OBJECTIVE Disinfectable needle-free closed connectors were designed to avoid needle-stick injuries and to be easily disinfected before handling. Workloads or lack of knowledge, however, could impede the correct handling of these devices, allowing endoluminal catheter colonization. The aim of our study was to assess the barrier effect of different disinfectable needle-free closed connectors duri...

While providing clinical care in the confirmed ward of the Ebola Treatment Unit (ETU) at the Kenema Government Hospital (KGH) in Kenema, Sierra Leone, I accidentally stuck an 18-gauge hollow-bore needle deep into my left thumb. I could immediately feel some blood oozing under my gloves, and I squeezed the area of penetration to try to promote additional bleeding. I rinsed the outside of my glov...

INTRODUCTION Timely PEP after needle stick exposure to high risk body fluids can reduce the rate of occupational transmission significantly. Ignorance of this may increase the risk of seroconversion to HIV for healthcare workers. This study was conducted with the aim of demonstrating the current level of knowledge and practise of healthcare workers as regards PEP. METHODS This was a cross-sec...

The purpose of this research was to demonstrate prevalence of post-exposure preventive measures (PEP) after needlestick injuries and its relationship with locus of control beliefs in a sample of medical students. In this cross-sectional study, 300 medical students with history of having experienced needle stick injuries (NSI) for at least once filled in a questionnaire to determine if they perc...

The uptake of hepatitis B vaccine was assessed amongst 100 medical and 100 nursing staff in a teaching hospital with a policy of recommending to those at risk that they should seek immunization from their general practitioners. Sixteen per cent of nurses and 31% of doctors had completed a course of immunization with confirmation of seroconversion. An additional 9% and 18% respectively had been ...

Needle biopsy is an indispensable diagnostic tool in obtaining tumor tissue for diagnostic examination. Tumor cell seeding in the needle track during percutaneous needle biopsies has been reported for various types of cancers. The mechanical force of the biopsy both directly displaces the malignant cells and causes bleeding and fluid movement that can further disseminate cells. To prevent the r...

Objectives. The purpose of this study was to collect data on self-reported sharps injuries to develop best practices to reduce them. Methods. Data on sharps injuries were collected for the period of January-October 2008 using Adverse Event Notification Forms already in use at Sema Hospital. Results. On average, 0.2% of all self-reported injuries were sharps injuries averaging one injury per mon...

Results 57.7% of respondents were aware of the term Standard Precautions (SPs) overall. Doctors (94.4%) and nurses (84.2%) had the highest levels of awareness compared to 3.0% of health assistants. There was a significant relationship between the respondents’ level of education and a correct knowledge of SPs. (Fisher’s Exact= 125.745, df = 4, p = 0.000) and duration of employment was not signif...

Despite being recognized for many years, needle stick and sharps injuries (NSSIs) continue to present a risk of occupational exposure to blood-borne pathogens for health care works (HCWs). This study was conducted to investigate the epidemiological characteristics of needle stick and sharps injuries (NSSIs) among healthcare workers (HCWs), their follow-up and immunization status for hepatitis B...