Occupational sharps and needlestick injuries among physician residents at an academic health center

Objective: Occupational sharps and needlestick injuries (SNSI) are a significant and persistent challenge in the U.S. healthcare work environment. With the purpose of better delineating contributing factors for a ubiquitous occupational injury among healthcare workers, we undertook a two-component study of SNSIs among physician residents and nurses at an academic health center.
Methods: Retrospective injury data among nurses (N = 58) and medical residents (N = 63) were analyzed. A 35-item crosssectional survey was used to evaluate the prevalence, non-reporting, and contributing factors among physician residents who sustained a SNSI (N = 76).
Results: Physician residents had a rate of injury that was 11.0 SNSIs/100 medical residents/year compared to nurses at 3.2 SNSIs/100 nurses/year; a rate three-fold higher. Physician residents in neurosurgery, otolaryngology, obstetrics and gynecology, and general surgery reported the highest rates of injury.
Conclusions: Our results underscore the need for a more comprehensive study to better identify injury drivers specific to the operating room environment.