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18 Fırat Sağlık Hizmetleri Dergisi, Cilt:3, Sayı:9 (2008)
Needlestick and Sharp Injuries in Health Care Professionals
ABSTRACT
Every day while caring for patients, health care professionals are at risk to exposure to
bloodborne pathogens potentially resulting in infections such as HIV or hepatitis B and
C, due to needlestick, sharp injuries and splashes. Each year, an estimated 12 billion
injections are administered to patients worldwide and, each year, an estimated 800,000
to one million needlestick injuries occur in the US. The US Department of Labor
Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA) indicates that one in every seven
healthcare workers is accidentally stuck with a needle each year. Almost a thousand of
these healthcare workers will develop serious infections such as hepatitis C virus
(HCV), hepatitis B virus (HBV), HIV or any number of other diseases (nearly 20
pathogens). Healthcare workers need to be extremely aware of needlestick and other
sharps injuries whenever they are around them or handling them. While exposure to
bloodborne pathogens is one of the most deadly hazards that nurses face on a daily
basis, it is also one of the most preventable. Over 80% of needlestick injuries can be
prevented with the use of safe needle devices, which, in conjunction with worker
education and work practice controls, can reduce injuries by over 90%. Under the
OSHA Bloodborne Pathogens Standard, employers must evaluate and treat health care
workers in accordance with the latest “Post-Exposure Assessment, Prophylaxis, And
Treatment Guidelines” published by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC).
Key Words: Needlestick, Sharp Injuries, Splash, Health Care Professionals,
Bloodborne Infections.