Epidemiology of sharp object injuries in a children's hospital

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 a-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.