Objective: Injuries involving blood exposure are relatively common in football. The goal of this observational study was to assess the use of universal precautions at the 2010 International Federation of Football Association (FIFA) World Cup.
Design: Observational descriptive study of more than 4000 minutes of FIFA World Cup football.
Setting: Televised matches of football in the 2010 FIFA World Cup in the Republic of South Africa.
Assessment of risk factors: Injuries with visible blood that were attended to by health care providers were recorded.
Main outcome measures: Number of injuries with visible blood in which gloves were used by responders.
Results: Twenty-two significant bloody injuries were noted in more than 4000 minutes of play observed. In none of these cases were universal precautions implemented.
Conclusions: This brief report shows the need for better implementation of universal precautions in football and other team sports.
2011 by Lippincott Williams & Wilkins.