BACKGROUND: Gloves are personal protective equipment designed to prevent contamination and reduce the spread of microorganisms. This study aimed to assess in vitro the physical integrity of latex gloves and the retention of biological contamination in healthcare simulation.
METHODS: Three different batches of latex procedure gloves from five different brands and specific batches were evaluated before use for physical integrity by the standard protocols of the Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) and of the American Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Moreover, the retention of biological contamination by latex procedure gloves in needlestick injury simulation with crystal violet and bacteriophages were applied in order to mimic human blood and virus presence.
RESULTS: Brands D and C showed the best and worst results in the immediate inspections and after 2 min, respectively. For Brand C, damage occurred in one finger/region in a total of 12 gloves, while seven gloves were damaged/unable to be worn. Brand D presented only two gloves with tears and/or holes in one finger/region. Regarding the viral contamination, in a simulated needlestick injury, data showed no significant difference among the groups.
CONCLUSIONS: All glove brands presented physical damage that might affect the spread of microorganisms. The gloves did not exert an additional protective effect during a needlestick injury simulation in accordance with the two techniques used in this study.

BACKGROUND: For most clinicians and nursing officers, laboratory testing is an unfamiliar part of medical caregiving, and ignorance may lead to serious avoidable errors. Phlebotomy, the first basic step towards laboratory testing, is to be taken seriously otherwise unnecessary repeat testing becomes mandatory. We hypothesized that there are some gaps in knowledge, attitude, and practice (KAP) among these nursing officers regarding practices of phlebotomy, which may influence the quality of blood samples. This study aims to assess the overall nurses\' knowledge, attitude, and practice of phlebotomy to provide a remarkable improvement in blood sampling practice in our hospital.
METHODS: A prospective study was conducted involving nurses posted in different wards in All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) Patna, India. A phlebotomy questionnaire was designed based on KAP on the clinical and laboratory standards of the WHO guidelines. A total of 30 questions were distributed among the nursing staff, 10 each from knowledge, attitude, and practice. Descriptive and logistic regression analyses were used to analyze the KAP levels and their influencing factors. All continuous variables were tested for normality conditions using the Shapiro-Wilk test and P>0.05 were considered for normality.
CONCLUSIONS: The total average score of knowledge among the nurses was 7.62 (95%CI: 15.77-16.56). It was found that the nurses, on average, had a very strong positive attitude (93.36%). Regarding the distribution of practices of nurses, it was found that 87% had good practice as most of the positive practice items had high responses. The knowledge of phlebotomy among nurses was found to be satisfactory, except in a few areas. An education program on phlebotomy should be developed for nurses to improve and enhance their knowledge of phlebotomy.

OBJECTIVE: To report the seroprevalence of bloodborne viral infection (BBVI) in patients undergoing ophthalmic surgeries and assess the utility and feasibility of preoperative screening for BBVI in India\'s current eye care system.
METHODS: This retrospective, hospital-based, descriptive study included data from patients undergoing preoperative screening for Hepatitis B virus (HBV), Hepatitis C virus (HCV), and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) at a tertiary eye care institute from 2018 to 2022. Rapid diagnostic tests (RDTs) were performed on the blood samples after obtaining informed consent from the patients. Seroreactive patients underwent surgery with additional safety precautions. The demographic data and surgical details of these patients were collected and analyzed. ANOVA was used to carry out statistical analysis between groups. During the study period, the number of healthcare workers (HCWs) sustaining needle stick injury (NSI) and accidental sharp injury (ASI) in the operating theater (OT) and details of these injuries were recorded.
RESULTS: Samples from 28,563 patients were included. The seroprevalence of BBVI was 1.87% (536/28563). Hepatitis B virus (322, 60.1%) was the most commonly detected infection, and HIV (59, 11%) was the least detected infection. The mean age of the seroreactive patients was 60.3 ± 30.8 years. The incidence of NSI was 0.49/1000 surgeries. Nurses (11) and technicians (4) in the OT sustained maximum NSI. None of the HCWs had seroconversion after NSI.
CONCLUSIONS: The overall seroprevalence of BBVI in the current study is lower than that reported in previously published studies from eye care organizations. Currently, mandatory preoperative screening for BBVI to prevent transmission of these infections to HCWs working in the eye care sector in India appears to be less cost-effective.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the prevalence of needlestick and sharps injuries (NSSIs) and associated factors among healthcare workers (HCWs) at King Hussein Cancer Centre (KHCC), Amman, Jordan.
METHODS: This retrospective cross-sectional study undertook a chart review of all HCWs that reported an NSSI between January 2015 and December 2021. Data collected included sociodemographic factors including age, sex, qualifications, and predictors of NSSIs such as working hours, work shift, and specific job roles within the oncology setting, work experience in KHCC, overall work experience and occupational category.
RESULTS: A total of 355 NSSIs were included in this study with a peak prevalence in 2019 (81 of 355; 22.8%). Nurses (220 of 355; 62.0%), housekeeping staff (59of 355; 16.6%) and physicians (45 of 355; 12.7%) were the most affected occupations. NSSIs were most common in the surgical floor (65 of 355; 18.3%) and operating rooms (56 of 355; 15.8%). Blood collection (94 of 355; 26.5%) and waste collection (65 of 355; 18.3%) were the two primary procedures resulting in NSSIs. The risk of injury was significantly associated with the locations of NSSIs, procedure that caused NSSIs, shift and overall experience.
CONCLUSIONS: NSSIs remain common among HCWs, which highlights the need for targeted education.

