Needlestick injuries among nursing staff members at a university hospital in the interior of São Paulo State

The risk presented by health care workers of acquiring bloodborne pathogens is well documented by the literature, which shows that Aids and Hepatitis acquired in the work setting is a real fact. This descriptive retrospective study was conducted in a university hospital in 1998 and aimed at analyzing needlestick injuries in nursing workers. Results showed that of the 398 officially reported occupational accidents, 125 (30.40%) were needlestick injuries and that 89 (71.20%) occurred among nursing workers. The most frequent occurrences took place during medication administration (25.78%). Authors concluded that nursing workers were the most frequently victimized workers by occupational accidents involving needlestick injuries.