So... needlestick injuries

sandys · Aug 25, 2009

I've been in practice a year and have never had a needle stick. The needles we use for IV starts and IM/subcu injections all have safety devices. We do occasionally use needles that do not have safety devices, but I am always aware and am extremely careful with those. We have needles for accessing portacaths that have a very clunky safety device that I usually don't use, I simply remove it and walk straight to the sharps container so I never have an opportunity to stick myself. I have had coworkers who have stuck themselves using this particular safety device. I know needlesticks happen to experienced and good and safe nurses, but I am very careful and am not worried about this particular issue. I have from time to managed to come in contact with blood on my bare skin, usually from starting an IV, removing gloves and then picking up garbage, etc. I'm never happy about this situation, but I think the risk of contracting anything on intact skin that is washed thoroughly is very minimal and I have never reported it.

Anyway, if nursing is your passion I'd not let needlesticks keep you from it. Just develop good practices from the beginning and keep your focus.

michelle_d · Aug 25, 2009

Thanks. I'm not as 'freaked out' over the whole thing as I was earlier, especially now that I've had some time to read up on the statistics. Needlesticks never occured to me before this point as a major concern, and the only thing that made me consider them was getting my finger pricked after giving my diabetic cat her insulin shot this morning. This is the second time it's happened to me in less than a year. The used needle went through the plastic cap because it was crooked (my cat moved) and it jabbed me when I picked it up. :smackingf

geegee12 · Aug 25, 2009

Had a needlestick after 2 years in the hospital: I was floating on another floor and their equipment was a little different than I was used to. I pulled the needle out of the pts belly and stuck it right into a finger as I was reaching to activate the cover. Luckily the patient was low risk, we were both tested and resulted negative. The Employee health nurse said that the chances of contracting a disease that way is very remote BUT you do have to be aware of it. There are LOTS of things that can happen to you in this field to endanger your health. I would worry more about being assaulted or straining your back!

PAERRN20 · Aug 25, 2009

I also think it is important to be aware of any needle. I am very careful when giving an injection or starting an IV. I always wear gloves. Some nurses I've seen don't wear gloves when giving an injection but I do. I wouldn't let the fear of being stuck keep you out of nursing. I think a good tip is to become familiar with the equipment before you use it. Take out a sterile syringe or an IV kit and practice using the safety devices. Also, most IV tubing sets have needless access so using a needle to give meds isn't as common as it once was.

michelle_d · Aug 25, 2009

Okay thanks. Back injuries are another issue I'm concerned over, but I wasn't as concerned over that as I was with the needlestick thing. But, now that I've read some statistics on actual infection rates, I feel a lot better about the situation. :)

zofran · Aug 26, 2009

After working for about a year, I stuck myself in the finger with a needle after giving a diabetic an insulin injection. I was RUSHING, and didn't engage the plastic part that covers the needle when I was walking over to the sharps container. I think Jesus was looking out for me since this pt was 19 years old, a Johovah witness, a virgin, and was just in the hospital for uncontrolled DM. We both tested neg for hep c, hiv, etc......I guess my point is, dont RUSH, and you will be fine!!!! :coollook:

WindwardOahuRN, RN · Sep 16, 2009

I've been in practice a year and have never had a needle stick.
>>snip
Just develop good practices from the beginning and keep your focus.

Pardon me, but it does seem like you're rather smug about your "good practices" being the key to your twelve months of needle-stick-free work history. The flip side of that is that you seem to be blaming the "careless(implied)" nurse for the needle stick.

I'm sure you meant your post to be reassuring but in reality needlesticks do occur, sometimes with disastrous results, and sometimes all the "good practices" and "focus" in the world can't save you from them.

Needle sticks happen to the best of us. Unexpected movements from patients or even co-workers can find us with that frightening little puncture wound. Wriggling toddlers, sedated patients who are suddenly wildly combative the moment you poke them for an IV or blood draw. Patients may come up from the ER or back from procedures with sharps in their sheets. It happens. Needle sticks happen less frequently than years ago, thanks to the safety needles, but they happen nonetheless. And it is NOT always the result of carelessness or lack of "good practices and focus." I wish it were that simple.

It's one of the many hazards of being a nurse and yes, there are many.

Here's some more info:

http://www.aft.org/topics/health-safety/downloads/Needlesticks_Everyone.pdf

Valerie Salva, BSN, RN · Sep 16, 2009

I thought sandys' post was perfectly polite, and informative- not smug at all.

patwil73 · Sep 16, 2009

As part of my job I get to consent people for HIV testing after a body fluid exposure (until this sept when they finally made it part of the hospital consent - woo hoo). So I got to interact with a lot of people who had needlesticks. It can happen to anyone. It is more likley to happen when rushed, but the biggest risk factor is the patient moving - so if you have to start an IV or draw blood on a squirmy patient always try and get another person to hold the arm steady.

I have made it through my first 8 years without an exposure. Of course I have had blood, vomit, and saliva on my hands - but unless you have an open cut just wash it very well and you will be fine.

One thing that can help is to get a lot of exposure to needles during your classes. A lot of people. including nurses, are afraid of needles (I don't particularly like them myself, and I start IV's and draw blood on the difficult patients all the time). That fear makes people tense up, so even if you are still doing your job and inserting the needle it can make it more difficult to roll with a sudden movement - just because you are tense. Get a lot of exposure which will help you in handling sharps and make it easier to react.

That being said - it is only a way to reduce your exposure - not erase it. Needlesticks can happen to anyone, but as you have found out the risks are really not that high to get something from it.

Hope this helps

Pat

diane227, LPN, RN · Sep 17, 2009

In 31 years I have been stuck 3 times by contaminated needles, two contaminated by patients who were HIV positive. I did not freak out. I went immediately and mashed out as much blood as I could from the wound and scrubbed my finger raw. I had gloves on which are no help at all with a needle stick. I followed hospital policy, had my blood brawn as well as the patients. Got myself follow up testing. This was before people were treated with drugs. There were no HIV drugs back then. All was negative. One of the patients who was positive felt so bad that I had stuck myself. He was really worried about me. He died very soon after this event occurred. But everything turned out fine. I actually worry more about Hepatitis B.