Safety

Study: New surgeons are needlestick-prone

OSHA Healthcare Connection, July 10, 2007

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Not only do surgeons in training have a high incidence of needlesticks, but the majority of injuries are not reported, according to a survey published in the June 28 New England Journal of Medicine.

By their final year of training, 99% of surgical residents surveyed had had a needlestick injury, of which 53% involved a patient at high risk for bloodborne pathogens. Injured surgeons reported just more than half of their injuries (51%) to an employee health service. Survey respondents told researchers that lack of time was the number one reason for not reporting needlesticks.



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