Needlestick injuries among resident physicians.
OBJECTIVE
To assess the frequency and causes of needlestick injuries in medical and surgical housestaff.


METHODS
A retrospective survey.


METHODS
Urban university teaching hospital.


METHODS
386 housestaff; 221 responded.


METHODS
Survey questionnaire.


RESULTS
1) Frequency of needlestick: Of 221 respondents, 57 (26%) reported never having had a needlestick, while 164 (74%) reported at least one needlestick injury with a suture or hollow-bore needle. The average frequencies were 0.63 per resident-year among 149 non-surgical residents and 3.8 per resident-year among 72 surgical residents. Among residents in internal medicine, 12 of 78 needlestick injuries (15%) sustained were from patients documented to be HIV-positive. 2) Causes of needlestick: The causes of injury were assessed in detail in a sample of the 157 most recent needlestick injuries. Suturing was the cause in 35 of 61 (57%) surgical residents, while recapping needles was the cause in 36 of 96 (38%) non-surgical residents. Inexperience was not the cause of injury; in 94% of cases the residents felt comfortable performing the procedure, and in 74% of cases the residents had performed the procedure more than 50 times before. 3) Reporting of injury: Only 30 (19%) of 157 injuries were reported to the personnel health service, thus compromising documentation for potential workmen's compensation.


CONCLUSIONS
Needlestick injuries are common among medical and surgical housestaff. Efforts should be made to prevent needlestick injuries and to report those that occur.
Heald
A E
AE
Department of Internal Medicine, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06510-8025.
Ransohoff
D F
DF
D000046:Academic Medical Centers; D000062:Accidents, Occupational / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D000163:Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome / Q000517:prevention & control / Q000635:transmission*; D003237:Connecticut / Q000453:epidemiology; D003625:Data Collection; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D007396:Internship and Residency / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D008505:Medical Staff, Hospital / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D009339:Needles; D009784:Occupational Diseases / Q000517:prevention & control*; D012189:Retrospective Studies