Impact of a recapping device on venepuncture-related needlestick injury.
In a 33-month prospective analysis of needlestick injuries, venepuncturists working under Centers for Disease Control (CDC) guidelines for handling used needles were shown to incur a needlestick injury for every 3,175 to 4,006 needle-handling procedures. On the other hand, users of a simple device designed to reduce the risk of injury when recapping used needles were shown to incur a needlestick only once in every 16,100 venepunctures performed (P less than 0.001). This represents a fourfold reduction in the rate of needlestick injuries. We thus question the effectiveness of the CDC nonrecapping policy.
Goldwater
P N
PN
Adelaide Children's Hospital, South Australia.
Law
R
R
Nixon
A D
AD
Officer
J A
JA
Cleland
J F
JF
D000062:Accidents, Occupational / Q000517:prevention & control*; D001800:Blood Specimen Collection / Q000295:instrumentation*; D004209:Disposable Equipment; D006801:Humans; D009339:Needles; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011482:Protective Devices; D014680:Veins; D014951:Wounds, Stab / Q000517:prevention & control*