Safety climate and use of personal protective equipment and safety medical devices among home care and hospice nurses.

Use of personal protective equipment (PPE) and safety medical devices is mandated for healthcare workers to reduce the risk of infection with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), hepatitis B virus (HBV), and hepatitis C virus (HCV) from exposure to patients' blood. Research has shown that a strong safety climate may promote increased use of PPE. Therefore, the objective of this study was to examine the association between safety climate and use of PPE among homecare/hospice nurses in North Carolina.

Work experience, work environment, and blood exposure among home care and hospice nurses.

Blood exposure rates among home care and hospice nurses (RNs) in the United States are markedly lower for nurses with more home care/hospice experience, whether or not they have more total years of nursing experience (i.e., in other work environments).

Using mixture models with linear predictors to identify incorrect gestational age in state birth records.

Background: Birthweight distributions for early last-menstrual-period-based gestational ages are bimodal, and some birthweights in the right-side distribution are implausible for the specified gestational age. Mixture models can be used to identify births in the right-side distribution. The objective of this study was to determine which maternal and infant factors to include in the mixture models to obtain the best fitting models for New Jersey state birth records.

Using formative research to design an epidemiologic survey: the north Carolina study of home care and hospice nurses.

Objectives: Formative research can serve as a means of obtaining important information for designing an epidemiologic study, but descriptions of this approach in the epidemiologic literature are lacking. The objective of this paper is to describe the use of three formative research techniques in designing a survey of home care and hospice nurses.

Methods: We conducted two focus groups, seven key informant interviews, and approximately fifteen hours of direct observation among home care and hospice nurses recruited by word of mouth in North Carolina in 2006.

Provision and use of personal protective equipment among home care and hospice nurses in North Carolina.

Background: We investigated the frequency with which home care/hospice nurses are provided with and use personal protective equipment (PPE) and factors associated with use.

Methods: We conducted a mail survey among home care/hospice nurses in North Carolina in 2006.

Results: The adjusted response rate was 69% (n = 833).

Management practices and risk of occupational blood exposure in U.S. paramedics: Needlesticks.

Background: The purpose of this study was to present risk estimates for needlestick in U.S. paramedics and estimated risk ratios for selected management practices.

Provision and use of safety-engineered medical devices among home care and hospice nurses in North Carolina.

Background: Nurses who provide care in the home are at risk of blood exposure from needlesticks. Using safety-engineered medical devices reduces the risk of needlestick. The objectives of this study were to assess provision of safety devices by home care and hospice agencies as well as the use of these devices by home care and hospice nurses in North Carolina, and to examine the association between provision and use.

U.S. Maternally linked birth records may be biased for Hispanics and other population groups.

Purpose: We sought to advance understanding of linkage error in U.S. maternally linked datasets and how the error might affect results of studies based on the linked data.

Management practices and risk of occupational blood exposure in U.S. paramedics: non-intact skin exposure.

Purpose: To estimate the risk of blood exposure to non-intact skin in U.S. paramedics; to estimate risk ratios for selected management practices.

Documentation of incidental factors affecting the home healthcare work environment.

Working conditions related to unrestrained pets, unruly children, clutter, and poor lighting during home healthcare visits are considered normal aspects of care providers' jobs. To date, there has been no documentation related to how often these factors are present in the home healthcare setting during home visits. In this study, 833 home healthcare nurses practicing in North Carolina answered a questionnaire that included items related to how often unrestrained pets, unruly children, poor lighting, and clutter existed in the homes they visited.

The national study to prevent blood exposure in paramedics: rates of exposure to blood.

Objective: The purpose of this analysis is to present incidence rates of exposure to blood among paramedics in the United States by selected variables and to compare all percutaneous exposure rates among different types of healthcare workers.

Methods: A survey on blood exposure was mailed in 2002-2003 to a national sample of paramedics. Results for California paramedics were analyzed with the national sample and also separately.

Circumstances surrounding occupational blood exposure events in the National Study to Prevent Blood Exposure in Paramedics.

More than 20% of U.S. paramedics are exposed to blood each year.

Blood exposure incidence rates from the North Carolina study of home care and hospice nurses.

Background: Home care/hospice nurses may be at elevated risk of blood exposure because of the nature of their work and work environment. However, little is known about the incidence of blood exposure in this population.

Methods: A mail survey (n = 1,473) was conducted among home care/hospice nurses in North Carolina in 2006.

Provision and use of personal protective equipment and safety devices in the National Study to Prevent Blood Exposure in Paramedics.

Background: Paramedics are at risk for human immunodeficiency virus, hepatitis B virus, and hepatitis C virus infection from occupational blood exposure. This study examined how often paramedics are provided with personal protective equipment (PPE), sharps containers, and selected safety devices by their employers; the frequency with which paramedics use sharps containers and these safety devices; and paramedics' attitudes regarding this equipment.

Methods: We conducted a mail survey among a nationally representative sample of certified paramedics.

The national study to prevent blood exposure in paramedics: exposure reporting.

Background: This survey was conducted to provide national incidence rates and risk factors for exposure to blood among paramedics. The present analysis assesses reporting of exposures to employers.

Methods: A questionnaire was mailed in 2002-2003 to a national sample of paramedics selected using a two-stage design.

A new method for measuring misclassification of maternal sets in maternally linked birth records: true and false linkage proportions.

Objectives: Numerous studies have used maternally linked birth records to investigate perinatal outcomes, maternal behaviors, and the quality of vital records birth data. Little attention has been given to assessing errors in the linkages and to understanding how such errors affect estimates derived from the linked data. The author developed a framework for conceptualizing maternal linkage error and measures for quantifying it, and examined the behavior of the new measures in a maternally linked file.

Blood exposure among paramedics: incidence rates from the national study to prevent blood exposure in paramedics.

Purpose: The aim of the study is to estimate incidence rates of occupational blood exposure by route of exposure (needlesticks; cuts from sharp objects; mucous membrane exposures to the eyes, nose, or mouth; bites; and blood contact with nonintact skin) in US and California paramedics.

Methods: A mail survey was conducted in a national probability sample of certified paramedics.

Results: Proportions of paramedics who reported an exposure in the previous year were 21.

Achieving universal HIV screening in prenatal care in the United States: provider persistence pays off.

Routine voluntary HIV testing with the right to decline (the "opt-out" approach) is recommended for all pregnant women in the United States but not all are tested. We examined data from surveys of prenatal care providers to identify factors associated with universal testing among patients. Data are from a probability survey conducted in 1999 with prenatal care providers in four separate areas.