Introduction to Needle Stick Injury Dr. Sankappa Gulaganji Associate Professor BLDEA’s Shri B M Patil Institute of Nursing Sciences, Vijayapur Needle Stick Injury WEL-COME Introduction Among the health care workers the nurses are the front side care providers because of that the nurses are more risk of getting injury. Student nurses are more prone to get encountered with the negative outcomes like infection, fall, assault, physical and mental harassment, legal suits, needle stick injuries etc. needle stick injury is more serious and dangerous among the negative outcomes.  Conti… Primary route of occupation exposure to blood borne pathogens is accidental needle stick injury. These injuries may cause a number of serious and potentially fatal infections. These injuries are prevented by eliminating the unnecessary use of needles, using devices with safety features and promoting, education and safe work practice for handling needles. Meaning Needle stick injury are wounds caused by needles (ex hypodermic needle, blood collection needle suture needle, parental administration needles that accidentally puncture the skin, these injuries can occur at any time when people use, disassemble, or dispose of needles. Incidence Frequently cited estimates suggest that in the United States, between 380,000 and 800,000 hospital based health care providers sustain sharp injuries Annually. It is further estimated that approximately 58% to 73% of needle stick injuries are actually unreported. Around 60% of nurses are getting injury. Infection caused by needle stick injury Needle stick injuries expose student nurses to a more than 20 blood borne pathogens that can cause serious or even fatal infections. The most serious health risks pathogens are: Hepatitis B virus (HCB) 30% Hepatitis C virus (HCV) 3% Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) 0.3% To protect yourself and others Avoid the use of needles where safe and effective alternatives are available. Avoid recapping needles. Participate in blood borne pathogen training and follow recommended infection prevention practices, including hepatitis B vaccination. Report all needle stick and other sharps related injuries to ensure that you receive appropriate follow up care. Advocate for monitoring and safe work practices, including data collection. Conti… Educate and lobby for the development of safer technology. Advocate for screening, post exposure counseling, prophylaxis, legal aid, and support groups. Use purchasing power to buy safe equipment. Create /maintain a safe, comprehensive disposal system. Promote safety awareness. Evaluate prevention efforts and provide feedback on performance Work practice that increases the needle stick injury Recapping the needles. Transferring a body fluid between containers. Failing to dispose of used needles properly in puncture resistant sharp container. Checking the fitness of the needle tip with bare hands Work practice that reduces the needle st

1. Introduction to Needle Stick
Injury
Dr. Sankappa Gulaganji
Associate Professor
BLDEA’s Shri B M Patil Institute of
Nursing Sciences, Vijayapur

2. Needle Stick Injury

3. Introduction
• Among the health care workers the nurses are the front side
care providers because of that the nurses are more risk of
getting injury. Student nurses are more prone to get
encountered with the negative outcomes like infection, fall,
assault, physical and mental harassment, legal suits, needle
stick injuries etc. needle stick injury is more serious and
dangerous among the negative outcomes.

4. Conti…
• Primary route of occupation exposure to blood borne
pathogens is accidental needle stick injury. These
injuries may cause a number of serious and potentially
fatal infections. These injuries are prevented by
eliminating the unnecessary use of needles, using
devices with safety features and promoting, education
and safe work practice for handling needles.

5. Meaning
Needle stick injury are wounds caused by
needles (ex hypodermic needle, blood collection
needle suture needle, parental administration
needles that accidentally puncture the skin, these
injuries can occur at any time when people use,
disassemble, or dispose of needles.

6. Incidence
• Frequently cited estimates suggest that in the
United States, between 380,000 and 800,000
hospital based health care providers sustain sharp
injuries Annually. It is further estimated that
approximately 58% to 73% of needle stick
injuries are actually unreported. Around 60% of
nurses are getting injury.

7. Infection caused by needle stick
injury
Needle stick injuries expose student nurses to a more
than 20 blood borne pathogens that can cause serious
or even fatal infections. The most serious health risks
pathogens are:
Hepatitis B virus (HCB) 30%
Hepatitis C virus (HCV) 3%
Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) 0.3%

8. To protect yourself and others
• Avoid the use of needles where safe and effective alternatives are
available.
•Avoid recapping needles.
•Participate in blood borne pathogen training and follow recommended
infection prevention practices, including hepatitis B vaccination.
•Report all needle stick and other sharps related injuries to ensure that
you receive appropriate follow up care.
•Advocate for monitoring and safe work practices, including data
collection.

