Needle Stick Injuries

Blood-borne infections are not spread by respiratory droplets, so the use of masks is not necessary.

The standard precautions are implemented at all times to decrease the risk of transmitting infectious agents. Assuming that all patients could carry an infection, this minimises the potential spread of HAI’s. These standard precautions include routine hand hygiene, the use of personal protective equipment, safe handling and disposure of sharps and routine environmental cleaning.4,5 In this situation, where blood is present, this is considered a biohazard. Hand hygiene must be performed before touching the patient, before and after any procedures or exposure to bodily substances and after touching the patient or any of the patient’s surroundings. The use of Personal protective equipment should be used when attending to the patient. This includes protective eye wear, a surgical mask and an apron for protection from any splashes or sprays of blood generated by the patient. Gloves should also be worn for single use only when coming in contact with open skin and bodily fluids. To minimise the spread of blood, the bystander with visibly soiled hands should also be advised to thoroughly clean them with soap and

For this study, researchers obtained 18 volunteers, all of whom were experienced health care workers. This study was completed in two separate phases, a double-gloving phase, and a single-gloving phase. Each participant was educated as to proper CDC guidelines for donning and doffing of personal protective equipment (PPE), and were able to review these guidelines and

Health care workers are at risk of being exposed to blood-borne pathogens through needle-stick and other sharp object injuries. The pathogens of primary concern are the human immunodeficiency virus, hepatitis B virus, and hepatitis C virus. When a needle-stick injury occurs, workers report the incident to their supervisor. This information is forwarded to county health departments and ultimately to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). A CDC researcher used these data to compare needle-stick injuries in community hospitals and tertiary-care hospitals. Is this a paired or independent comparison? Explain your answer.

Stethoscope is one of the most commonly used medical devices on a clinical setting, the environment of which is often represented a potential vector for hospital acquired infections. Scholars highlights that the sterilization of invasive equipments and the disinfection of any kind of devices before the interventions are generally ignored (Kilic et al., 2011). Among those devices, stethoscope is the widely-used equipment with the most possibility of contamination of transmitted organism. Researchers emphasize that the increasing proliferation of infection required diligent hygiene of both hands and instruments between patients to reduce hospital acquired infections (Shaw and Cooper, 2014). Therefore, a survey is being conducted with a brief nurse-directed questionnaire to review perceived reasons for stethoscope antisepsis non-compliance and stethoscope antisepsis compliance. The purpose of this project is to improve compliance with stethoscope care before and after patient contact on the Acute Medical and Progressive Care Unit (D6/5) at University Hospital in Madison, Wisconsin. The following

In Plato’s Republic Book I, Socrates debate with Cepahlus, Polemarchus, and Thrasymachus on what justice is. Thrasymachus, the sophist, has the most complex account of justice. He states that justice is the advantage of the stronger, which Socrates vividly rejects. In this essay, I will look into Socrates’ refutation against Thrasymachus, and examine how successful his refutation is.

You brought up a good question about how IV drug users currently obtain needles. One possibility is by theft. Needles are often reused and needle exchange programs will have a positive impact on reducing the spread of disease by sharing needles. I found a website that instructs users in methods to clean needles, http://www.friendtofriend.org/drugs/needles.html before reusing them. The Friend to Friend webpage does suggest that users give up their addiction, but provide methods for cleaning needles as an option for those individuals who do not have access to clean ‘works’.

Germs and many other diseases spread primarily through airborne particles, skin to skin contact, and or touching objects such as door handles, hospital buttons, or by sharing patient possessions. Nurses and other health care clinicians are constantly in physical contact with many different patients, who all have varying illness’ and diseases themselves. Many may also carry a

Gloves, goggles, masks and gowns are minimum recommended requirements of PPE in any clinical environment where contact with blood or bodily fluid is likely (HSE 2011). Although wearing gloves does not prevent injury. It minimises exposure and cross contamination, reducing the risk of infection (AFPP 2011). The healthcare professional in the diary decided not to wear gloves because they catch on her rings and tear. This suggests that the rings have jagged edges or stones, which potentially could cause injury to the patient and also pose as an infection risk. Professional guidelines also dictate that staff should be bare below the

