Uniform Needlestick and Sharp Object Injury Report
77 Hospitals, 1993-1995Total Cases: 10639
| JOB CATEGORY |
| M.D. (attending/staff) |
529 |
5% |
| M.D. (intern/resident/fellow) |
790 |
7% |
| Medical student |
91 |
1% |
| Nurse RN/LPN |
5185 |
49% |
| Nursing student |
79 |
1% |
| Respiratory therapist |
171 |
2% |
| Surgery attendant |
575 |
5% |
| Other attendant |
423 |
4% |
| Phlebotomist/venipuncture/I.V. team |
546 |
5% |
| Clinical laboratory worker |
388 |
4% |
| Technologist (non-lab) |
528 |
5% |
| Dentist |
44 |
0% |
| Dental hygienist |
36 |
0% |
| Housekeeper/laundry worker |
499 |
5% |
| Paramedic |
18 |
0% |
| Other student |
84 |
1% |
| Other |
644 |
6% |
| ( 7 missing) |
| PLACE OF OCCURRENCE |
| Where did the injury occur in the institution? |
| Patient room |
3814 |
36% |
| Outside patient room |
264 |
2% |
| Emergency department |
746 |
7% |
| Intensive/critical care unit |
788 |
7% |
| Operating room |
2259 |
21% |
| Outpatient clinic/office |
547 |
5% |
| Blood bank |
32 |
0% |
| Venipuncture |
53 |
0% |
| Dialysis facility |
63 |
1% |
| Procedure room |
501 |
5% |
| Clinical laboratories |
324 |
3% |
| Autopsy/pathology |
90 |
1% |
| Service/utility area |
266 |
3% |
| Labor and delivery |
114 |
1% |
| Home |
154 |
1% |
| Other |
611 |
6% |
| ( 13 missing) |
| SOURCE PATIENT |
| Was the source patient known? |
| Yes |
9202 |
86% |
| No |
750 |
7% |
| Unknown |
545 |
5% |
| N/A |
127 |
1% |
| ( 11 missing) |
| ORIGINAL USER |
| Was the injured worker the original user of the sharp item? |
| Yes |
6045 |
57% |
| No |
4151 |
39% |
| Unknown |
178 |
2% |
| N/A |
185 |
2% |
| ( 78 missing) |
| CONTAMINATION |
| Was the sharp item: |
| Contaminated |
9343 |
88% |
| Uncontaminated |
257 |
2% |
| Unknown |
954 |
9% |
| ( 77 missing) |
| ORIGINAL PURPOSE |
| For what purpose was the sharp item originally used? |
| Unknown, N/A |
955 |
9% |
| Injection, IM/subcutaneous |
1746 |
16% |
| Heparin or saline flush |
499 |
5% |
| Other injection/aspiration I.V. |
623 |
6% |
| Connect I.V. line |
544 |
5% |
| Start I.V. or heparin lock |
741 |
7% |
| Draw venous blood sample |
1358 |
13% |
| Draw arterial blood sample |
295 |
3% |
| Obtain body fluid/tissue sample |
234 |
2% |
| Fingerstick/heel stick |
330 |
3% |
| Suturing |
1122 |
11% |
| Cutting (surgery) |
730 |
7% |
| Electrocautery |
44 |
0% |
| Contain specimen/pharmaceutical |
122 |
1% |
| Place arterial line |
13 |
0% |
| Fingernails/teeth |
88 |
1% |
| Other |
1116 |
10% |
| ( 79 missing) |
| HOW INJURY OCCURRED |
| Did the injury occur: |
| Before use |
0 |
0% |
| During use |
2774 |
26% |
| Between steps |
1300 |
12% |
| Disassembling |
664 |
6% |
| Preparing for reuse |
234 |
2% |
| Recapping |
396 |
4% |
| Withdrawing from resistant material |
466 |
4% |
| Other after use, before disposal |
2469 |
23% |
| Item left on disposal container |
105 |
1% |
| Putting item into disposal container |
717 |
7% |
