1299. Effectiveness of Educational Interventions to Reduce Incidence of Occupational Exposure to Blood and Body Fluid in First-clinical-year Medical Students of A Thai University-based Medical School

Abstract

Abstract Background Occupational exposures to patients’ blood and body fluid are not uncommon and increase risk of blood-borne infections among medical students during their clinical clerkship. However, existing data on interventions to prevent such exposures are limited in Thailand. We conducted this study to evaluate effectiveness of the study interventions in decreasing incidences of the occupational exposures among first-clinical-year medical students (4th-year students) in a Thai university-based medical school. Methods A quasi-experimental study was conducted to compare the incidence of the occupational exposures between the pre-intervention period (2019 academic year) and the intervention period (2020 academic year). The interventions included an orientation session about occupation exposure prevention and procedure review for the medical students on the first day of each major department rotation and the use of LINE application to send video clips and articles for procedure review, weekly remind the students how to prevent themselves from common occupational exposures via short messages and provide Q&A sessions between the researchers and medical students regarding procedures and occupational exposure prevention. Results A total of 63 medical students, men (57%) and women (43%), and 66 medical students, men (47%) and women (53%) participated in the study during the pre-intervention and intervention periods, respectively. The incidence of occupational exposure among the students was significantly lower in the intervention period compared to the pre-intervention period (7.9 vs. 35.86 per 100 person-years; P< 0.001). The most common exposures were mucosal exposure (44%), needle stick injury (25%), and sharp object injuries (25%). After the exposures, there was no acquisition of syphilis and infections due to human immunodeficiency virus, hepatitis B virus and hepatitis C virus among the students in both periods. Conclusion The study interventions that included focused orientation and the use of LINE application to communicate with the students regarding procedure review and occupational exposure prevention were associated with significant decrease in the incidence of occupational exposure during their clinical clerkship. Disclosures All Authors: No reported disclosures.