Resistant to PEP?

[Loubbis]

Can you be resistant to PEP? I have been taking it a few times because I’m working as a nurse.

[Griffon]

Hi Loubbis , The answer to your question is no , you can not become resistant to PEP . PEP as you know is HIV drugs taken to prevent the acquisition of HIV virus . PEP is not a drug , it is the abbreviation of " Pre Exposure Prophylaxis " which is the name given to preventative medication . As we have already discussed , it appears that your problem is anxiety , and I really hope you are getting help with this . What I do know is that the nurses and doctors at the HIV clinic where I go do not wear gloves protective clothing to take blood samples from infected patients , because they know that it is near impossible to catch HIV in this way . I asked one nurse who has worked in the unit for 40 years if there had ever been an incident where the staff were at risk and she said never .

[Galen70 in reply to Griffon]

As a healthcare professional, I am still surprised the staff taking blood do not wear gloves , for infection control precautions. They should be vaccinated for Hep B , but there is no vaccine yet for hep C . And not all patients may have an undetectable viral load. I would be quite shocked if I saw a member of staff taking blood without gloves - and I have not personally seen this being done in a hospital setting in more than ten years.

In the current COVID climate, I think they will now be asked to wear gloves at all times.

WHO : who.int/gpsc/5may/Glove_Use...

Royal college of Nursing UK : " Gloves should only be used if a risk assessment

identifies them as necessary. Typically the use

of gloves is justified when the wearer is at risk of

exposure to blood/bodily fluids, non-intact skin

or mucous membranes. In such circumstances

the risk is exposure to blood bourne viruses

(BBV) which can be referred to as a biological

risk.

Gloves should be worn whenever contact with

blood and body fluids, mucous membranes

or non-intact skin is a risk, but should not be

considered a substitute for hand hygiene."

[Griffon in reply to Galen70]

Hi Galan , In the ten years I have attended the clinic none of the nurses have worn gloves . I was mildly surprised and when I asked about this was told that thin rubber gloves were no protection against a needle stick , which is true . I'm guessing that routine hygiene procedures take care of everything else . Since the Corona panic the clinic staff do now use gloves of course .

[Galen70 in reply to Griffon]

I'm not sure where you are attending , but gloves have been shown to reduce the chance of transmission of BBV's , and this is standard NHS practice. I am actually shocked by this and also that their line manager has not insisted on them doing so.

It took me a while but here is the actual evidence for using gloves in the case of needlestick injury :

nhsemployers.org/-/media/Em...

Gloves

Although a needle or sharp instrument can easily penetrate a glove, the risk of transmission of infection is significantly reduced. The glove material will remove up to 86 per cent of the blood on the outside of a needle.

Mast ST, Woolwine JD, Geberding JL. ‘Efficacy of gloves in reducing blood volumes transferred during simulated needlestick injury’ (1993), Journal of Infectious Diseases, 168 (6): 1589-92.

[Griffon in reply to Galen70]

The clinic I go to has a permanent staff who have barely changed in the ten years I have attended , one doctor and one nurse have retired in this time . I did ask if there had ever been an accident and was told never .

[Galen70 in reply to Griffon]

Well I am glad no accident has ever happened , and hope it never will. Of course if someone is undetectable it should mean the risk is infinitesimal. However glove wearing should be standard , and I am glad COVID has prompted this.

[Galen70]

No you cannot be resistant to PEP . I would be querying why you have had to take it at all ? If you are working as a nurse you should be practicing infection control measures.