Uniform Needlestick and Sharp Object Injury Report
52 Hospitals, 1998Total Cases: 3,180
Total Average Daily Census: 9,681
| JOB CATEGORY |
| M.D. (attending/staff) |
190 |
6% |
| M.D. (intern/resident/fellow) |
293 |
9% |
| Medical student |
28 |
1% |
| Nurse RN/LPN |
1409 |
44% |
| Nursing student |
13 |
0% |
| Respiratory therapist |
68 |
2% |
| Surgery attendant |
168 |
5% |
| Other attendant |
132 |
4% |
| Phlebotomist/venipuncture/I.V. team |
137 |
4% |
| Clinical laboratory worker |
125 |
4% |
| Technologist (non-lab) |
171 |
5% |
| Dentist |
4 |
0% |
| Dental hygienist |
3 |
0% |
| Housekeeper/laundry worker |
130 |
4% |
| Paramedic |
7 |
0% |
| Other student |
33 |
1% |
| Other |
266 |
8% |
| ( 3 missing) |
| PLACE OF OCCURRENCE |
| Where did the injury occur in the institution? |
| Patient room |
1121 |
35% |
| Outside patient room |
61 |
2% |
| Emergency department |
254 |
8% |
| Intensive/critical care unit |
213 |
7% |
| Operating room |
692 |
22% |
| Outpatient clinic/office |
193 |
6% |
| Blood bank |
7 |
0% |
| Venipuncture |
17 |
1% |
| Dialysis facility |
24 |
1% |
| Procedure room |
159 |
5% |
| Clinical laboratories |
91 |
3% |
| Autopsy/pathology |
29 |
1% |
| Service/utility area |
68 |
2% |
| Labor and delivery |
39 |
1% |
| Home |
49 |
2% |
| Other |
162 |
5% |
| ( 0 missing) |
| SOURCE PATIENT |
| Was the source patient known? |
| Yes |
2824 |
89% |
| No |
198 |
6% |
| Unknown |
112 |
4% |
| N/A |
46 |
1% |
| ( 0 missing) |
| ORIGINAL USER |
| Was the injured worker the original user of the sharp item? |
| Yes |
2016 |
63% |
| No |
1041 |
33% |
| Unknown |
45 |
1% |
| N/A |
78 |
2% |
| ( 0 missing) |
| CONTAMINATION |
| Was the sharp item: |
| Contaminated |
2797 |
88% |
| Uncontaminated |
87 |
3% |
| Unknown |
296 |
9% |
| ( 0 missing) |
| ORIGINAL PURPOSE |
| For what purpose was the sharp item originally used? |
| Unknown, N/A |
284 |
9% |
| Injection, IM/subcutaneous |
535 |
17% |
| Heparin or saline flush |
89 |
3% |
| Other injection/aspiration I.V. |
130 |
4% |
| Connect I.V. line |
54 |
2% |
| Start I.V. or heparin lock |
227 |
7% |
| Draw venous blood sample |
553 |
17% |
| Draw arterial blood sample |
106 |
3% |
| Obtain body fluid/tissue sample |
50 |
2% |
| Fingerstick/heel stick |
101 |
3% |
| Suturing |
409 |
13% |
| Cutting (surgery) |
194 |
6% |
| Electrocautery |
9 |
0% |
| Contain specimen/pharmaceutical |
34 |
1% |
| Place arterial line |
16 |
1% |
| Fingernails/teeth |
28 |
1% |
| Other |
358 |
11% |
| ( 3 missing) |
| HOW INJURY OCCURRED |
| Did the injury occur: |
| Before use |
56 |
2% |
| During use |
1014 |
32% |
| Between steps |
333 |
10% |
| Disassembling |
154 |
5% |
| Preparing for reuse |
52 |
2% |
| Recapping |
114 |
4% |
| Withdrawing from resistant material |
93 |
3% |
| Other after use, before disposal |
694 |
22% |
| Item left on disposal container |
24 |
1% |
| Putting item into disposal container |
