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Blood and Body Fluid Exposure Response

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Blood and Body Fluid Exposure Response

Key Points

  • Treat every exposure as time-sensitive and follow agency policy immediately.
  • Wash or flush the exposed area at once.
  • Notify the nurse supervisor immediately for postexposure assessment.
  • For possible HIV exposure, start postexposure prophylaxis (PEP) as soon as possible and within 72 hours.
  • Use facility-approved spill-cleaning solutions and PPE supplied through blood-spill training/orientation workflows.

Equipment

  • Blood spill kit components available on unit
  • Required PPE for spill handling: gloves, gown, face shield
  • Access to running water or flushing source for immediate decontamination

Procedure Steps

  1. Stop the task and isolate the exposure event to prevent further contamination.
  2. Remove contaminated items safely and avoid touching clean surfaces with exposed gloves.
  3. Wash or flush the exposed area immediately according to facility protocol.
  4. Notify the nurse supervisor at once and report the exposure context clearly.
  5. Document mechanism of exposure, source task, and immediate actions taken.
  6. Enter the required postexposure-assessment process without delay.
  7. If source identification is possible, coordinate initial source and exposed-worker testing, then follow required repeat-testing schedule.
  8. Coordinate rapid evaluation for exposure-specific prophylaxis decisions per policy.
  9. If HIV exposure risk is present, escalate immediately for PEP initiation within 72 hours per protocol and prescriber direction.
  10. If blood spill cleanup is required, don face shield, gown, and gloves before handling the spill.
  11. Complete spill handling with approved facility cleaning solutions and disposal methods.

Common Errors

  • Delaying supervisor notification → delayed risk assessment and follow-up actions
  • Attempting cleanup without full PPE → secondary exposure risk

Graph View