Good ViBES – Results from a Victorian Blood Exposure Surveillance (ViBES) initiative 2005–2008

The Victorian Blood Exposure Surveillance (ViBES) group is a collaboration of 16 Victorian public healthcare services that have developed evidence-based definitions for assessing the risk of blood and body fluid exposures (BBFE) and a practical system for reporting standardised exposure rates. ViBES has been operational since 2004, and in 2008 16 healthcare services contributed data, including 10 metropolitan and 6 from regional Victoria. Data suggest the aggregate rate of total and percutaneous exposures from 2005 to 2008 to be 0.52 and 0.38 exposures per 1000 occupied bed days (OBDs), respectively, with exposures from hepatitis C-infected sources 0.03 exposures per 1000 OBDs. Significant risk exposures decreased from 0.11 to 0.08 exposures per 1000 OBDs from 2005 to 2008, along with operating room percutaneous exposures which decreased from 0.18 to 0.15 during the same period. The reduced rate of exposures during this period may be attributed to the changing healthcare landscape, such as the introduction of safety engineered devices in some facilities. These data provide an objective basis on which to assess and possibly encourage the use of safety cannulae, needle-less IV systems and other interventions to improve healthcare worker safety.