Needlestick injuries are relatively common among surgical students but often go unreported, according to a study published in the December issue of Academic Medicine.

In a survey of nearly 700 medical school graduates who had trained to be surgeons, Johns Hopkins University researchers found that about 3 out of 5 of them had been stuck by a needle during their training. Nearly half of those who'd been stuck said they didn't report the incident, citing the lengthy time and paperwork associated with reporting as the most common reasons for keeping quiet.

Martin A. Makary, MD, associate professor of surgery and health policy at Johns Hopkins, notes that requiring needlestick victims to fill out extensive paperwork and get signatures from their supervisors before seeking treatment is impractical in the busy setting of a hospital. "It's easy to say that if you get a needlestick injury, take care of it," he says. "It's a different thing when you've got this system that puts undue pressure on them not to report."

Dr. Makary recommends that facilities enact simpler policies for reporting needlestick injuries and getting treatment for the victim's potential exposure to bloodborne pathogens.

Irene Tsikitas