Blood being drawn with a Vacutainer. A protective cap (pink) protects the needle after it is removed. The prevention of<unk> es should focus on those health care workers that are most at risk. The group most at risk are surgeons and surgical staff in the operating room who sustain<unk> es from suture needles and other sharps used in operations. There are basically three complementary approaches to prevention of these sharps<unk> es. The first one is the use of tools that have been changed so that they are less likely to lead to a sharps<unk>  such as blunt or taper-point surgery needles and safety engineered scalpels. Needleless connectors (NCs) were introduced in the 1990s to reduce the risk of health care worker<unk> es. The second is to start using safe working practices such as the hands-free technique. The third line of prevention is increased personal protective equipment such as the use of two pairs of gloves. In addition to these preventive approaches implementation measures are necessary because the measures are not universally taken up. To achieve better implementation, legislation, education and training are necessary among all health care workers at risk. Another large group at risk are nurses but their frequency of exposure is much less than in surgeons. Their main risk comes from the use and disposal of injection syringes. The same prevention approaches can be implemented here. There are many so-called safety engineered devices such as retractable needles, needle shields/sheaths, needle-less IV kits, and blunt or valved ends on IV connectors. The use of extra gloves is less common among nurses. Some studies have found that safer needles attached to syringes reduce<unk> es, but others have shown mixed results or no benefit. The adherence to "no-touch" protocols that eliminate direct contact with needles during use and disposal greatly reduces the risk of<unk> es. In the surgical setting, especially in abdominal operations, blunt-tip suture needles were found to reduce<unk> <unk> es by 69%. Blunt-tip or tapered-tip suture needles can be used to sew muscle and fascia. Though they are more expensive than sharp-tipped needles, this cost is balanced by the reduction in<unk> es, which are expensive to treat. Sharp-tipped needles cause 51-77% of surgical<unk> es. The American College of Surgeons (ACS) and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) have endorsed the adoption of blunt-tip suture needles for suturing fascia and muscle. Hollow-bore needles pose a greater risk of<unk>  than solid needles, but hollow-bore needle<unk> es are highly preventable: 25% of hollow-bore needle<unk> es to healthcare professionals can be prevented by using safer needles . Gloves can also provide better protection against<unk> es from tapered-tip as opposed to sharp-tipped needles. In addition, a Cochrane review showed that the use of two pairs of gloves (double gloving) can significantly reduce the risk of<unk>  in surgical staff. Triple gloving may be more effective than double gloving, but using thicker gloves does not make a difference. A Cochrane review found low quality evidence showing that safety devices on IV start kits and venipuncture equipment reduce the frequency of<unk> es. However, these safety systems can increase the risk of exposure to splashed blood. Education with training for at-risk healthcare workers can reduce their risk of<unk> es. The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) has a campaign (Stop Sticks) to educate at-risk healthcare workers.
Needlestick injury
Animal bite
Spider bite
Stab wound
Dog bite
Self-inflicted wound
Insect bites and stings
Cat bite