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Needlestick Injuries to the Feet of Japanese Healthcare Workers: A Culture-Specific Exposure Risk

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 January 2015

Toru Yoshikawa
Affiliation:
Research Group for Occupational Infection Control and Prevention in Japan, Tokyo, Japan Human Care Service Research Group, Institute for Science of Labour, Kawasaki, Tokyo, Japan
Kiyoshi Kidouchi
Affiliation:
Research Group for Occupational Infection Control and Prevention in Japan, Tokyo, Japan Department of Microbiology, Nagoya City Public Health Research Institute, Nagoya City, Tokyo, Japan
Satoshi Kimura
Affiliation:
Research Group for Occupational Infection Control and Prevention in Japan, Tokyo, Japan AIDS Clinical Center, International Medical Center of Japan, Tokyo, Japan Tokyo Teishin Hospital, Tokyo, Japan
Takashi Okubo
Affiliation:
Research Group for Occupational Infection Control and Prevention in Japan, Tokyo, Japan Division of Healthcare Information, Department of Infection Prevention and Control, Tokyo Healthcare University, Tokyo, Japan
Jane Perry*
Affiliation:
International Healthcare Worker Safety Center, Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Infectious Diseases, University of Virginia Health System, Charlottesville, Virginia
Janine Jagger
Affiliation:
International Healthcare Worker Safety Center, Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Infectious Diseases, University of Virginia Health System, Charlottesville, Virginia
*
International Healthcare Worker Safety Center, University of Virginia Health System, 1224 West Main Street, Suite 400, Charlottesville, VA 22903 ([email protected])

Abstract

A comparison of needlestick injury surveillance data from Japan and the United States revealed a higher proportion of foot injuries to Japanese healthcare workers (HCWs), compared with US HCWs. This study investigates the underlying factors that contribute to this difference and proposes evidence-based prevention strategies to address the risk, including the use of safety-engineered needle devices, point-of-use disposal containers for sharp instruments and devices, and closed-toe footwear.

Type
Concise Communication
Copyright
Copyright © The Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America 2007

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