Human immunodeficiency virus testing experience and hepatitis B vaccination and testing status of healthcare workers in South Carolina: implications for compliance with US Public Health Service guidelines

Occupational blood exposure and HIV infection among oral and maxillofacial surgeons

OBJECTIVE

The purpose of this study was to examine occupational blood exposure and the seroprevalence of HIV infection among oral and maxillofacial surgeons.

STUDY DESIGN

Three hundred twenty-one oral and maxillofacial surgeons attending an annual meeting voluntarily and anonymously participated in an HIV serosurvey and completed a questionnaire assessing practice and demographic factors. Statistical tests included the Wilcoxon rank-sum test and the chi-squared test.

RESULTS

Eighty percent of those who completed the survey reported one or more blood-skin contacts within the previous month. The mean number of percutaneous injuries within the previous year was 2.36 +/- 0.2. Wire was most commonly associated with percutaneous injuries. Oral maxillofacial surgeons who reported three or more percutaneous injuries performed more fracture reductions than oral and maxillofacial surgeons reporting no percutaneous injuries (p < 0.01). No participant was HIV-positive; the upper limit of the 95% confidence interval was 1.15%.

CONCLUSION

The findings suggest that the occupational risk for HIV infection in oral surgery is very low even though most oral and maxillofacial surgeons experienced blood contact. Associations of percutaneous injuries with fracture reductions and wire may assist in the development of new techniques and equipment to minimize blood exposures.

Health beliefs and intention to get immunized for HIV

PURPOSE

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the relationship of health beliefs to intention to accept human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) vaccination.

METHODS

Respondents were 81 female and 44 male college students who completed self-administered questionnaires. Questionnaires included items assessing intention to get vaccinated for HIV and the following health beliefs: perceived susceptibility to HIV infection, severity of AIDS, benefits of HIV immunization, pragmatic obstacles to vaccination, conditional nonmembership in a risk group, fear of the vaccine, and fear of needles.

RESULTS

Nearly 30% of the subjects were uncertain about or opposed to getting immunized for HIV. Susceptibility, severity, pragmatic obstacles, conditional nonmembership in a risk group, and fear of the vaccine were significantly correlated with intent to get vaccinated. Fear of needles, gender, and race were not associated with intent to get an HIV vaccine. Multiple regression analysis identified susceptibility, benefits, pragmatic obstacles, nonmembership in risk group, and fear of the vaccine as significant independent predictors of intent to vaccinate.

CONCLUSIONS

These preliminary survey findings demonstrate that intention to accept HIV immunization is not universal and that health beliefs may influence HIV vaccine acceptance. They suggest that it may be important to consider the effects of psychological factors in future research on HIV vaccine acceptance and in the ultimate implementation of HIV immunization programs.