Articles Tagged With: needlesticks
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An Old Pro Stays in the Fight Against Needlesticks
At age 78, with more than 50 years of clinical consultation and research on needlesticks, sharps injuries, and medical waste, Terry Grimmond, FASM, BAgrSc, GrDpAdEdTr, says he retired at the end of 2023 but is still winding his career down with a few final projects.
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PEP Clock Ticking After Sharps Injury
Infection preventionists involved in post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) for potential human immunodeficiency virus needlesticks should know the clock is ticking after injury follow-up begins. Such needlesticks certainly are a rare event, but the risk of seroconversion is not zero. A call to the National Clinician Consultation Center PEP line could be in order.
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HIV Needlestick: Low Risk, High Anxiety
Worst-case scenario: a healthcare worker experiences a needlestick and is exposed to the blood of an HIV-positive patient. All things considered, there is a less than 1% chance that the healthcare worker will acquire HIV from a known positive needlestick. Despite those odds, many healthcare workers do not feel particularly lucky right after a needlestick.
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Time to Re-Educate Clinicians on Needlesticks and Sharps Injuries
Needlesticks and sharps injuries once were a hot topic in risk management, but in recent years they may have fallen off the priority list at some healthcare facilities. The risk remains and should be addressed with a comprehensive strategy.
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AOHP Researchers Track Down Needlestick Hazards
Following an alert from an occupational health manager at a U.S. hospital, researchers with the Association of Occupational Health Professionals in Healthcare found a longstanding sharps injury problem with prefilled syringes that were designed as safety devices.
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EPINet: Needlesticks Spike 13% from 2020 to 2021
The largest noticeable needlestick increases from 2020 to 2021 were among injections with disposable syringes, especially with insulin needles and those used for vaccinations, says Amber Mitchell, DrPH, director of the International Safety Center, noted for its longstanding EPINet surveillance system for needlesticks, sharps injuries, and mucosal blood exposures.
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A Sharp Learning Curve: New Nurses and Needlesticks
There is some concern incoming nurse graduates whose training was compromised by the COVID-19 pandemic may be vulnerable to needlesticks in clinical settings.
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With HCV Cases Climbing, Needlesticks Pose Risk
The national opioid epidemic has driven a steady increase in hepatitis C virus, putting healthcare workers at risk of acquiring the bloodborne pathogen if they incur a needlestick. Although most infections in opioid users — primarily via sharing needles — are completely treatable, 14,000 people a year die of hepatitis C, according to the CDC.
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Tips for Passing an OSHA Bloodborne Pathogen Inspection
The Bloodborne Pathogens Standard has been on the books for decades. But exposure control plans — the principal component of compliance — should be viewed as a “living document” that changes over time, a needlestick prevention expert noted. -
Overall Needlestick Rates Hold During Pandemic
Despite healthcare facilities being overwhelmed with COVID-19 in 2020, the overall rates of sharps injuries and mucocutaneous exposures to healthcare workers remained relatively stable, the International Safety Center reports.