9. Conti…
 Educate and lobby for the development of safer technology.
 Advocate for screening, post exposure counseling,
prophylaxis, legal aid, and support groups.
 Use purchasing power to buy safe equipment.
 Create /maintain a safe, comprehensive disposal system.
 Promote safety awareness.
 Evaluate prevention efforts and provide feedback on
performance

10. Work practice that increases the
needle stick injury
Recapping the needles.
Transferring a body fluid between containers.
Failing to dispose of used needles properly in puncture
• resistant sharp container.
Checking the fitness of the needle tip with bare hands

11. Work practice that reduces the
needle stick injury
Always carry a loaded syringe in a clean tray with capped
needles.
Practice hand washing before and after administration of
injections.
Remove needle cap near the site of use.
Plan for safe handling and disposal of needles before using
them.
Avoid recapping of needles after the injection. In the absence
of DD boxes one hand recapping of the needles is advocated,
in this contaminated needles is scooped by placing the needle on
a hard surface.

12. Conti…
Promptly dispose of used needles in
appropriate puncture resistant container.
Use devices with safety features provided by
your employer.
Never test the fineness of needle tip with bare
hands before using.
The best method used to dispose contaminated
syringes and needles are incineration.

13. Immediate measures for needle stick
injury
• An accidental blood spill exposure to a
hospital worker, allows him/her to wash the
site with soap and water and do not apply
caustic agents (sodium hypochlorite)
antiseptics and disinfectants.

14. Preventive measures
Preventing needle stick injuries is the most effective way
to protect workers from the infectious diseases that needle
stick accidents transmit. A comprehensive needle stick
injury prevention programme would include:
Employee training.
Recommended guidelines.
Safe recapping procedures.
Effective disposal systems.
Surveillance programs.
Improved equipment design.

15. Employee Training
• To reduce needle stick injuries, an effective
program must include employee training.
Workers need to know how to properly use,
assemble, disassemble, and dispose of needles.
Workers need to understand the risks
associated with needle stick injuries and know
the proper means to prevent them. Specifically,
the training programmes should address:

16. Conti…
a. Risk of injury.
b. Potential hazards.
c. Recommended precautions for use and disposal
of needles.
d. Procedures for reporting injuries.
e. The importance of hepatitis B vaccination where
appropriate.

17. Safe Recapping Procedures
• In situations where recapping is considered
necessary, develop safe approaches which
workers can follow. Workers should never
move an exposed needle tip towards an
unprotected hand.

18. Conti…
•Single-Handed Scooping
Recapping can be safe when people lay the
cap on a flat surface and scoop it onto the tip of a
syringe held in one hand.
•Recapping Devices
Several devices are available for recapping
needles safely. Some devices permit single-
handed recapping by parking a needle cap on a
flat surface.

19. Disposal
An effective system for disposing of used needles is
crucial to preventing needle stick injuries. Having
disposal containers readily available can greatly reduce
the concern for recapping needles.
Workers should place needles in wide-mouth,
puncture-proof containers. Locate disposal containers
specifically where needles are used to make safe disposal
possible without recapping. Replace the containers before
they are completely filled.
All staff should report every incident in which they
find needles left at the bedside or thrown into the regular
garbage.

20. Surveillance
• There is still a serious lack of information
about the various factors that cause accidents
with needles. Surveillance programs that
provide in-depth analysis of needle stick
accidents are an important tool for obtaining
this information.

21. The goals of these programs should
include:
•Determining the rate of needle stick injuries.
•Investigating the factors that cause the injuries.
•Ensuring that injured workers receive proper
treatment.
•Identifying areas in which the prevention
program needs improvement.
•Eventually providing practical strategies for
dealing with the problem.

22. Continued Innovation
There is a need for further investigation and innovation to
develop means for preventing needle stick injuries. These
investigations should aim:
•To identify the types and designs of needle instruments
those are potentially capable of causing needle stick
injury.
•To understand better how needle devices are normally
handled in the workplace and how they cause injuries.
•To find methods that eliminates the need to move hands
towards the tips of contaminated needles, or to manually
disassemble contaminated needle equipment.

23. Post exposure prophylaxis
•Establish procedures for and encourage reporting timely
follow up care for all needle stick injuries.
•Promote reporting and recording of the tracking training and
evaluating programmes of needle stick and sharp injury.
•The PEP should be started as early as possible
•Minimum period to a post exposure prophylaxis will be four
weeks.

24. Conti…
•To promote safe environment with reduced needle stick
injury, a nurse should notify the supervisor and authority about
the needle stick hazards in the unit.
•Taking hepatitis-B vaccination is a must for all hospital
workers.
•Periodic in service training on compliance with standard
precautions for preventing exposure to blood borne pathogens
reduces needle stick injury in the unit