Occupational Exposures to Blood and other Body Fluids among Healthcare Workers in Cameroon: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis

Abstract

Abstract Background Occupational exposure to blood and body fluids has become a serious public health problem for healthcare workers and is a major risk for the transmission of bloodborne infections such as human immune-deficiency, hepatitis B, and hepatitis C viruses. It has been identified as one of the most serious issues affecting the health and well-being of health workers in most health systems especially in developing countries. The present systematic review and meta-analysis was conducted to estimate the pooled prevalence of blood and other body fluids exposures among healthcare workers in Cameroon. Methods Online platform including PubMed, Google Scholar, Cochrane Library, and Science Direct were systematically searched to collect relevant research reports. Unpublished studies in a national library were also consulted. The I 2 tests were used to assess the heterogeneity of the included studies. A fixed and random-effects meta-analysis model was used to estimate the lifetime and 12-month prevalence of occupational exposure to blood and other body fluids among healthcare workers in Cameroon. Results Of the 539 records identified through the database search, 15 study reports were included in the final analysis. The random-effects model showed that the estimated overall pooled prevalence of 12-month and lifetime exposure to blood and other body fluids among healthcare workers in Cameroon was 55.44% (95% Confidence Interval (CI): 41.20-69.68); ( I 2 =97.5%; p <0.001) and 57.27% (95% CI: 42.43-72.10); ( I 2 =97.7%; p <0.001) respectively. The highest 12-month pooled prevalence was observed in intermediate level health facilities (84.73%; 95% CI: 85.55-88.50), in Regions other than the Centre (70.87%; 95% CI: 37.26-95.13) and for studies conducted from 2017 to 2023 (65.63%; 95% CI: 45.73-83.06). The lifetime prevalence of blood and other body fluids exposures was the highest for Regions namely the North-west and South-west Regions (77.96%; 95% CI: 57.39-93.19). Conclusion Healthcare workers in Cameroon face a significant risk of occupational exposure to blood and body fluids (BBFs), with a high prevalence of exposure over their lifetime and in the past 12 months. This highlights the urgent need to enhance and implement effective occupational safety and health policies to protect healthcare workers in Cameroon.