What is the protocol for needle stick injury?

Category: medical health infectious diseases
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If you sustain a needlestick injury, take the following actions immediately: • Wash the wound with soap and water. Alert your supervisor and initiate the injury reporting system used in your workplace. Identify the source patient, who should be tested for HIV, hepatitis B, and hepatitis C infections.



Similarly, it is asked, what should you do after a needle stick injury?

Treating needlestick injuries

  1. Wash the area gently with soap and running tap water as soon as possible.
  2. Apply an antiseptic and a clean dressing.
  3. Obtain prompt medical advice from your local doctor or hospital emergency department, preferably within 24 hours.
  4. Dispose of the needle safely.

One may also ask, what constitutes a needle stick injury? Needlestick injury: A penetrating stab wound from a needle (or other sharp object) that may result in exposure to blood or other body fluids. The main concern is exposure to the blood or other body fluids of another person who may be carrying infectious disease.

Thereof, what is the protocol for a needlestick?

Wash needlesticks and cuts with soap and water. Flush splashes to the nose, mouth, or skin with water. Irrigate eyes with clean water, saline, or sterile irrigants. Report the incident to your supervisor. Immediately seek medical treatment.

How soon should you be tested after a needlestick?

You should be tested for HCV antibody and liver enzyme levels (alanine amino- transferase or ALT) as soon as possible after the exposure (baseline) and at 4-6 months after the exposure. To check for infection earlier, you can be tested for the virus (HCV RNA) 4-6 weeks after the exposure.

11 Related Question Answers Found

What is the most common cause of needlestick injury?

Hypodermic and butterfly needles cause the most number of needlestick injuries. Hypodermic needles are hollow and are used with a syringe to inject substances into the body.

What happens if you get pricked by a used needle?

Needle stick injuries can also happen at home or in the community if needles are not discarded properly. Used needles may have blood or body fluids that carry HIV, the hepatitis B virus (HBV), or the hepatitis C virus (HCV). The virus can spread to a person who gets pricked by a needle used on an infected person.

What are the chances of getting a disease from a needlestick?

Your chances of catching a disease from a single needle stick are usually very low. About 1 out of 300 health care workers accidentally stuck with a needle from someone with HIV get infected. But for hepatitis B, the odds can be as high as nearly 1 in 3 if the worker hasn't been vaccinated for it.

How long can a needle stay infected?

Refuse workers are also at risk of coming into contact with discarded needles. Moreover, studies have shown that HIV can survive in syringes for up to six weeks, 1, 2 while hepatitis C can remain detectable for two months.

Can you get hepatitis from a needlestick?


After a needlestick or sharps exposure to HCV-positive blood, the risk of HCV infection is 0.1% (24). If the health care worker does become infected, follow AASLD/IDSA guidelines for management and treatment of hepatitis C .

Should you squeeze a needle stick injury?

Do not squeeze or rub the injury site. If blood or blood products make contact with eyes, rinse the eyes gently but thoroughly (remove contact lenses), for at least 30 seconds, with water or normal saline.

How long does hepatitis live on needle?

Hepatitis C virus can survive in syringes for up to 63 days.

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