[Download] "Needle Stick Injuries & the Health Care Worker--the Time to Act is Now (Commentary) (Report)" by Camilla Rodrigues * eBook PDF Kindle ePub Free
eBook details
- Title: Needle Stick Injuries & the Health Care Worker--the Time to Act is Now (Commentary) (Report)
- Author : Camilla Rodrigues
- Release Date : January 01, 2010
- Genre: Life Sciences,Books,Science & Nature,Health, Mind & Body,Health & Fitness,
- Pages : * pages
- Size : 64 KB
Description
Occupational exposures to pathogenic microbes as a result of needles and other sharps are an important public health concern. In the health care setting, transmission of disease from patients to health care workers can occur through percutaneous injuries such as accidental needle stick and sharps injuries. Health care workers who come in contact with medical devices as sharps including syringes or scalpels are at risk of injuries that can lead to serious blood borne infections. Although there are reports of bacteria, viruses (herpes, cytomegalovirus, Epstein Barr virus, fungi, protozoa (malaria) and even tumour cells being transmitted by percutaneous exposures, most studies focus on the main bloodborne pathogens as hepatitis B virus (HBV), hepatitis C virus (HCV), and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) (1). In India, it is not known exactly how many occupation related injuries occur each year, and as data are scarce, it is not possible to estimate an annual incidence (2,3). Estimates from the USA indicate that 600,000-800,000 such injuries occur annually and approximately half of these go unreported. Data from the EPInet system suggest that in an average hospital, workers incur approximately 27 needle stick injuries / 100 beds / year (4). Gross under-reporting of needle stick injuries (NSI) should not lead health care administrators to underestimate the problem. Although the risk may be low, the psychological trauma as well as legal implications that follow such injuries can be considerable. Additionally, financial implications include initial first aid treatment, post-exposure prophylactic drugs, hepatitis B immunoglobulin, cost of baseline investigations and the inevitable cost of treating a disease once transmitted. At a tertiary care hospital in Mumbai, approximately Rs 9000/- HCW / episode of needle stick injury are incurred as short term costs (5). Long term costs as anxiety, personal impact, adverse effect on work performance and potential litigation have not been factored in. The average transmission rates are highest for percutaneous injuries from hepatitis B (22-31%) that is positive for both hepatitis B surface antigen and hepatitis B antigen (1). The probability of transmission varies depending on whether the exposure is with a hollow bore needle or a solid needle due to higher fluid content and pathogen load.
Comments
Post a Comment