Cochise County reports needle-stick injury at clinic; staff followed exposure protocol

Cochise County clinical staff notified the Board of Health of a sharps injury that occurred during vaccine administration on April 28. The nurse incurred a small puncture wound while adjusting a needle, observed bleeding and followed the department's exposure protocol.

Rosa Pando, clinical lead for Cochise County Health Department, said the nurse reported the incident immediately, performed handwashing, and completed a report of injury. "She followed protocol. She made those calls. She did the handwashing," Pando said. Workers' compensation paperwork was submitted and the nurse was scheduled for laboratory testing for infectious diseases per the exposure protocol.

Pando told the board that staff will incorporate recurring clinical education on sharps-injury prevention and post-exposure workflow at clinical staff meetings and involve the medical director in that training. She said the department will also clarify procedures related to voluntary release of a patient's infectious-disease information if a needle involved a a contaminated source.

Dr. Eric McLaughlin, jail medical and public-health medical director, described the injury as an unfortunate but recognized occupational hazard during vaccination clinics. "Flinching isn't just for 4 year olds," Dr. McLaughlin said, noting that patients' sudden movement can lead to accidental sticks. He described the county's response as a quality-management review that will produce lessons learned and inform changes to practice.

Board members asked questions about follow-up and about communicating lessons learned to clinic teams; staff said the incident produced no patient-to-staff transmission and that follow-up testing and education are ongoing.