You must file an exposure incident report. A stick from a used needle counts as an exposure incident, because the sharp carried the patient's blood. The written report starts the steps that follow: a medical evaluation for you, testing of the source patient when the law allows it, and follow-up care. Your employer is required to have this report filled out right away, while the facts are fresh and while treatment still helps.
The rule behind this comes from OSHA, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, part of the U.S. Department of Labor. Its regulation is called Occupational Exposure to Bloodborne Pathogens. It applies to every medical office in the country with at least one worker who may touch blood or other infectious material. Bloodborne pathogens are germs carried in blood, such as HIV, the human immunodeficiency virus, and HBV, the hepatitis B virus. The same rule sets the daily habits that prevent these sticks: wash hands, wear gloves, never bend or recap a used needle by hand, and drop each sharp straight into a puncture-resistant sharps container.
Remember the order of events. Wash the site, tell your supervisor, then complete the exposure incident report and get evaluated. Reporting a needlestick the right way is a core part of the COA medical ethics, legal, and regulatory content area.
Incorrect Answers
- A. A plain incident report covers events like a fall in the waiting room. It does not trigger the bloodborne follow-up that a needlestick needs.
- B. The exposure control plan is the office's plan written ahead of time. It is reviewed each year, not filled out after a stick.
- D. A hepatitis B vaccine declination form is signed only when a worker turns down the free vaccine. It is not used after a needlestick.
Testing Pearls
- A stick from a used sharp is an exposure incident and needs a written exposure incident report.
- The rule comes from OSHA, in the standard called Occupational Exposure to Bloodborne Pathogens.
- It covers any U.S. medical office with at least one worker who may contact blood.
- Bloodborne pathogens include HIV and hepatitis B virus.
- Discard every used sharp into a puncture-resistant sharps container, and never recap by hand.
References
- American Academy of Ophthalmology. Ophthalmic Medical Assisting: An Independent Study Course. Chapter 7, Microorganisms and Infection Control.
- American Academy of Ophthalmology. Ophthalmic Medical Assisting: An Independent Study Course. Chapter 20, Medical Ethics, Legal Issues, and Regulatory Issues.
- Occupational Safety and Health Administration. Bloodborne Pathogens standard. osha.gov
