Needle stick badly handled

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I had a needle stick about a month ago. OSHA requires that employees are given a confidential evaluation, and that patient identifiers are removed from the record (a number is generated, and that is use instead of your name).

I found out that my name was everywhere. On the ER EMR of people admitted that day, including diagnoses, and on lab labels.

Luckily, the patient is HIV neg, and HCV, HBV negative. But I am bothered by the breach of confidentiality. Anyone have any advice for me?

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So you were seen and prophy'd in an ER after a needle stick, and your actual name (that you presumably registered with) is what's in your chart? Even if you were a core staff member of that exact ER, I think you're strictly a patient at that point and OSHA has no bearing. Purely HIPAA.

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I'm happy to report that all my post-exposure labs came back negative. The patient was HCV+, but her viral load was zero.

I just wanted to clarify, so that anyone who read this is made aware: In California, OSHA has very strict guidelines regarding the reporting of exposure incidents, and maintenance of confidentiality. Our ER managers have held an inservice so that guidelines are followed next time. My inconvenience lead to an opportunity for education, for that I'm glad.

§ 5193. Bloodborne Pathogens.

Exposure Control Plan for Bloodborne Pathogens

A Best Practices Approach for Reducing Bloodborne Pathogens Exposure

Safe needle fact sheet

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Specializes in Emergency, Telemetry, Transplant.

Is this a new regulation? In every ER I've been in, employees being evaluated S/P needle stick are registered under their names; their names appear on the tracking board, on the lab labels, on the discharge instructions, and on the sheet faxed to employee health with the needle stick information so that they have appropriate f/u. If it was an ED employee that was stuck, he/she is treated by an ED RN and MD that he/she knows and works with regularly. I'm not doubting what you are saying, but I see a lot of practical difficulties.

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