• Journal of Korean Academy of Fundamentals of Nursing
• /
• v.12 no.3
• /
• pp.337-346
• /
• 2005

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to investigate the levels in student nurse of knowledge, compliance and risk factor recognition for needlestick injuries. Method: Nine hundred and thirty eight(938) student nurse from 3 universities and 3 junior colleges participated in this study. Completed questionnaires were collected between October and November 2004. They were analyzed by using the descriptive statistics and $x^2$-test, t-test with the SAS program, Results: There were no significant differences in the general characteristics of participants between the two groups-Needlestick Injury(NSI) group and non-Needle stick Injury(non-NSI) group. The scores for knowledge levels of treatment after needle stick injuries and the risk factor recognition level were significantly higher in the NSI group. The scores for performance level as to handling and using needles after needlestick injuries were significantly higher in the non-NSI group. Conclusion: It is necessary to develop a preventive program to decrease the needlestick injury rate among student nurse.

• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
• /
• v.12 no.12
• /
• pp.5464-5468
• /
• 2011

This paper deals with the development of the safety lancet and the electric lancing device. The safety lancet, in which a needle and a protective cap become one body, is designed. It is to prevent the secondary contamination by needlestick injury because the needle is always in the protective cap except for a moment of blood-gathering. The electric lancing device powered by batteries is devised to be operated by the moving rod of solenoid hitting the lancet. and to be used after selecting the repeat or the single hitting mode. The impact force by a hitting rod, the expected life of battery and etc. are measured for product development. This lancing device can be also used for the bloodletting device of the oriental medicine.

• Infection and chemotherapy
• /
• v.50 no.4
• /
• pp.319-327
• /
• 2018

Background: Lancet-related needlestick injuries (NSIs) occur steadily in clinical practices. Safety-engineered devices (SEDs) can systematically reduce NSIs. However, the use of SEDs is not active and no study to guide the implementation of SEDs was known in South Korea. The lancet-related NSIs may be eliminated to zero incidence using a SED lancet with effective sharp injury protection and reuse prevention features. Materials and Methods: We implemented a SED lancet by replacing a conventional prick lancet in a tertiary hospital in a sequential approach. A spot test of the new SED was conducted for 1 month to check the acceptability in practice and a questionnaire survey was obtained from the healthcare workers (HCWs). A pilot implementation of the SED lancet in 2 wards was made for 1 year. Based on these preliminary interventions, a hospital-wide full implementation of the SED lancet was launched. The incidence of NSIs and cost expenditure before and after the intervention were compared. Results: There were 29 cases of conventional prick lancet-related NSIs for 3 years before the full implementation of SED lancet. The proportion of prick lancet-related NSIs among yearly all kinds of NSIs during two years before the pilot study was average 11.7% (22/188). Pre-interventional baseline incidence of all kinds of NSIs was 7.01 per 100 HCW-years. After the full implementation of SED lancet, the lancet-related NSIs became zero in the 2nd year (P = 0.001). The average direct cost of 18,393 US dollars (USD) per year from device and post-exposure medical care before the intervention rose to 20,701 USD in the 2nd year of the intervention. The incremental cost-effectiveness ratio was 210 USD per injury avoided. Conclusion: The implementation of a SED lancet could eliminate the lancet-related NSIs to zero incidence. The cost increase incurred by the use of SED lancet was tolerable.

• Journal of Korean Biological Nursing Science
• /
• v.16 no.1
• /
• pp.26-32
• /
• 2014

Purpose: Needlestick injuries (NSI) is the most frequent occupational hazard for healthcare personnel (HCP), and immediate report and adequate post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) is essential in preventing occupational transmission of blood-borne pathogens. Methods: From June 2010 to October 2010, 544 NSI were reported through websites from 21 general hospitals in Korea. Among those, 499 cases of NSI were analyzed to identify the rate of follow-up treatment completion and for seroconversion. Results: 88.2% of the cases were completed with follow-up treatment, 8.8% of the NSI were not completed with follow-up treatment, and 5 cases were unavailable to trace. 4.2% cases of NSI required a hepatitis B vaccination concurrent with hepatitis B immunoglobulin. 41.1% of the cases and 31.1% of the cases needed to be tested for anti HCV and anti HIV, respectively. Prophylaxis medication for HIV was prescribed in 3 cases, and all cases completed required 1 month of medication. There was 1 case (0.2%) of seroconversion to HCV. Conclusion: The PEP completion rate was not satisfactory, and the importance of completion of PEP treatment should be emphasized through education and counseling. Also, a careful risk assessment is needed for HCP who are exposed to HCV or HIV.

