COLLEGE NEWS
BBV updated guidelines
Posted 5 years ago
There has been an update to the guidelines for healthcare workers who perform exposure prone procedures and healthcare workers living with a blood borne virus (BBV). Exposure prone procedures (EPPs) are procedures where there is a risk of injury to the healthcare worker resulting in exposure of the patient’s open tissues to the blood of the health care worker.
The guidelines have been updated to reflect new evidence and are consistent with changes made by other countries. They provide information and recommendations for:
- All healthcare workers who perform EPPs
- Healthcare workers who live with a BBV and perform EPPs
- Treating doctors of healthcare workers with a BBV who perform EPPs
- Public health authorities.
Healthcare workers who perform EPPs must take reasonable steps to know their BBV status and should be tested for BBVs at least once every three years. They are also expected to:
- Be tested for BBVs after an occupational exposure incident
- Be tested according to Australasian Society for HIV, Viral Hepatitis and Sexual Health Medicine (ASHM) guidelines following non-occupational exposure
- Confirm that they comply with these guidelines when applying for renewal of registration.
The new guidelines, EPP guidance and information sheets can be found here.