Even when education and the use of safety equipment are emphasized, nurses frequently experience needlestick injuries. Understanding the risk situations and coping mechanisms for needlestick injuries experienced by nurses facilitates their prevention.
We aimed to explore and describe the phenomenon of needlestick injuries through the research questions: (1) What causes nurses to suffer from needlestick injuries? (2) How to cope after a needlestick injury? and (3) What are the recommendations for needlestick injury prevention?
This qualitative descriptive study involved focus group interviews with 31 direct care nurses in 6 groups who had experienced needlestick injuries while working in different acute care hospitals across 3 regions in South Korea. Data were collected from January 29 to March 29, 2022, and analyzed using thematic analysis.
The average age of the participating nurses was 29.7 years. The following 3 themes were identified: various needlestick injury experiences, post-needlestick injury coping, and expectations regarding needlestick injuries.
Risk situations and coping mechanisms of nurses who experienced needlestick injuries were diverse. Emergency situations and novice nurses were the causes of most of the needlestick injuries. Often, personal protective equipment was found cumbersome. Reporting needlestick injuries depended on the work environment.

暂无摘要。

UNASSIGNED: Guidewire retention and sharps injury during central venous catheter insertion are errors that cause patient and healthcare professional harm. The WireSafeTM is a novel procedure safety pack engineered to prevent guidewire retention and sharps injury during central venous catheter insertion. This is a pilot study aimed to determine its acceptability, usability and safety during clinical practice.
UNASSIGNED: An observational time and motion study was conducted comparing central venous catheter insertion and sharps disposal practice using standard versus WireSafeTM techniques. One-year following implementation, a structured survey was conducted to determine clinician opinion and experiences of using the WireSafeTM.
UNASSIGNED: 15 procedures were observed using standard practice and 16 using the WireSafeTM technique. The WireSafeTM technique decreased the time taken from removal of the guidewire to disposal of sharps (standard 11.4 ± 5.6 min vs WireSafeTM 8.7 ± 1.4 min, p = 0.035), as well as total procedure time (standard 16 ± 7 min vs WireSafeTM 14.2 ± 2 min, p = 0.17), although this latter trend did not reach significance. Clinicians frequently practiced unsafe behaviour during sharps disposal in the standard group (53%), but when using the WireSafeTM technique, 100% exhibited safe practice by transferring sharps to the bin inside the sealed WireSafeTM box. One-year following implementation, 20 clinicians participated in the structured survey. Clinicians across three different departments used the WireSafeTM in varying clinical situations and reported that its use for central line insertion was either easier (10/20) or no different (10/20) compared to standard practice. All clinicians (20/20) felt that the WireSafeTM reduced the risk of guidewire retention and all stated that they approved of the WireSafeTM technique, and supported its use for convenience and safety benefits.
UNASSIGNED: Utilising the WireSafeTM for central line insertion facilitated earlier and safer sharps disposal, and the device was well supported by clinicians for its convenience and safety benefits.

