Body fluid and blood precautions are necessary for prevention the transferring of hepatitis C (HCV), hepatitis B (HBV) and HIV. It also renders protection against other diseases during healthcare services and first aid involving exposing to blood and body fluids.
It considers all body fluids and blood of the patients infectious which can easily transmit into your body. Organisms which spread such diseases are known as blood-borne pathogens.
It is applicable to body fluids containing traces of blood like vaginal fluid and semen and blood. Similarly, it will be applicable for tissues from spinal cord and brain (cerebrospinal fluid), joint tissue (synovial fluid) and lung tissues (pleural fluid).
Everyone should follow this precaution for amniotic fluid surrounding the foetus, heart tissues (pericardial fluid) and pelvis and belly fluid (periotoneal fluid).
What is the necessity of body fluid and blood precautions?
Skin is helpful for providing protection against potentially infectious body fluids and blood. However, healthcare professionals must use the precautions while dealing with body fluid and blood to render healthcare services.
It will help them to protect against exposing to potential infection even if there is any unlikely event takes place during contacting with the blood of healthcare professionals. Moreover, GP needs to use it too during carrying out first aid.
Do you need body fluid and blood precautions?
It is better to use the body fluid and blood precaution always even if there is no blood trace. But it is not required when there is no blood trace in the body fluids of any individual like:
- Vomit
- Urine
- Tears
- Sweat
- Mucus from lungs or nose
- Stool
- Breast milk
How to alleviate the risk to expose to body fluids and blood
Body fluid and blood precautions comprise of protective barriers like eye protection, masks, gowns and gloves. It lessens the probability of exposing the mucous or skin membranes to infectious fluids. Healthcare professionals must use protective barriers for resisting themselves against the exposure to body fluids and blood of any other person.
Gloves
It will protect you from getting into direct contact of body fluids mucous membranes, blood and scraped, burned and broken skin. Gloves can alleviate the risk to transfer the disease when there is any needle prick.
- Put on the gloves to deal with surfaces and items covered in body fluids and blood
- Get the gloves on while dealing with chapped, cut or scraped skin on the hands
- Changes the gloves after every use
- Wash the hands right away post removal of gloves
- Wash the hands and any skin surfaces right away once it comes into contact with body fluids and blood
Protective eye wear and masks
Protective eye wear and mask like face shield and goggles protect the nose, mouth and eyes from droplets of body fluids and blood. Use these to resist the exposure to splash or sprays of body fluids and blood.
Aprons and gowns
These will protect the splashes of body fluids and blood from getting into contact with you. It is better to put on the apron and gown always for any procedure involving body fluids and blood.
What are other ways for alleviating the risk?
Everyone should make use of body fluid and blood precautions at the time of first aid. Keep plenty of gloves in your car, office and home if there is any need to seek help from a random person during an emergency.
There are definitely some other precautions to minimise the probability of exposing to contaminated body fluids and blood.
While administering shot to any family member or to you:
- Avoid recapping the needles
- Get puncture-resistant containers for disposal of sharp instruments, scalpels and needles
- Never try to bend the disposable syringes or needles
- Don’t touch any contaminated objects
Even you should know the CPR and first aid to use during any injury or emergency.
What to do if you get exposed to the body fluids and blood?
- Wash the hands right after the exposure to body fluids and blood despite having gloves on
- Flush the water to your mouth, nose and eyes if there is any splash
- In case there is any prick by needle stick then consult with the GP immediately for necessary advice
Conclusion
In case you are suspecting any infection due to exposure to blood and body fluids then it is better to consult with a GP. You may need to perform blood tests for ruling out or confirming the infection. Depending on the results, the GP will provide necessary as well as effective treatment.
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