Malloy

Thanks everyone :)

http://www.ccohs.ca/oshanswers/diseases/needlestick_injuries.html Hmm.

No kidding! I'm a business schlepp who had NO CLUE of what a 'nurse' really does. Hats off to all...we really need ya!!

She is more concerned with her health....but I think she has exhausted her options in this dept. She def followed hospital protocol for such incidents and I know they drew her blood. She should have some word Monday. ps. We are in PA.

Thanks for the replies everyone. The patient is in fact low risk, and I believe communication directly with him is impossible for multiple reasons. From what I was told, a seperate 'permission' must be granted for HIV testing. I apologize if I do not have the story 100%, but I think Im close. BSN: Im obviously worried about her health. When I mentioned 'statistics' I was hoping for something like, ".0005 % of nurses who get stuck with a low risk needle contract HIV" or something similar. While she was (again) obviously worried about that, she seemed more worried about her job status. She was very emotional (as well as sick) and its not the best time of the month for such trauma. Thanks again everyone!!

Hello all, I hope this is the right forum for this. She is an ICU RN, ~1yr out of school. A few nights ago she messed up somehow and stuck herself in her thumb with a needle after drawing blood from a patient. (elderly man) I understand there are saftey devices that have dramatically reduced the number of these incidents. Anyways, they tried to get in touch with his family for permission to screen his blood...but they can not be found. She supposedly has to wait 6 months to know either way about HIV... Aside from being worried about HIV, hepatitis or any other terrible thing that can be contracted, she is also worrying about this move jeopardizing her job. As far as I know, she has had a flawless record, and is held in high regard overall. She is worried about this really hurting her reputation. Do you have any insight on this? Are there any statistics out there that may set her at ease? I apologize for coming on here with this question (as I'm clearly not a nurse) but I wanted to do something to possibly make her feel better. Thanks in advance :)