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There are occupational health departments at the Freeman hospital, Royal Victoria Infirmary and Newcastle General hospital. Contact details for the CLINICAL AND EVALUATION UNIT are at the bottom of the page. Dr John Harrison is based in the Medical School of Newcastle University. (e-mail) Mrs C E Harrison is Clinical Nurse Leader in Occupational Health, based at Newcastle General hospital. (e-mail) 2. I HAVE A NEEDLESTICK INJURY All sharps and needlestick injuries MUST be taken seriously. Administer First Aid, by holding the affected area under a running tap, wash with soap and water and gently encourage bleeding. Report all injuries. A risk assessment must be carried out. Subsequent action will depend on:
The status of the source patient or person The nature of the injury All recipients of needlestick injuries should have blood taken for storage. All patients should be asked to consent to being tested for hepatitis B, hepatitis C or HIV, as appropriate. Post-exposure prophylaxis may be required URGENTLY if HIV or hepatitis B infection is likely. Contact the local occupational health department (8AM - 5PM) or A&E/EAS out of hours. There is an on-call advisory service from microbiology and/or consultants in infectious diseases. For background information the UK Health Departments Guidance for Clinical Health Care Workers: Protection against infection with blood-borne viruses is essential reading. For the hepatitis B Clinical Framework, click on hepatitis B. |
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CLINICAL & EVALUATION UNIT |
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