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Compliance with nursing protocols and techniques and accidental exposure to biological risks in students in clinical practices

Abstract:

Exposure to biological health hazards and the preventive measures implemented to avoid or minimize this exposure are partially unknown in Ecuador; particularly by nursing students, who, during their pre-professional practices, are exposed to factors that can negatively affect well-being in their workplace. The risk can be of various physical, ergonomic, chemical, psychosocial and biological origins. Biological include needle sticks, splashes of blood and other body fluids, cuts from medication blisters, scalpel cuts, perforation of gloves during surgery, contact with blood from patients on bare hands, and contamination of wounds opened with the blood of patients. This study aimed to establish the relationship between compliance with nursing protocols techniques and accidental exposure to biological risks in students. The results showed a statistically significant association between the variables in the studies, showing that, the less compliance with the protocols and inexperience in nursing technical maneuvers, the greater the probability of accidents due to biological risk. It is concluded that knowledge of nursing protocols, surveillance of infection prevention, adherence to biosafety standards are some of the measures to be followed to reduce the exposure of nursing students to biological occupational hazards. It is concluded that knowledge of nursing protocols, surveillance of infection prevention, adherence to biosafety standards are some of the measures to be followed to reduce the exposure of nursing students to biological occupational hazards. It is recommended to establish a system for reporting and addressing biological risk accidents that occur to nursing students during their training process.