• Journal of dental hygiene science
• /
• v.24 no.3
• /
• pp.190-199
• /
• 2024

Background: Dental hygienists have a significant risk of infection due to occupational injuries caused by needles and sharp instruments. This study aimed to evaluate the current status of needle and "sharp-instrument injuries" among dental hygienists and to propose improved preventive guidelines. Methods: A total of 251 dental hygienists completed an online survey between August 1, 2023 and September 2, 2023. Data from 245 respondents were analyzed using IBM SPSS version 20, using independent t-tests and one-way analysis of variance to assess the frequency of injuries and their correlation with job characteristics. Results: Among the 251 dental hygienists, 77.6% had experienced needle or sharp-instrument injuries, with an average of 4.97 incidents per person. Infection prevention education significantly reduced the number of injuries, and participants with education exhibited better infection control practices than those without. Most injuries occurred during "instrument cleaning or maintenance" and "anesthesia preparation or disposal," with "scalers, probes, and curettes" being the main culprits. Hands were the most frequently injured body parts. Conclusion: Preventive measures, continuous education, and improved guidelines are required to create a safer dental working environment.

• Journal of Korean Biological Nursing Science
• /
• v.20 no.3
• /
• pp.187-195
• /
• 2018

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to identify associations among the sleep disturbance, fatigue, job stress, and blood and body fluid (BBF) exposure of shift-work nurses. Methods: A total of 299 shift-work nurses from two tertiary hospitals were enrolled in this study. We used the Insomnia Severity Index (ISI), and the Fatigue Severity Scale (FSS), and the Korean Occupational Stress Scale-Short Form (KOSS-SF) to evaluate sleep disturbance, fatigue, and job stress, respectively. The data were analyzed using t-test or chi-squared test and Logistic regression analysis using the SPSS 23.0 program. Results: We found that 43.8% of participants reported BBF exposure over the past year. Splash or exposure to broken skin of BBF were most frequent (56.9%), and followed by needlestick injuries (30.4%) and sharp injuries (12.8%). Age, hospital, working period, level of stress, sleep disturbance ($ISI{\geq}15$), fatigue (FSS $score{\geq}4$), job demand and organizational climate subset in KOSS-SF were significantly associated with BBF exposure in shift-work nurses. In multivariate analysis after adjusting age and hospital, the risk factors of BBF exposure in shift-work nurses were the level of stress and fatigue (FSS $score{\geq}4$). Conclusion: Fatigue and job stress were related to BBF exposure in shift-work nurses. Our results suggest that management of sleep disturbance, fatigue, and high job stress in shift-work nurses is needed to reduce risk of BBF exposure.

• Proceedings of the KAIS Fall Conference
• /
• 2010.11b
• /
• pp.820-823
• /
• 2010

본 연구는 채혈바늘에 의해 발생하는 2차 감염을 방지하기 위한 안전 랜싯(Lancet)을 설계 개발하고 연속하여 채혈하는 경우에 쉽게 그리고 편리하게 사용할 수 있도록 무선 전동방식의 채혈기를 설계제작을 목적으로 한다. 안전랜싯은 채혈침과 보호캡이 일체형으로 설계되어 채혈 순간을 제외하고는 채혈침이 항상 보호캡 속에 있도록 하여 채혈바늘에 의한 사고를 방지하도록 하였다. 전동 채혈기는 충전건전지를 전원으로 하고 솔레노이드의 작동으로 랜싯을 타격하여 채혈하도록 설계되었으며, 연발 타격 또는 단발타격의 기능을 선택하도록 설계 제작되었다. 이 채혈기는 한방병의원의 사혈기로도 사용되도록 제작되었다.

