Accidental needlestick injuries: a current issue for workers in the health‐care industry and their employers

Abstract

Sharp tools, instruments and needles have been used in the practice of medicine for thousands of years. Although uses for these types of instruments have become sophisticated over the years, disposal of these instruments has not evolved in a corresponding way. Thousands of health‐care workers are incurring needlestick injuries at work every day. With our current knowledge of how incurable and sometimes fatal diseases are spread through dirty needlestick injuries, we must protect our employees from this risk. While we cannot eliminate the risk, we can take proactive measures to reduce significantly these risks. Some health professionals charged with the responsibility of managing these risks are being legislated into accepting increased accountability. This article discusses how to take a proactive approach to this problem, and perhaps avoid the potential excessive operating expenditures that some colleagues have incurred because of political legislation influenced in large part by trade unions.

Citation

Gillis, J. (2000), "Accidental needlestick injuries: a current issue for workers in the health‐care industry and their employers", Leadership in Health Services, Vol. 13 No. 1, pp. 1-5. https://doi.org/10.1108/13660750010304194