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