BACKGROUND An estimated 1 million needlestick injuries (NSIs) occur in Europe each year. The Council Directive 2010/32/EU on the prevention of NSIs describes minimum requirements for prevention and calls for the implementation of local, national and Europe-wide reporting systems. The Directive is to be implemented by all EU member states by 11 May 2013. The purpose of this study was to assess (...

American nurse Lynda Arnold, who became HIV positive following a needlestick injury, spoke at the recent RCN Congress (News April 12). Her lecture brought home the importance of the use of gloves and good practice, but also the need to report all incidents, and the need for policies being in place and available to all staff. If, as suggested, 60 per cent of needlestick injuries are not reported...

Needlestick and other sharps injuries are a key Canadian public health issue, affecting 70,000 people per year and costing some dollar 140 million. A safety program at Toronto East General Hospital--focusing on blood collection and patient injection--achieved an 80% reduction in injuries within one year (from 41 in 2003 to eight in 2004), with blood collection injuries eliminated entirely.

PARAMEDICS AND ED PERSONNEL FACE similar risks for blood exposures. They are both confronted by the unpredictability of the patient’s condition, and must perform a daunting variety of tasks under intense pressure. I experienced those risks firsthand as a paramedic in rural West Virginia for four years. My interest in becoming a paramedic started as a concern for my youngest daughter, who seemed...

Retrospective analysis showed that 67 children had presented in Edinburgh with needlestick injuries on 70 occasions over five years. Worryingly, 10 children sustained injuries pretending to be intravenous drug abusers. Despite risks of hepatitis B and HIV infection, protection and follow up were inadequate. Publicity about discarded needles and a treatment plan for use in accident and emergency...

Officials from the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) recommended that hospitals and other healthcare employers adopt measures, including the use of needleless and safe-needle devices, to prevent injuries and illnesses from accidental needlesticks in the workplace. “Today’s healthcare workforce faces a multitude of risks,” said NIOSH Director Linda Rosenstock, MD, MPH....