HIV precautions for prevention in the workplace

The concern over transmission of blood-borne disease from health care workers to patients has become a topic of increasing concern. The Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) is one of these diseases. Mandatory HIV antibody testing of all patients and health care workers is currently under consideration with no solution immediately on the horizon. Orthopaedic health care workers are often involved in emergent care of trauma victims without the benefit of knowing the HIV status of these patients. Therefore, the only solution is to employ meticulous barrier techniques to prevent transmission of diseases such as HIV infection. Precautions for orthopaedic nurses are discussed in an effort to provide guidelines for prevention of transmission of disease.