Surgeons warned they must report 'sharps injuries'

The majority of surgeons are not reporting injuries they receive from sharp instruments, according to a paper published this month.

In the report in the Annuals of the Royal College of Surgeons England, it was found only a quarter of surgeons followed proper procedure and reported all of their sharp injuries.

Such injuries include perforations of the skin caused by a needle, scalpel or other sharp object, which put surgeons at risk of blood-borne infections such as HIV.

The research was based on questioning surgeons at three distinct general hospitals. Although a large majority of the surgeons questioned had experienced one or more sharps injuries in the last year, only 25.8 per cent of those affected had reported them at all.

When asked why, more than a third of surgeons responded they did not think it was necessary as they considered the patient to be at a low risk of carrying an infectious virus. A further third said they had no time and almost a quarter simply said they were not concerned.

Emeritus professor Jangu Banatvala, a leading authority on virology, said: "Some surgeons do not fully appreciate the inherent risks and dangers associated with sharps injuries.

"This is an issue that can be addressed at the training stage: awareness and training of the risks of blood-borne infections should start in the undergraduate curriculum and be reinforced from time to time thereafter."

A report in 2003 recommended that all sharp injuries be reported by surgeons, in a bid to significantly reduce the chance of acquiring infections such as HIV.

John Black, president of the Royal College of Surgeons said: "While the probability of acquiring a blood borne infection remains low, the potential consequences are severe.

"In failing to report sharps injuries, surgeons are missing this opportunity for treatment, and masking the true scale of the problem.With a third of surgeons reporting they don't have time to report sharps injuries, NHS Trusts should ensure their reporting systems are easy, quick and well publicised within the hospital."

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