A global survey of surgeons has found that 95% have either been personally affected by a needlestick injury or seen a colleague experience one.
More than 500 surgeons from six countries participated in the survey, which was commissioned by medical solutions company Mölnlycke.
As a press release on the survey notes, about two million needlestick injuries occur among health workers annually, which result in increased risk of infection and exposure to HIV, hepatitis C and other bloodborne viruses.
The survey also asked surgeons about "high-quality" gloves, with 93% believing that such gloves reduce the chance of bloodborne virus exposure and 83% indicating that they believe the quality of gloves affect their sense of being protected from needlestick injuries.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) advises healthcare workers who experience a needlestick or sharps injury to follow these steps:
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