| After disposal |
262 |
2% |
| Pierced side of disposal container |
52 |
0% |
| Pierced side of inappropriate disposal container |
369 |
3% |
| Restraining |
41 |
0% |
| Other |
670 |
6% |
| ( 118 missing) |
| DEVICE |
| What device or item caused the injury? |
| Disposable syringe |
3138 |
29% |
| Prefilled cartridge syringe |
387 |
4% |
| Blood gas syringe |
153 |
1% |
| Syringe, other type or not sure which |
172 |
2% |
| Needle on I.V. line |
559 |
5% |
| Winged steel needle I.V. set |
502 |
5% |
| I.V. catheter (stylet) |
642 |
6% |
| Vacuum tube blood collection needle |
535 |
5% |
| Spinal or epidural needle |
40 |
0% |
| Unattached hypodermic needle |
196 |
2% |
| Arterial catheter introducer needle |
9 |
0% |
| Central line catheter introducer needle |
13 |
0% |
| Drum catheter needle |
0 |
0% |
| Other vascular catheter needle |
9 |
0% |
| Other non-vascular catheter needle |
3 |
0% |
| Needle, not sure what kind |
348 |
3% |
| Other needle |
296 |
3% |
| . |
| Lancet |
300 |
3% |
| Suture needle |
1054 |
10% |
| Scalpel blade |
685 |
6% |
| Razor |
70 |
1% |
| Pipette (plastic) |
6 |
0% |
| Scissors |
83 |
1% |
| Bovie electrocautery device |
35 |
0% |
| Bone cutter |
20 |
0% |
| Bone chip |
6 |
0% |
| Towel clip |
25 |
0% |
| Microtome blade |
47 |
0% |
| Trocar |
36 |
0% |
| Vacuum tube, plastic |
9 |
0% |
| Specimen/test tube, plastic |
12 |
0% |
| Fingernails/teeth |
97 |
1% |
| Scalpel, disposable |
30 |
0% |
| Retractor, skin/bone hooks |
53 |
0% |
| Staples/steel sutures |
11 |
0% |
| Wire |
17 |
0% |
| Pin |
17 |
0% |
| Drill bit/bur |
26 |
0% |
| Pickups/forcepts/hemostats/clamps |
30 |
0% |
| Sharp item, not sure what kind |
126 |
1% |
| Other item |
410 |
4% |
| . |
| Medication ampule |
12 |
0% |
| Medication vial (small) |
0 |
0% |
| Medication/I.V. bottle (large) |
2 |
0% |
| Pipette, glass |
14 |
0% |
| Vacuum tube, glass |
26 |
0% |
| Specimen/test tube, glass |
52 |
0% |
| Capillary tube |
33 |
0% |
| Glass slide |
11 |
0% |
| Glass item, not sure what kind |
22 |
0% |
| Other glass item |
37 |
0% |
| ( 207 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 |
605 |
6% |
| No/not applicable |
9851 |
93% |
| ( 150 missing) |
| SEVERITY OF INJURY |
| Was the injury: |
| Superficial |
4882 |
46% |
| Moderate |
5150 |
48% |
| Severe |
401 |
4% |
| ( 179 missing) |
| BODY PART |
| Right hand, back |
1110 |
| Right hand, front |
2993 |
| Left hand, back |
1161 |
| Left hand, front |
4085 |
| Right arm |
214 |
| Left arm |
153 |
| Head |
31 |
| Chest |
25 |
| Back |
0 |
| Mid-body |
25 |
| Right leg |
131 |
| Left leg |
121 |
| Right foot and ankle |
49 |
| Left foot and ankle |
28 |
| ( 501 missing) |
| OSHA |
| Is this incident OSHA reportable? |
| Yes |
1690 |
16% |
| No |
5471 |
51% |
| ( 3466 missing) |
| For those cases that are OSHA reportable: |
| Cumulative number of days away from work: |
8 |
| Cumulative number of days of restricted work activity: |
55 |
|
