A needlestick injury is an incident which causes a used needle, blade (such as scalpel) or other medical instruments, to penetrate the skin. This is sometimes called a sharps or percutaneous injury. An eye splash injury is where blood or other body fluids make contact with the eye.
Accidental exposure to human blood, other body fluids or tissue, could lead to contracting a blood borne virus such as HIV, Hepatitis B (HBV) and Hepatitis C (HCV). The risk of infection varies according to the pathogen involved and the circumstances of the accident.
If you have an accident of this type, we cannot make the assumption that no potentially harmful exposure has occurred. If the potential exposure is from a patient, they may be unaware that they carry a blood borne virus, have not disclosed their status, or not have it recorded in their medical notes. An assessment by a clinician will be necessary.
