NMBA releases new guidelines for nurses, midwives and students on blood-borne viruses

29 Jun 2020

The Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia (NMBA) is encouraging nurses, midwives and students to review the new Guidelines for registered health practitioners and students in relation to blood-borne viruses before they take effect on 6 July 2020.

The NMBA’s guidelines are for nurses, midwives and students who perform exposure-prone procedures and for nurses and midwives who are treating registered health practitioners or students living with a blood-borne virus who perform exposure-prone procedures¹. The guidelines are available on the Guidelines section of the NMBA website.

The guidelines support those practitioners and students to comply with the Communicable Diseases Network Australia (CDNA) guidelines Australian national guidelines for the management of healthcare workers living with blood borne viruses and healthcare workers who perform exposure prone procedures at risk of exposure to blood borne viruses.

The CDNA guidelines set out safe practice in relation to exposure-prone procedures and the hepatitis B virus, hepatitis C virus and/or human immunodeficiency virus.

The NMBA’s guidelines also explain when a nurse or midwife who is treating a registered health practitioner or student who performs exposure-prone procedures may have a responsibility to notify Ahpra if the person is not complying with the CDNA guidelines and potentially poses a risk to the public.

What this means for nurses and midwives

At registration and renewal of registration, nurses and midwives who perform exposure-prone procedures will have to declare that they comply with the CDNA guidelines. Most nurses and midwives will not perform exposure-prone procedures in their practice. The NMBA will provide further resources for nurses and midwives about exposure-prone procedures in the coming months.

Among other things, the CDNA guidelines recommend that practitioners who perform exposure-prone procedures take reasonable steps to know their blood-borne virus status and should be tested for blood-borne viruses at least once every three years.

The NMBA will not ask for test results for the purposes of registration or renewal of registration but can take action if a nurse or midwife makes a false declaration about complying with the CDNA guidelines.

Health practitioners living with a blood-borne virus who perform exposure-prone procedures can practise their profession if they comply with the CDNA guidelines. The CDNA guidelines provide details the circumstances under which these practitioners can resume exposure-prone procedures.

More information about the CDNA guidelines

The CDNA guidelines and helpful resources are available on the Department of Health website.

Practitioners who want further information about the classification of exposure-prone procedures and non exposure-prone procedures can view guidance here.

Practitioners who perform exposure-prone procedures and who are not living with a blood-borne virus can view an information sheet developed by the CDNA to find out more about how to meet the guidelines.

A CDNA information sheet is also available for practitioners who are living with a blood-borne virus and performing exposure-prone procedures.

¹Exposure prone procedures are procedures where there is a risk of injury to the healthcare worker resulting in exposure of the patient’s open tissues to the blood of the healthcare worker. These procedures include those where the healthcare worker’s hands (whether gloved or not) may be in contact with sharp instruments, needle tips or sharp tissues (spicules of bone or teeth) inside a patient’s open body cavity, wound or confined anatomical space where the hands or fingertips may not be completely visible at all times.