Needlestick and puncture wounds: definition of the problem.

During 1979, all hospital personnel who were victims of needlestick or puncture wounds completed an incident questionnaire so that the epidemiology of these events could be determined. The attack rate varied from a high of 20 to a low of 0.8 incident/100 employee years worked (mean 7.5) for different employee groups. Personal carelessness accounted for 55% of the 81 incidents, whereas 35% of the involved personnel were innocent victims. Needles were responsible for 58% of the incidents. Screening for hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) revealed no positive patient or employee associated with needlestick or puncture wounds. Only 2 of 45 employees were hepatitis B surface antibody (anti-HBs) positive. Hepatitis B immune globulin (HBIG) was recommended for 4 employees, immune serum globulin (ISG) for 13, and no globulin for 65. The estimated cost of this surveillance program and globulin therapy was $60 per incident. This data is being used as the basis for in-service training of high-risk personnel in order to decrease the number of incidents.