Tc. Eustis et al., COMPLIANCE WITH RECOMMENDATIONS FOR UNIVERSAL PRECAUTIONS AMONG PREHOSPITAL PROVIDERS, Annals of emergency medicine, 25(4), 1995, pp. 512-515
Study objective: To evaluate the compliance of emergency medical respo
nders with local employer and Centers for Disease Control and Preventi
on recommendations for disposal of sharps and use of personal protecti
ve equipment in the prehospital environment. Design: Prospective, sing
le-blinded observational study of 297 ambulance runs conducted for 3 m
onths. Setting: A metropolitan emergency medical service system. Parti
cipants: Sixty-nine emergency medical technicians and paramedics. Inte
rventions: None. Results: Observers recorded the handling of sharps an
d the use of personal protective equipment in four situations: IV line
placement, endotracheal intubation, large-wound management, and body
fluid hazard. Emergency medical workers properly handled sharps in 24
of 65 situations (37%). They were usually compliant with glove use dur
ing the observed procedures. However, compliance with the use of other
personal protective equipment was poor. Conclusion: Sharps were often
improperly handled. Most workers complied with recommendations for th
e use of gloves but often underused goggles, masks, and gowns. Althoug
h education and restructuring of the environment and equipment may imp
rove compliance, strong consideration should be given to developing st
andardized and more practical recommendations for the prehospital envi
ronment.