[Contamination risks caused by occupational accidents with cutting and piercing material among nursing workers].

This study aimed to identify, among nursing workers from four hospitals in the region of Ribeirão Preto-SP, Brazil, victims of occupational accidents with cutting and piercing material, who were sent for evaluation at a service specialized in treating infectious diseases, individuals who were contaminated and the conduct adopted as a result of the accidents. This is a descriptive field research. The sample consisted of 30 subjects and data were collected by consulting the workers' medical files. The results showed that none of the workers had been contaminated by HBV, HCV or HIV. However, it was observed that only 23.33% of them had kept all the scheduled appointments in order to verify a possible serum conversion. Concerning the conducts adopted as a result of the accident, the use of chemoprophylaxis was recommended in 76.67% of the cases, serological tests in 100% and immunization against Hepatitis in 9.99%. Due to the high occurrence of percutaneous accidents, according to official estimates from other countries, it was concluded that more attention must be given to the prevention of these accidents, as well as to the strict follow-up of workers after occupational exposure.