A needle-stick injury refers to a healthcare worker accidentally puncturing their own skin with a needle that has previously been used to inject a patient. Needle-stick injuries can occur at any time, but they happen most frequently during and immediately after an injection is given. They can also occur when needles are not disposed of in safety boxes, for example when a healthcare worker picks up contaminated waste in which a needle has been left unnoticed.

In general, the more injection equipment that is handled, the greater the risk of needle-stick injuries. But these injuries are preventable. The box below lists the simple steps you can follow to reduce the risk of needle-stick injuries.

Steps to reduce the risk of needle-stick injuries

Handle needles and syringes as little as possible; avoid recapping the needle after use, and do not remove a used needle from the syringe.
Handle needles and syringes safely; ensure you wear suitable gloves, and avoid recapping needles.
Set up the injection preparation area so as to reduce the risk of injury. A safe work area for a clinic is shown in the figure below.
Position the patient, especially children, correctly for injections.
Place a safety box close to where the injections are being given, so that used syringes and needles can be disposed of immediately. Practise safe disposal of all contaminated sharps and waste.

Injection area with safe injection procedures posted on the wall, (Zomba Mental Hospital, Malawi). The yellow safety box for collecting used needles and syringes can be seen in the right-hand corner. (Photo: courtesy of Dr Aschalew Endale, FMOH/WHO)