Bloodborne pathogens are a serious risk to physiotherapists, especially with the rates of Hepatitis B, HIV, and other diseases on the rise. While there is no evidence that bloodborne pathogens have ever been transmitted through physiotherapy treatment in Australia, practicing safe hygiene measures can help prevent infection for both you and your clients.
Bloodborne pathogens is a term that applies to viruses and bacteria that are present in blood and other body fluids and can cause infections in humans.
Bloodborne pathogens is a term that applies to viruses and bacteria that are present in blood and other body fluids and can cause infections in humans. Bloodborne pathogens are transmitted through contact with the blood of an infected person. They are not airborne. Some examples of bloodborne pathogens include Hepatitis B, HIV, Zika virus (ZIKV), Lyme disease (LD), and Ebola virus disease (EVD).
The risk of infection depends on many factors including:
- The type of exposure (e.g., skin-to-skin contact vs splashing on your clothes)
- How much time has passed since the last exposure?
- Where you were exposed - indoors or outdoors?
Examples of bloodborne pathogens are Hepatitis B, HIV, Zika, Lyme disease, and Ebola.
Bloodborne pathogens are microorganisms that can be transmitted through contact with infected blood or body fluids. The most common bloodborne pathogens are HIV, Hepatitis B and C, Zika virus, Lyme disease, and Ebola.
Bloodborne infections can also result from exposure to other types of bodily fluids such as saliva (e.g., rabies), urine (e.g., toxoplasmosis), semen (e.g., gonorrhea), or vaginal secretions during sexual intercourse without using protection such as condoms or dental dams between partners who have different STDs/STIs (sexually transmitted diseases/infections).
Examples of other infectious diseases include:
- Rabies - a viral infection affecting the brain;
- Malaria - caused by parasites in the bloodstream;
- Tetanus - an infection caused by harmful bacteria found in soil or dust
We advise that anyone with cuts or sores on their skin should not perform direct contact with the blood of patients or clients.
Physiotherapists who share needles during injection procedures should wear gloves, masks, and eye protection when performing these tasks. Dealing with bodily fluids, handlers should make sure they wash their hands thoroughly with soap and water after removing gloves or other protective equipment used during a procedure.
Examples of bloodborne pathogens are Hepatitis B, HIV, Zika, Lyme disease, and Ebola
Physiotherapists who share needles during injection procedures should wear gloves, masks, and eye protection when performing these tasks.
- Needles should be disposed of in a sharps container.
- Needles should never be recapped.
- Needles should be disposed of in a sharps container immediately after use, and when no longer needed for an injection procedure they should be placed inside an empty, sealed plastic bag before being discarded in the trash outside your office or clinic.
When dealing with bodily fluids, handlers should make sure they wash their hands thoroughly with soap and water after removing gloves or other protective equipment used during a procedure.
When dealing with bodily fluids, handlers should make sure they wash their hands thoroughly with soap and water after removing gloves or other protective equipment used during a procedure. Handwashing is critical in preventing the spread of bloodborne pathogens and other diseases. The best way to do this is to wet your hands with warm water, apply soap, rub them together for at least 20 seconds, and rinse thoroughly under running water (or use an alcohol-based hand rub).
The following list includes some common healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) that physiotherapists are exposed to on a regular basis:
- Staphylococcus Aureus (Staph) - This bacterium causes infections such as boils on the skin surface; abscesses within tissues; pneumonia; osteomyelitis; septicemia; toxic shock syndrome (TSS); food poisoning/gastroenteritis/diarrhea caused by eating contaminated food containing staph bacteria. Clostridium difficile (C diff) Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus(MRSA) Vancomycin-Resistant Enterococci
Bloodborne pathogens are serious risks that physiotherapists must be aware of so they do not put their clients at risk
Bloodborne pathogens are serious risks that physiotherapists must be aware of so they do not put their clients at risk. Bloodborne pathogens include:
- Hepatitis B virus (HBV) and hepatitis C virus (HCV)
- Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS)
Physiotherapists should use gloves, masks, and eye protection when performing procedures involving bodily fluids. For example, if you need to draw blood from a patient or apply pressure to an oozing wound, you will want to wear protective equipment such as latex gloves or a surgical mask so that any germs in the area are contained within them instead of entering your body through cuts on your fingers or open sores around your mouth or nose area. Moreover, if multiple therapists share needles during injection procedures such as giving epidurals or intramuscular injections into muscles - each should wear gloves, masks, and eye protection while performing these tasks
Conclusion
With the right precautions, it is possible to protect yourself from bloodborne pathogens while performing your job as a physiotherapist. it is recommended that anyone with cuts or sores on their skin should not perform direct contact with the blood of patients or clients. This includes wearing gloves when handling bodily fluids and making sure they wash their hands thoroughly with soap and water after removing gloves or other protective equipment used during a procedure