Equipments of protection in a material and sterilization center: availability, use and intervening factors to the adhesion

Abstract

The reprocessing of objects from hospitals and dentistry is strongly associated with biological risk to the workers for the inherent exposition to the organic matter, and to the patients in which these objects are used. This descriptive study was accomplished at 12 hospitals in Goiânia-GO from July 2004 to July 2005 with the purpose of: identify the adoption of Equipments of Protection for the workers of Material and Sterilization Centers (MSC); to identify the availability of these Equipments in the services and to establish the facilitative and difficulty factors on its adoption. Participated in the study 64 volunteer workers. Data was obtained through observation and interview and was processed by the program Epi Info. There was no coherence between availability and use of the Equipments of Protection, as well as the workers' understanding regarding its importance. The intervening factors for non adhesion were: of personal reasons, lack of physical structure and material resources, and related to the organizational structure. These factors acted in a synergic way on what was considered “situation of risk” at the MSC work, for the workers as well for the customers.