Talking to Your Team About Prevention
Starting conversations about needlestick safety without blame or assumptions Needlestick injuries continue to affect healthcare workers across the United States, even after decades of regulation and the widespread adoption of safety-engineered devices. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that approximately 385,000 needlestick and other sharps injuries occur each year among hospital-based healthcare personnel. Nurses are […]
A Physician Assistant’s Viral Needlestick Injury
Shared in an interview In December 2023, I was administering a long-acting injectable HIV medication to a patient with a needle that had a safety shield mechanism on it — the kind that you click onto the needle after using it to be sure the needle is covered. When I used my finger to click […]
A Moment You Never Forget
During my career as a nurse, there have been concerns such as HIV, Hepatitis C, COVID, staffing shortages, and needlesticks, to name a few. You can have state-of-the-art equipment, proper PPE, and follow all protocols, yet sometimes situations are still unpredictable. There are needleless systems and retractable systems; unfortunately, not all medical equipment can function […]
How a Needlestick Changed Me Forever
HIV and hepatitis. These two words haunted me for six months following a needle stick injury. Many people do not realize how often nurses put themselves at risk while trying to save patients’ lives. People may think that because we are in a secure, safe location that we are not exposed to risks. This is […]