Source Risk: the risk assessment of the source patient should begin with whether they are known to have one or more blood borne virus.

For those known to have a BBV:

If the viral load or treatment status is unknown then it should be regarded as a High Risk exposure

Patients with detectable viral loads or untreated/advanced infection should also be regarded as high risk

Only patients who have an undetectable viral load or have good adherence to long term treatment should be regarded as low risk

If they are not known have a blood borne disease then further risk assessment should be made, including the presence of risk factors and any recent negative test results.

Management

This will be altered by the risk assessment you have made and local policy, however the key points are summarised below. Our local policy is available through the hospital intranet.

First Aid: