Uniform Needlestick and Sharp Object Injury Report
55 Hospitals, 1997Total Cases: 3,005 (excluding injuries occurring before use)
Total Average Daily Census: 10,087
| JOB CATEGORY |
| M.D. (attending/staff) |
171 |
6% |
| M.D. (intern/resident/fellow) |
270 |
9% |
| Medical student |
30 |
1% |
| Nurse RN/LPN |
1334 |
44% |
| Nursing student |
25 |
1% |
| Respiratory therapist |
43 |
1% |
| Surgery attendant |
152 |
5% |
| Other attendant |
138 |
5% |
| Phlebotomist/venipuncture/I.V. team |
148 |
5% |
| Clinical laboratory worker |
95 |
3% |
| Technologist (non-lab) |
126 |
4% |
| Dentist |
7 |
0% |
| Dental hygienist |
5 |
0% |
| Housekeeper/laundry worker |
136 |
5% |
| Paramedic |
3 |
0% |
| Other student |
30 |
1% |
| Other |
285 |
9% |
| ( 7 missing) |
| PLACE OF OCCURRENCE |
| Where did the injury occur in the institution? |
| Patient room |
1016 |
34% |
| Outside patient room |
66 |
2% |
| Emergency department |
265 |
9% |
| Intensive/critical care unit |
211 |
7% |
| Operating room |
715 |
24% |
| Outpatient clinic/office |
186 |
6% |
| Blood bank |
7 |
0% |
| Venipuncture |
17 |
1% |
| Dialysis facility |
18 |
1% |
| Procedure room |
119 |
4% |
| Clinical laboratories |
61 |
2% |
| Autopsy/pathology |
25 |
1% |
| Service/utility area |
63 |
2% |
| Labor and delivery |
17 |
1% |
| Home |
42 |
1% |
| Other |
174 |
6% |
| ( 3 missing) |
| SOURCE PATIENT |
| Was the source patient known? |
| Yes |
2654 |
88% |
| No |
232 |
8% |
| Unknown |
92 |
3% |
| N/A |
22 |
1% |
| ( 0 missing) |
| ORIGINAL USER |
| Was the injured worker the original user of the sharp item? |
| Yes |
1791 |
60% |
| No |
989 |
33% |
| Unknown |
34 |
1% |
| N/A |
87 |
3% |
| ( 102 missing) |
| CONTAMINATION |
| Was the sharp item: |
| Contaminated |
2634 |
88% |
| Uncontaminated |
42 |
1% |
| Unknown |
321 |
11% |
| ( 2 missing) |
| ORIGINAL PURPOSE |
| For what purpose was the sharp item originally used? |
| Unknown, N/A |
259 |
9% |
| Injection, IM/subcutaneous |
501 |
17% |
| Heparin or saline flush |
100 |
3% |
| Other injection/aspiration I.V. |
153 |
5% |
| Connect I.V. line |
44 |
1% |
| Start I.V. or heparin lock |
197 |
7% |
| Draw venous blood sample |
496 |
17% |
| Draw arterial blood sample |
67 |
2% |
| Obtain body fluid/tissue sample |
50 |
2% |
| Fingerstick/heel stick |
85 |
3% |
| Suturing |
421 |
14% |
| Cutting (surgery) |
214 |
7% |
| Electrocautery |
10 |
0% |
| Contain specimen/pharmaceutical |
33 |
1% |
| Place arterial line |
4 |
0% |
| Fingernails/teeth |
48 |
2% |
| Other |
317 |
11% |
| ( 4 missing) |
| HOW INJURY OCCURRED |
| Did the injury occur: |
| Before use |
0 |
0% |
| During use |
843 |
28% |
| Between steps |
366 |
12% |
| Disassembling |
163 |
5% |
| Preparing for reuse |
58 |
2% |
| Recapping |
106 |
4% |
| Withdrawing from resistant material |
95 |
3% |
| Other after use, before disposal |
669 |
22% |
| Item left on disposal container |
19 |
1% |
| Putting item into disposal container |
256 |
9% |
| After disposal |
75 |
2% |
| Pierced side of disposal container |
16 |
1% |
| Pierced side of inappropriate disposal container |
131 |
4% |
| Restraining |
17 |
1% |
| Other |
181 |
6% |
| ( 7 missing) |
| DEVICE |
| What device or item caused the injury? |
| Disposable syringe |
839 |
28% |
| Prefilled cartridge syringe |
97 |
3% |
| Blood gas syringe |
35 |
1% |
| Syringe, other type or not sure which |
27 |
1% |
| Needle on I.V. line |
49 |
2% |
| Winged steel needle I.V. set |
203 |
7% |
| I.V. catheter (stylet) |
166 |
6% |
| Vacuum tube blood collection needle |
179 |
6% |
| Spinal or epidural needle |
9 |
0% |
| Unattached hypodermic needle |
46 |
2% |
| Arterial catheter introducer needle |
4 |
0% |
| Central line catheter introducer needle |
6 |
0% |
| Drum catheter needle |
2 |
0% |
| Other vascular catheter needle |
2 |
0% |
| Other non-vascular catheter needle |
2 |
0% |
| Needle, not sure what kind |
116 |
4% |
| Other needle |
91 |
3% |
| . |
| Lancet |
82 |
3% |
| Suture needle |
409 |
14% |
| Scalpel blade |
162 |
5% |
| Razor |
13 |
0% |
| Pipette (plastic) |
1 |
0% |
| Scissors |
36 |
1% |
| Bovie electrocautery device |
11 |
0% |
| Bone cutter |
7 |
0% |
| Bone chip |
1 |
0% |
| Towel clip |
6 |
0% |
| Microtome blade |
8 |
0% |
| Trocar |
10 |
0% |
| Vacuum tube, plastic |
3 |
0% |
| Specimen/test tube, plastic |
1 |
0% |
| Fingernails/teeth |
48 |
2% |
| Scalpel, disposable |
43 |
1% |
| Retractor, skin/bone hooks |
21 |
1% |
| Staples/steel sutures |
3 |
0% |
| Wire |
11 |
0% |
| Pin |
9 |
0% |
| Drill bit/bur |
6 |
0% |
| Pickups/forcepts/hemostats/clamps |
6 |
0% |
| Sharp item, not sure what kind |
38 |
1% |
| Other item |
84 |
3% |
| . |
| Medication ampule |
1 |
0% |
| Medication vial (small) |
0 |
0% |
| Medication/I.V. bottle (large) |
0 |
0% |
| Pipette, glass |
3 |
0% |
| Vacuum tube, glass |
7 |
0% |
| Specimen/test tube, glass |
7 |
0% |
| Capillary tube |
10 |
0% |
| Glass slide |
7 |
0% |
| Glass item, not sure what kind |
8 |
0% |
| Other glass item |
15 |
0% |
| ( 45 missing) |
| SAFETY DESIGN |
| If the item causing the injury was a needle, was it a safety design with a shielded, recessed, or retractable needle? |
| Yes |
221 |
7% |
| No/not applicable |
2752 |
92% |
| ( 18 missing) |
| SEVERITY OF INJURY |
| Was the injury: |
| Superficial |
1505 |
50% |
| Moderate |
1370 |
46% |
| Severe |
98 |
3% |
| ( 28 missing) |
| BODY PART |
| Right hand, back |
311 |
| Right hand, front |
879 |
| Left hand, back |
376 |
| Left hand, front |
1136 |
| Right arm |
63 |
| Left arm |
48 |
| Head |
8 |
| Chest |
6 |
| Back |
0 |
| Mid-body |
7 |
| Right leg |
32 |
| Left leg |
37 |
| Right foot and ankle |
10 |
| Left foot and ankle |
5 |
| ( 85 missing) |
| OSHA |
| Is this incident OSHA reportable? |
| Yes |
513 |
17% |
| No |
1637 |
54% |
| ( 853 missing) |
| For those cases that are OSHA reportable: |
| Cumulative number of days away from work: |
1 |
| Cumulative number of days of restricted work activity: |
0 |
|
