Thursday, June 26, 2008
Survey: Nurses being stuck by standard syringes, not reporting needlesticks
Nearly two-thirds of nurses have been accidentally stuck with a needle while working, according to the results of an online survey conducted by the American Nurses Association, Silver Spring, MD.
Despite the passage of the Needlestick Safety and Prevention Act of 2000, which mandated the use of safety syringes, 75 percent of the needlestick injuries reported in the survey involved a standard syringe. Even more troubling, the survey found, is that only 79 percent of needlestick incidents were reported, and one-third of all nurses who were stuck failed to have the injury evaluated or treated.
Further, fears about workplace safety affects the way nurses do their job, the study found. More than 80 percent of the 706 nurses surveyed said that increasing workloads and on-the-job stress levels impact their workplace safety. Fifty-nine percent of nurses said when they feel pressured, they are more inclined to work faster and take shortcuts.