Health-care workers’ occupational exposures to body fluids in 21 countries in Africa: systematic review and meta-analysis

Abstract

Objective:To estimate the lifetime and 12-month prevalence of occupational exposure to body fluids among health-care workers in Africa.
Methods: Embase®, PubMed® and CINAHL databases were systematically searched for studies published from January 2000 to August 2017 that reported the prevalence of occupational exposure to blood or other body fluids among health-care
workers in Africa. The continent-wide prevalence of exposure was estimated using random-effects meta-analysis.
Findings: Of the 904 articles identified, 65 studies from 21 African countries were included. The estimated pooled lifetime and 12-month prevalence of occupational exposure to body fluids were 65.7% (95% confidence interval, CI: 59.7–71.6) and 48.0% (95% CI: 40.7–55.3), respectively. Exposure was largely due to percutaneous injury, which had an estimated 12-month prevalence of 36.0% (95% CI: 31.2–40.8). The pooled 12-month prevalence of occupational exposure among medical doctors
(excluding surgeons), nurses (including midwives and nursing assistants) and laboratory staff (including laboratory technicians) was 46.6% (95% CI: 33.5–9.7), 44.6% (95% CI: 34.1–55.0) and 34.3% (95% CI: 21.8–46.7), respectively. The risk of exposure was higher among health-care workers with no training on infection prevention and those who worked more than 40 hours per week.
Conclusion: The evidence available suggests that almost one half of health-care workers in Africa were occupationally exposed to body fluids annually. However, a lack of data from some countries was a major limitation. National governments and health-care institutions across Africa should prioritize efforts to minimize occupational exposure among health-care workers.