266 |
8% |
| After disposal |
77 |
2% |
| Pierced side of disposal container |
10 |
0% |
| Pierced side of inappropriate disposal container |
116 |
4% |
| Restraining |
14 |
0% |
| Other |
158 |
5% |
| ( 3 missing) |
| DEVICE |
| What device or item caused the injury? |
| Disposable syringe |
919 |
29% |
| Prefilled cartridge syringe |
70 |
2% |
| Blood gas syringe |
46 |
1% |
| Syringe, other type or not sure which |
31 |
1% |
| Needle on I.V. line |
60 |
2% |
| Winged steel needle I.V. set |
256 |
8% |
| I.V. catheter (stylet) |
195 |
6% |
| Vacuum tube blood collection needle |
193 |
6% |
| Spinal or epidural needle |
11 |
0% |
| Unattached hypodermic needle |
54 |
2% |
| Arterial catheter introducer needle |
7 |
0% |
| Central line catheter introducer needle |
8 |
0% |
| Drum catheter needle |
3 |
0% |
| Other vascular catheter needle |
5 |
0% |
| Other non-vascular catheter needle |
1 |
0% |
| Needle, not sure what kind |
102 |
3% |
| Other needle |
84 |
3% |
| . |
| Lancet |
98 |
3% |
| Suture needle |
395 |
12% |
| Scalpel blade |
149 |
5% |
| Razor |
17 |
1% |
| Pipette (plastic) |
2 |
0% |
| Scissors |
32 |
1% |
| Bovie electrocautery device |
8 |
0% |
| Bone cutter |
4 |
0% |
| Bone chip |
2 |
0% |
| Towel clip |
8 |
0% |
| Microtome blade |
10 |
0% |
| Trocar |
11 |
0% |
| Vacuum tube, plastic |
2 |
0% |
| Specimen/test tube, plastic |
1 |
0% |
| Fingernails/teeth |
33 |
1% |
| Scalpel, disposable |
39 |
1% |
| Retractor, skin/bone hooks |
18 |
1% |
| Staples/steel sutures |
5 |
0% |
| Wire |
14 |
0% |
| Pin |
17 |
1% |
| Drill bit/bur |
10 |
0% |
| Pickups/forcepts/hemostats/clamps |
10 |
0% |
| Sharp item, not sure what kind |
47 |
1% |
| Other item |
97 |
3% |
| . |
| Medication ampule |
11 |
0% |
| Medication vial (small) |
3 |
0% |
| Medication/I.V. bottle (large) |
1 |
0% |
| Pipette, glass |
3 |
0% |
| Vacuum tube, glass |
8 |
0% |
| Specimen/test tube, glass |
10 |
0% |
| Capillary tube |
4 |
0% |
| Glass slide |
2 |
0% |
| Glass item, not sure what kind |
5 |
0% |
| Other glass item |
11 |
0% |
| ( 42 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 |
290 |
9% |
| No/not applicable |
2873 |
90% |
| ( 10 missing) |
| SEVERITY OF INJURY |
| Was the injury: |
| Superficial |
1549 |
49% |
| Moderate |
1447 |
46% |
| Severe |
114 |
4% |
| ( 66 missing) |
| BODY PART |
| Right hand, back |
332 |
| Right hand, front |
901 |
| Left hand, back |
391 |
| Left hand, front |
1270 |
| Right arm |
56 |
| Left arm |
47 |
| Head |
8 |
| Chest |
5 |
| Back |
0 |
| Mid-body |
11 |
| Right leg |
31 |
| Left leg |
23 |
| Right foot and ankle |
9 |
| Left foot and ankle |
12 |
| ( 66 missing) |
| OSHA |
| Is this incident OSHA reportable? |
| Yes |
614 |
19% |
| No |
1795 |
56% |
| ( 769 missing) |
| For those cases that are OSHA reportable: |
| Cumulative number of days away from work: |
19 |
| Cumulative number of days of restricted work activity: |
16 |
|
