[EPINet software for reporting occupational exposures to blood among medical personnel--rationale for its wide...

Although there is a lack of adequate surveillance data at the national level, the available results from some current studies provide examples that sharps injuries sustained by medical personnel create a significant problem in Poland. However, there has been relatively little attention focused on this issue. The paper describes Exposure Prevention Information Network (EPINet) developed in the United States in 1991 and adopted in nearly 50 other countries, including 13 European ones. The principles and advantages of EPINet are discussed as well as its effects in the context of preventing occupational exposures among health care workers. The possible barriers to the adoption of EPINet in Poland are explained and arguments supporting its implementation, taking account of local needs, are presented.