BLOOD AND BODY-FLUID EXPOSURES DURING CLINICAL-TRAINING - RELATION TOKNOWLEDGE OF UNIVERSAL PRECAUTIONS

To investigate the relation between knowledge of universal precautions and rates of exposure to blood and body fluid during clinical trainin g, a cohort of 155 students was surveyed following training in univers al precautions and 18 months later. A total of 127 students (82%) part icipated; 58 (46%) experienced at least one exposure during the first clinical training year. Knowledge of universal precautions was inverse ly associated with the frequency of mucous membrane exposures (p =.001 ): an apparent ''dose-response'' effect was evident (one-way analysis of variance; F = 5.2, p = .007). Students are frequently exposed to bl ood and body fluid during clinical training. Higher levels of retained knowledge about universal precautions are associated with a decreased risk of mucous membrane exposure.