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AIDS, Hepatitis and the Emergency Responder
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- DVD (VHS avail.)
Training on bloodborne pathogens, protective clothing, equipment, needle-stick injuries, proper waste disposal, decontamination procedures. (Also available in Spanish)
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“AIDS, Hepatitis and the Emergency Responder” provides information to help police, emergency room personnel, EMTs, fire fighters and paramedics protect themselves against exposure to bloodborne pathogens. In accordance with the OSHA Standard on Bloodborne Diseases, the video explains OSHA-mandated universal precautions in detail, stressing that hand scrubbing and good personal hygiene are the best defense against the spread of the disease. The program studies protective clothing and equipment, telling why double gloving is recommended and demonstrating how to safely put on and remove gloves, goggles and masks in emergency situations. It advocates the use of disposable plastic masks rather than traditional surgeon’s masks, and tells why beards may be a problem.
The program also teaches how to handle contaminated clothing and equipment, and gives detailed instructions on how to safely clean and decontaminate surfaces that may have been infected. Because needle stick wounds, a common workplace hazard, can have serious consequences, the program studies how to avoid these injuries and tells what to do if such an injury does occur. Although no cases exist of exposure through mouth-to-mouth resuscitation, the program suggests ways to avoid contamination during this procedure. The role of the emergency responder has taken on a new danger in recent years with the growing threat of bloodborne pathogens. Bloodborne pathogens are microorganisms in human blood that cause disease in humans. Both HIV, the human immunodeficiency virus which causes AIDS, & HBV, the hepatitis B virus, are bloodborne pathogens. Exposure to the blood or body fluids of a person carrying bloodborne pathogens can be fatal. Unfortunately, in an emergency situation there is no way the emergency responder can identify whether a victim is a carrier of disease. For this reason, all victims and all blood must be treated as if infected. There is no end in sight to the spiraling problem of bloodborne diseases, but with proper training and scrupulous attention to universal precautions, the emergency responder will be able to self protect against the growing threat of these diseases. About the program
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