Occupational exposure to bloodborne diseases and universal precautions: measurement of health care workers' self reported attitudes.

1. As the numbers of persons infected with bloodborne diseases continues to increase, it is paramount that all health care workers exhibit behaviors reflecting unerring compliance with universal precautions. 2. Physicians and RNs who are highly trained in bloodborne diseases and universal precautions, who have the tools available for universal precautions, and who are exposed to people with bloodborne diseases, are overwhelmingly not complying with universal precautions. 3. To better understand how attitudes impact behaviors, a valid and reliable tool was developed which measured health care workers' attitudes toward bloodborne diseases and universal precautions. 4. Training programs addressing attitudes and knowledge may help change health care workers' non-compliant behaviors into behaviors reflecting compliance with universal precautions.