Copyright 1999 The New York Times Company
The New
York Times
December 7, 1999, Tuesday, Late Edition -
Final
SECTION: Section F; Page 8; Column 5; Health
& Fitness
LENGTH: 320 words
HEADLINE: VITAL SIGNS: SAFETY;
Allaying Health
Workers' Worst Fear
BYLINE: By ERIC NAGOURNEY
BODY:
The physical sensation is fleeting, but the
emotional trauma can linger for months. And in the worst cases, the physical
harm can be lifelong, or even fatal.
Health care workers call it the
needle stick, and for many it is their greatest fear on the
job, because one small slip could infect them with H.I.V., hepatitis or a
similar cause of disease. Each year, federal authorities estimate, there are
600,000 to 800,000 such mistakes among the nation's eight million health care
workers, although most do not result in infection. "It is a terrible ordeal,"
said Dr. Linda Rosenstock, director of the National Institute for Occupational
Safety and Health.
For medical workers, the greatest risk comes if they
stick themselves with a needle used on a patient with hepatitis B; the chance of
infection is as high as 30 percent. It is believed to be much more difficult to
acquire infections of AIDS or other forms of hepatitis through needle sticks.
Now the agency, part of the federal Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention, has issued guidelines meant to reduce the risk of needle-stick
injuries to health workers. Officials say they hope to extend the success some
institutions have already had in reducing the incidents -- in some cases as much
as 88 percent -- in medical offices across the country.
Although many
devices already exist to reduce the risk, Dr. Rosenstock said, they are not in
widespread use. Only about 15 percent of hospitals, for example, are reported to
use needles with safety attachments.
The institute is recommending that
needles be eliminated whenever possible. For intravenous treatment, for example,
they can be replaced with connectors that attach to each other with blunt or
valved connectors. When needles cannot be avoided, the agency recommends using
equipment with safety features, like shields.
The recommendations are
available online, at www.cdc.gov/niosh. http://www.nytimes.com
LOAD-DATE: December 7, 1999 
