JRSM > Volume 97, Number 7 > Pp. 326-327

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Needle-stick injuries in the National Health Service: a culture of silence

B Elmiyeh MRCS  ¹ I S Whitaker MA MB  ¹ M J James FRCS FRCS (Plast)  ² C A A Chahal MB BSc  ⁵ A Galea MD AFRCS(Ed)  ³   K Alshafi FRCPath  ⁴

¹ Department of Anatomy, University of Cambridge
² Department of Plastic, Lister Hospital, Stevenage
³ Department Orthopaedic Surgery, Lister Hospital, Stevenage
⁴ Department of Microbiology, Lister Hospital, Stevenage
⁵ Department of Surgery, Leeds General Infirmary, Leeds, UK

Correspondence to: Dr I S Whitaker, 3 Magellan House, Armouries Way, Leeds LS10 1JE, UK
E-mail: Iain_Whitaker{at}yahoo.com

Injury by contaminated sharp instruments and needles constitutes a major occupational hazard for healthcare workers. In a confidential survey at a district general hospital, 300 healthcare professionals were asked about their personal experience of needle-stick injury and their attitudes to reporting.

279 individuals responded, of whom 38% had experienced at least one needle-stick (mean 1.8) in the past year and 74% had sustained such an injury during their careers (mean 3.0). Although 80% of respondents were aware that such incidents should be notified, only 51% of those affected had reported all needle-stick injuries. Doctors were less likely to report than nurses, despite a higher liability to injury.

This survey adds to evidence of a culture of silence pertaining to needle-stick injuries. The consequent risks to health, and the ethical and financial implications, remain uncertain.

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