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Impact of a Recapping Device on Venepuncture-Related Needlestick Injury

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  21 June 2016

Paul N. Goldwater ,
R. Law ,
A.D. Nixon ,
J.A. Officer  and
J.F. Cleland
Paul N. Goldwater*
Affiliation:
Adelaide Children's Hospital, North Adelaide, South Australia
R. Law
Affiliation:
School of Medical Laboratory Technology, Auckland Hospital, Auckland, New Zealand
A.D. Nixon
Affiliation:
Department of Haematology, Auckland Hospital, Auckland, New Zealand
J.A. Officer
Affiliation:
The Medical Laboratory, Auckland, New Zealand
J.F. Cleland
Affiliation:
The Medical Laboratory, Auckland, New Zealand
*
The Adelaide Children's Hospital, North Adelaide, South Australia
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Abstract

In a 33-month prospective analysis of needlestick injuries, venepuncturists working under Centers for Disease Control (CDC) guidelines for handling used needles were shown to incur a needlestick injury for every 3,175 to 4,006 needle-handling procedures. On the other hand, users of a simple device designed to reduce the risk of injury when recapping used needles were shown to incur a needlestick only once in every 16,100 venepunctures performed (P<0.00l). This represents a fourfold reduction in the rate of needlestick injuries. We thus question the effectiveness of the CDC nonrecapping policy.

Type
Original Articles
Information
Infection Control & Hospital Epidemiology , Volume 10 , Issue 1 , January 1989 , pp. 21 - 25
Copyright
Copyright © The Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America 1989

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