What Are Needlestick Injuries?
Needlestick injuries are the injuries caused when handling needles that puncture the skin. This type of injury is mainly seen in people who work with hypodermic syringes and other needle equipment. The injury can happen at any time while handling, using, disassembling, or disposing of the needle. If the needles are not disposed of properly, they can hide in garbage bags and injure other workers handling them.
What Are the Hazards of Needlestick Injury?
Blood-borne diseases are transmitted through these injuries. The most common blood-borne diseases include the following:
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Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV).
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AIDS (Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome).
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Hepatitis B.
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Hepatitis C.
Accidental punctures with the used needles can create a portal for the entry of viruses and other pathogens from the needle to the body through the skin. In addition, there is a chance for infectious fluids, especially blood, to come in touch with the person getting the prick. Even a small amount of the contaminated fluid can cause life-threatening diseases.
While handling sharp items, the person can get cuts through which the blood and other fluids can come in contact with the body’s fluids and thus transmit the infection. The risk of infection through the needles or the sharps will depend on the blood-borne pathogen. In the case of HIV, there is a 0.3 percent chance of getting infected, whereas there is a 1.8 percent chance of getting infected with hepatitis C.
The hepatitis B virus may even survive on environmental surfaces for more than a week, so the person can even get infected indirectly, so one needs to be more careful. Through needle sticks or sharp injuries, people working in laboratories, healthcare workers, and veterinarian staff can get infected with bacteria, viruses, fungi, and from many other microorganisms. Some of the diseases are:
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Brucellosis- Brucellosis is a bacterial infection that spreads from animals to humans.
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Blastomycosis- Blastomycosis is an infection caused by a fungus called Blastomyces.
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Cryptococcosis- Cryptococcosis is a fungal infection mainly affecting the lungs.
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Cutaneous Gonorrhea- Gonorrhea is a sexually transmitted disease.
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Diphtheria- Diphtheria is a serious bacterial infection caused by Corynebacterium Diphtheriae.
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Herpes- Herpes is a mild skin condition caused by the herpes simplex virus.
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Malaria- Malaria is an acute febrile illness caused by Plasmodium parasites.
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Mycobacteriosis- Mycobacteriosis is a bacterial infection caused by Mycobacteria.
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Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever- It is a bacterial disease through an insect bite.
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Sporotrichosis- Sporotrichosis is a fungal infection caused by Sporothrix.
Most diseases were transmitted very rarely and in isolated events. However, needlestick and sharp injuries can have serious outcomes.
How Can One Get Needlestick Injuries?
Injuries can happen at any stage, like while using, assembling, disassembling, or disposing of.
Injuries with hollow bore needles happen in the following ways:
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During or After Disposal: 22 percent
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While preparing to dispose of.
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Incorrect way of disposal.
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During disposal.
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After Use, Before Disposal: 19 percent
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Activation of the safety feature.
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Recapping the needle.
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During cleaning.
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During Use: 52 percent
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While accessing the IV line.
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Transferring or processing the specimen.
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Passing the equipment to the other person.
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While inserting or removing the needle.
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Other.
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Injuries with solid sharps happen in the following ways:
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During or After Disposal: 3 percent
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While preparing for disposal.
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While disposing of.
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After Use and Before Disposal: 15 percent
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Sharp left unattended.
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While cleaning.
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During Using the Needle or the Sharp: 70 percent
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While processing the specimen.
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Collision with sharp or the worker.
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Manipulate sharpness in the patient.
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While handling, passing and transferring the equipment or specimen.
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Suture needle handling.
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Various factors can affect the occurrences, like the equipment's design, the work's condition, and the experience of the staff handling, recapping, and disposal of the equipment.
How to Prevent Needlestick Injury?
Prevention is the best way to protect healthcare workers from their injuries. A comprehensive sharps injury prevention program would consist of the following:
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Follow the recommended guidelines.
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Use the improved equipment design.
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Effective disposal systems.
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Training the employees about the proper handling and disposal.
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Safe recapping procedures, where necessary.
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Surveillance programs.
Workers should be educated to protect themselves and others who may encounter them during or after the procedure.
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Used needles should not be recapped. They should be immediately placed in a puncture-resistant tin that can be easily accessed while working.
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Healthcare workers should cover the hand and other exposed parts of the arms with a lesion while working. Hand hygiene is important, so consultation can be done if the dressing interferes with the procedure.
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Wash the eyes, nose, and mouth with running water in case they have been exposed.
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Nose, eyes, and mouth should be covered while working to avoid direct splash with blood or other fluids.
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Do first aid in case someone gets exposed to body or body fluids.
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Report to the employer in case someone gets exposed to body fluids.
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If there is any broken skin surface, it should be washed thoroughly with running water.
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Follow the instructions provided by the medical professionals and take up the necessary treatment in case of exposure.
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Elimination - Eliminate or reduce the use of needles during procedures, medication delivery, and while collecting the specimen.
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Engineering Controls - Remove the sharps and needles from others with the help of a separate container that has an integrated injury prevention feature. The safety devices must be considered as they will only work in some situations.
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Work-Practice Controls - There can be measures adapted to reduce the risk of injuries from sharps or needles, like using an instrument to grasp needles or load, unloading scalpels, separating sharps from other waste, and avoiding passing hand-to-hand instruments, etc.
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Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) - PPE should be used in cases where there are chances of contracting contagious infections.
In cases of recapping the needle, keep the unprotected hand away from the exposed needle tip and recap by placing the needle on a flat surface and scooping it with the cap while holding onto it with one hand. In addition, all workers must take vaccines available for diseases like Hepatitis B.
How to Dispose of the Needles?
Disposing of the needle is important in preventing injuries with the used needles. Keep the disposal containers in nearby places, so they can be easily disposed of without the need to pass the syringe to another person.
Workers should know the position of the sharps and needle disposing containers before using the equipment. These containers should have a wide opening mouth, and the containers should be replaced once they are three-quarters filled. The filled container should not be kept there as it can get overfilled, and the needle may stick out from the mouth of the container and injure the one who is going to dispose of the needle. Also, the container field should be sealed, collected, and disposed of according to the regulation of biomedical waste disposal.
The staff should report when the needles are found at the bedside unattended or are disposed of along with the regular garbage.
Conclusion:
Injuries with sharps and needle sticks are very dangerous to people in a healthcare setting. They can happen on a common basis if proper steps are not taken for the safe handling and disposal of these are not observed. There are certain rules and regulations laid down by hospitals and other healthcare settings for the disposal of sharps and needles, which need to be strictly followed by everyone working there.
