposure to Bloodborne Pathogens

Needlestick/Exposure to Blood Borne Pathogens

POLICY FOR EXPOSURE TO BLOOD BORNE PATHOGENS:

  1. Management of student injury:
    1. Fill out an incident report for the clinical agency with a copy of the report (complete with the appropriate signatures) and submit it to the School of Nursing.
    2. Fill out an Eleanor Mann School of Nursing incident report and submit to the School of Nursing.
    3. Assessment of the student's risk status with treatment and follow-up is required. If the clinical agency has an emergency service department with a physician available, the student is required to be evaluated by the physician at that time. If the clinical agency does not offer this service, the student is required to be evaluated by a physician at the University of Arkansas Health Center (UHC). A report of the attending physician's assessment of the student's status and/or recommended treatment must be submitted to the School of Nursing.
    4. Identification of the source patient and subsequent risk appraisal should be included in the report.
    5. Expenses for the assessment and treatment will be borne by the student.
  2. The injured student should discuss his/her medical history and status with one of the University of Arkansas Health Center clinicians.
    1. A history of documented Hepatitis B infection or completion of Heptavax or equivalent immunization should render the student immune to Hepatitis B, although assessment of immune status may be needed (e.g., incomplete Heptavax series or intragluteal injection).
    2. An individual who is HIV antibody positive or a low risk individual known to be HIV negative requires no immediate testing.
    3. A student with unknown HIV status and no history of Hepatitis B infection or immunization may need baseline HIV antibody or Hepatitis B Surface Antigen (HBSA) testing (see specific instructions below).
  3. If the source patient cannot be identified, or if he/she refuses evaluation and is of unknown risk status for HIV and Hepatitis B infection:
    1. The student, if not immune to Hepatitis B, should receive a single dose of Hepatitis B Immune Globulin (HBIG), 0.06 cc/kg, as soon as possible after exposure. Heptavax immunization should also be initiated (with consent) within seven days of exposure; 1 cc in the deltoid muscle, booster doses should follow after one month and six months. Students who do not receive Heptavax should receive a second dose of HBIG after one month.
    2. If the student's HIV antibody status is unknown, a baseline HIV antibody test should be done and, assuming negativity, repeated at six to eight weeks and at six months.
    3. The student should inquire about relevant symptoms of HIV and Hepatitis B infections, and should notify his/her supervisor or a University of Arkansas Health Center clinician if clinical problems occur. Counseling may be needed for emotional reactions, and education for reducing risk of transmitting a potential infection.
  4. If the source patient is identified and consents to evaluation:
    1. If the source patient is known to be immune to Hepatitis B, the student may be reassured (if not immune).
    2. If the source patient is not immune to Hepatitis B, he/she should have an HBSA test; if negative, the student may be reassured if he/she is not immune; if positive, and if the student is not immune, treatment should be initiated within seven days (see 3a above).
    3. If the patient is considered low risk for HIV infection or is known to be HIV negative he/she may not need to be tested; the student should be tested only if anxious.
    4. If the patient is of high or uncertain risk for HIV infection, an HIV antibody test should be done and repeated in six to eight weeks and in six months. The student should also be tested as in 3b above.
    5. If the patient is known to be HIV antibody positive, the student should be counseled and tested as indicated in 2b and 3b above.
    6. If the patient is acutely ill, other prophylactic or follow-up measures should be done as appropriate.
    7. Counseling, education, and follow-up are encouraged (see 3c). Expenses for follow-up treatment will be the responsibility of the student.

    Note: These guidelines were developed by the University of Arkansas Health Center. The initial statements as to the management of the exposure have been adapted to meet the requirements of the School of Nursing. The references to "employees" in the original guidelines were changed to "student" in this version.

    Students have the right to petition for waiver of any policy. Petition forms are available in the School of Nursing Office.

    Page last updated: 2/23/2009 11:05

    Related Pages

    College of Education and Health Professions | University of Arkansas | Graduate Education Building | Fayetteville, Arkansas 72701
    Tel: 479-575-3208 | Fax: 479-575-3119 | E-mail us | RSS
    © College of Education and Health Professions