• Journal of Korean Critical Care Nursing
• /
• v.2 no.2
• /
• pp.28-41
• /
• 2009

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to identify the knowledge, perception and compliance to prevent from blood borne infection for the nurses working at operating room. Methods: The data was collected from the questionnaire surveying 330 operating room nurses from 7 different hospitals located in Seoul and Gyeonggi-do from February 11 to March 7 2008. The instrument for perception and compliance to prevent from blood borne infection was 24-item questionnaire, which had been developed by Choi(2005). In addition, to find out the knowledge level of hepatitis B, hepatitis C, AIDS and handling of syringes, 19-item questionnaire was used, which was developed by researcher based on Kim(2003) and Choi(2005). Results: The average score of the knowledge was 14.42. The average perception was 4.51 out of 5.00. The average compliance was 3.91 out of 5.00. The correlation among the knowledge, perception and compliance to prevent from blood borne infection showed that there was positive correlation between the knowledge and perception(r= .234, p= .000) and also it was positive between perception and compliance(r= .415, p= .000). Conclusion: To improve compliance to prevent from blood borne infection for operating room nurses, it should be studied to enhance the perception to prevent from blood borne infection. Moreover, the operating room should be equipped with protective devices and written safety guidelines.

• Journal of the Korea Society of Computer and Information
• /
• v.24 no.3
• /
• pp.175-179
• /
• 2019

This study is a descriptive research of paramedic students who could be exposed to blood and body fluids during the clinical practicum to analyze the risk factors. From June 1 to June 30, 2018, 172 paramedic students who attended the University in Jeolla-do region were analyzed. The collected data were analyzed by using the SPSS WIN 21.0 program. The general characteristics of subjects, the exposure level of blood and body fluids, and etc were obtained for frequency and percentage analysis. The study found that 72.7 percent of students had experience to blood or body fluids exposure during the clinical practicum. Except for any needle injury, 70.4 percent of student were exposed to blood or body fluids. 28.8 percent of them which was the highest percentage of injection injury were exposed during the venous blood draw. 36.5 percent of exposure were related to wound dressings which was the highest percentage related to clinical procedures. 71.2 percent of students mentioned that they did not report this exposure because 68.5 percent students thought that it has no danger. According to the survey on hepatitis B, 50.6% of students had antibodies, but 31.8 percent of students did not confirm that the antibodies were formed. Even though paramedic students do practical training in a hazardous environment with repeated exposure to blood and body fluids due to the nature of job characteristics, the systemic infection control education program is insufficient. In order to prevent exposure and to protect paramedic students who do practical training with patients, it is necessary to make more systematic and active efforts in the continuous monitoring and the preventive education.

• Journal of Dental Anesthesia and Pain Medicine
• /
• v.23 no.5
• /
• pp.281-285
• /
• 2023

Background: Dentists bend needles prior to certain injections; however, there are concerns regarding needle fracture, lumen occlusion, and sharps handling. A previous study found that a 30-gauge needle fractures after four to nine 90° bends. This fatigue life study evaluated how many 90° bends a 30-gauge dental needle will sustain before fracture when bent using a needle guide. Methods: Two operators at Element Materials Technology, an independent testing, inspection, and certification company tested 48 30-gauge needles. After applying the needle guide, the operators bent the needle to a 90° angle and expressed the anesthetic from the tip. The needle was then bent back to a 0° angle, and the functionality was tested again. This process was repeated until the anesthetic failed to pass through the end of the needle due to fracture or obstruction. Each operator tested 24 needles (12 needles from each lot), and the number of sustained bends before the needle fracture was recorded. Results: The average number of sustained bends before needle failure was 40.33 (95% confidence interval = 37.41-43.26), with a minimum of 20, median of 40, and a maximum of 54. In each trial, the lumen remained patent until the needle fractured. The difference between the operators was statistically significant (P < 0.001). No significant differences in performance between needle lots were observed (P = 0.504). Conclusion: Our results suggest that using a needle guide increases the number of sustained bends before needle fracture (P < 0.000001) than those reported in previous studies. Future studies should further evaluate the use of needle guides with other needle types across a variety of operators. Furthermore, additional opportunities lie in exploring workplace safety considerations and clinical applications of anesthetic delivery using a bent needle.