PMID- 9384332
OWN - NLM
STAT- MEDLINE
DCOM- 19971217
LR  - 20190818
IS  - 0891-3668 (Print)
IS  - 0891-3668 (Linking)
VI  - 16
IP  - 11
DP  - 1997 Nov
TI  - Epidemiology of sharp object injuries in a children's hospital.
PG  - 1019-23
AB  - BACKGROUND: Limited data exist on the frequency, circumstances and management of 
      sharp object injuries (SOIs) in pediatric facilities. METHOD: SOIs reported at a 
      large children's hospital during a 2-year period were reviewed. RESULTS: One 
      hundred thirteen SOIs were reported for an average of 6 injuries per 100 
      employees per year. The greatest number of injuries occurred among nurses (46%) 
      and physicians (23%), but phlebotomists experienced the highest rate (25.5 
      injuries per 100 full time equivalent employees per year). Most common locations 
      were the patient room (27%), operating room (25%) and intensive care units (17%). 
      Needles accounted for 71% of injuries and procedural devices accounted for 22%. 
      Forty-eight percent of injuries occurred during use of the item, 42% after use or 
      during disposal and 7% after disposal. Twenty percent were associated with loose 
      sharps and 15% with inadvertent patient movement. Only 2 injuries were associated 
      with recapping. Eighty-eight percent of the objects were contaminated with blood 
      or body fluid. Of 88 known source patients 1 tested positive for hepatitis B 
      surface antigen, 2 for hepatitis C virus and none for HIV. One hundred four 
      employees sought treatment: 36 received tetanus vaccine; 14 received hepatitis B 
      vaccine; 9 received hepatitis B immunoglobulin; and 12 received zidovudine. No 
      employee subsequently tested positive for HIV, hepatitis B virus, or hepatitis C 
      virus. CONCLUSIONS: SOIs represent a frequent occurrence among pediatric health 
      care workers. Minimizing the use of sharps, appropriately restraining patients 
      during procedures and promptly disposing of sharp items after use might decrease 
      the frequency of SOIs.
FAU - Pettit, L L
AU  - Pettit LL
AD  - Department of Pediatrics, Louisiana State University School of Medicine, New 
      Orleans, USA.
FAU - Gee, S Q
AU  - Gee SQ
FAU - Begue, R E
AU  - Begue RE
LA  - eng
PT  - Journal Article
PL  - United States
TA  - Pediatr Infect Dis J
JT  - The Pediatric infectious disease journal
JID - 8701858
SB  - IM
MH  - *Health Personnel
MH  - Humans
MH  - Needlestick Injuries/*epidemiology
MH  - Occupational Diseases/*epidemiology
MH  - Wounds and Injuries/*epidemiology
EDAT- 1997/12/31 00:00
MHDA- 1997/12/31 00:01
CRDT- 1997/12/31 00:00
PHST- 1997/12/31 00:00 [pubmed]
PHST- 1997/12/31 00:01 [medline]
PHST- 1997/12/31 00:00 [entrez]
AID - 10.1097/00006454-199711000-00003 [doi]
PST - ppublish
SO  - Pediatr Infect Dis J. 1997 Nov;16(11):1019-23. doi: 
      10.1097/00006454-199711000-00003.