BACKGROUND: Needle stick injury (NSI) is the most common cause of infection with blood-borne pathogens (BBP) among healthcare workers (HCWs). This study aimed to assess the prevalence of NSI and it\'s contributing factors among HCWs of hemodialysis (HD) units in southwest Iran.
METHODS: A cross-sectional study was performed in 13 HD centers in Shiraz, Iran. A total of 122 employees were enrolled in our study. We used self-administrated questionnaires to collect data about demographics, experiences regarding NSIs, and general health status. The statistical tests used in this study were Chi-square and Independent T-test. A P-value < 0.05 is considered significant.
RESULTS: The mean age of the study population was 36.1 ± 7.8 years (72.1%: women). Exposure to NSIs was reported by 23.0% of them at least once during the previous six months. NSI prevalence was significantly higher among those with higher age (p = 0.033), work experience > 10 years (p = 0.040), and those who graduated earlier (p = 0.031). The intravenous injection was the most common procedure leading to NSI, and being in a hurry was the most common cause. The average general health was 3.7 ± 3.2, higher among those not exposed to NSI (p = 0.042).
CONCLUSIONS: NSI is a prevalent hazard in HCWs of HD units. The high rate of NSI and unreported cases, besides the lack of adequate information, indicates the necessity of implementing protocols and strategies for improving the safety of this personnel. It is difficult to compare the result of this study with those performed among HCWs in other settings; hence, further studies are needed to determine whether HCWs of these units are more exposed to NSIs.

OBJECTIVE: Investigate the incidence and mechanisms of sharps injuries (SI) to staff using Lovenox and generic enoxaparin prefilled syringes.
METHODS: Four national adverse event databases were examined over a 12-year period for incidence and brands involved with injury events to staff using enoxaparin prefilled syringes.
RESULTS: The search revealed 581 adverse events (including 20 sharps injuries) associated with device malfunction in 8 of 16 brands, with one brand mentioned significantly more frequently than others. No national alert had been issued.
CONCLUSIONS: Use of certain brands of enoxaparin prefilled syringes poses a small but serious risk of injury to staff. Conducting root cause analyses on all SI is essential, as is the need for regularly evaluating safer devices, reporting all device incidents, enabling simpler reporting of adverse events, and establishing more effective intervention by FDA and manufacturers.

Dental interns are vulnerable to needlestick injuries (NSI). The objectives of this study were to examine the prevalence and characteristics of NSI exposures among dental interns during their first-year clinical training, assess risk factors, and evaluate reporting behaviours.
An online survey was conducted among dental interns of Class 2011-2017 at Peking University School and Hospital of Stomatology (PKUSS), China. The self-administrated questionnaire consisted of information on demographic profiles, NSI characteristics, and reporting practices. The outcomes were presented by descriptive statistics. A multivariate regression analysis was performed to assess NSI sources using a forward step-wise approach.
A total of 407 dental interns completed the survey (response rate 91.9%, 407/443), and 23.8% sustained at least one NSI. The mean number of NSIs per intern was 0.28 during the first clinical year. More occupation exposures occurred from October to December, between 13:00-15:00. Syringe needles were the most frequent sources, followed by dental burs, suture needles, and ultrasonic chips. The risk of peer-inflicted NSIs in the department of Paediatric Dentistry was 12.1 times higher than that in Oral Surgery (OR 12.1, 95% CI: 1.4-101.4). Appropriately 64.9% NSIs occurred when chairside assistants were absent. Compared to working alone, the risk of peer-inflicted NSIs was 32.3 times higher when providing chairside assistance (OR 32.3, 95% CI: 7.2-145.4). The left-hand index finger was the most commonly injured site. About 71.4% of exposures were reported in paperwork.
Dental interns are susceptible to NSIs during their first-year clinical training. Extra attention should be paid to syringe needles, dental burs, suture needles, and ultrasonic chips. The lack of chairside assistance is hazardous regarding NSIs. The training of chairside assistance of the first-year dental interns should be enhanced. First-year dental interns are required to increase their awareness of ignored behaviors related to NSI exposures.