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.
McGeer
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Department of Infectious Diseases, Mount Sinai Hospital, University of Toronto, Canada.
Simor
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Low
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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