Could you live off the grid? To actively remove all tech from your life? There is no doubt that our digital society is expanding at a rapid rate, sometimes finding it difficult to keep up with the latest and greatest. That is why many Americans are choosing to abandon all modern technology for a simpler way of living. In a two-part series from Seeker Stories called Could You Handle Living Off the Grid? (2015), currently on YouTube, explores one family’s journey to actively remove themselves from the grid. Nick Fouch and Esther Emery, who along with their three children, move into the backwoods of eastern Idaho; no electricity; no running water; no means of communication. Obviously, some sacrifices had to be made in order to accomplish what they set out to do, that is, to be connected to each again on an interpersonal level. The series poses interesting questions about the loss of family togetherness at the expense of digital connectivity and observes a sort of digital withdraw when that connectivity is stripped away. Revealing about how society has become highly dependent to our tech, identifying more with a smartphone then our own family and friends. Tech, while useful to a large degree, establishes our online presence based on a system of curated profiles that are essentially digital façades of true identity, this is significant because perhaps our personal identity, while at one point was only influenced by unique characteristics, is slowly being

Each year, 385,000 needlestick injuries and other sharps related injuries are sustained by hospital based healthcare professionals; which equates to an average of almost 1,000 sharps injuries per day in the U.S. Accidental needlestick and sharps not only cause injuries, but they also carry a major risk for transmission of blood borne infections. Although virtually all healthcare workers are at risk of harm from occupational exposures such as these, the Center for Disease Control notes that nurses sustain approximately half of all needlestick injuries. While there are several precautions and regulations implemented on the administration and disposal of sharps, many

Close contact with blood and bodily fluids leaves paramedics vulnerable to contracting infectious diseases. To treat trauma victims, paramedics must perform advanced procedures using needles and other sharp surgical instruments. Paramedics risk infections from blood-borne pathogens from the Hepatitis B and C viruses, and the human immunodeficiency virus, which causes AIDS. Paramedics are also at risk from the splashing of blood or bodily fluids, especially if they don't wear protective eye goggles and face masks. Working in all types of indoor and outdoor environments exposes paramedics to hazardous chemicals; materials and sounds that may lead to significant hearing loss; and psychological stresses.

The target of my invention was to regulate my diet and increase my exercise. The behavior I was trying to change is to stop being inactive and instead being more active and eating healthier. The outcome I was expecting from this intervention is to decrease in weight and increase in energy and become more active. For diet, the target of my invention was to decrease the amount of carbohydrates (e.g. bread, pasta, rice) I consume and increase my consumption of healthy fat and protein such as fish, meat, eggs, peanuts etc. I also wanted to increase the amount of vegetables I consumed such as salad, broccoli, tomatoes, etc. For exercise, the target of my interventions was to increase the amount of exercise I do per day (with the exception of Sundays) with at least 20 minutes of walking. My main goal overall is to increase my energy, lose weight, and maintain a healthy lifestyle. The benefits this will make to my lifestyle is it will help me have more willpower and reduce the chances of me obtaining severe illness in the future.

Every day while caring for patients, health care workers risk exposure to infectious diseases, especially bloodborne viruses due to accidental punctures with needlesticks and sharps. Preventable injuries caused by percutaneous puncture wounds with sharp objects contaminated with bloodborne pathogens are all too common in the hospital environment. Many healthcare workers simply accept these risks as part of their job (Wilburn, S., 2004). Needlestick and sharp injuries (NSIs) present major potential problems for hospital workers who come into regular contact with needles, workers such as nursing staff, lab workers, physicians, and housekeepers who work where sharps are typically present. Misapplication of needles, scalpels, lancets, broken glass, or other medical instruments only heighten this risk. Exposed individuals are at serious risk of contracting infectious diseases such as Hepatitis B, Hepatitis C, and Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV), which are transmitted through blood pathogens from contaminated needles or sharp devices (Cho, E. & others, 2013).

If you are a health worker, always wear protective gloves in situations that involve exposure to blood or other body fluids.