Ten Years of Occupational Blood and Body Fluid Exposures in British Columbia Healthcare Workers: Epidemiology and Follow-up

To examine the epidemiology and follow-up of reported blood and body fluid exposures (BBFEs) from 2013-2023 in one health region in Canada.

BBFE incidents reported in a provincial workplace health database were identified either through database coding or by linking laboratory blood-test results with corresponding incident reports. Follow-up was assessed using post-exposure blood testing records in the database.

Of the 27,760 total workplace incident reports, 3,687 were included as BBFEs (17.1/1,000 person-years), with the highest rates in resident physicians and a progressive decline with age. Although no seroconversions were documented, even among BBFE cases from anti-HCV-positive and HIV-positive sources, complete follow-up was only documented in 28.9% and 36.4% of cases respectively.

Ensuring complete documentation and timely follow-up are critical to properly assessing risk and preventing bloodborne disease.