Epidemiology of needlestick injuries in house officers.
Eighty-eight medical students, interns, and residents were surveyed to study the epidemiology of their percutaneous exposures to blood. Respondents described 159 injuries in 221 person-years (py) of exposure in hospital wards and 213 injuries in 166 py of exposure in operating rooms. Nearly all injuries (greater than 98%) were needlesticks; less than 5% were reported to occupational health services. Rates of ward-related injury were highest for students (0.97/py) and decreased during training. Most injuries were due to recapping of used needles. In contrast to ward-related injury, rates of operating room-related injury were relatively low for nonsurgical students and interns (0.3/py), higher for surgical students (1.36/py), and stable over surgical residency training (mean, 5.4/py). Virtually all surgical injuries occurred during suturing. Further research into mechanisms of needlestick injuries and product design for their prevention are needed.
Department of Infectious Diseases, Mount Sinai Hospital, University of Toronto, Canada.
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McGeer
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Simor
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Low
D000062:Accidents, Occupational / Q000517:prevention & control; D006801:Humans; D007396:Internship and Residency; D009339:Needles; D013337:Students, Medical; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014950:Wounds, Penetrating / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000517:prevention & control