Sharps injuries among attending physicians and medical trainees in Massachusetts

Due to the nature of work and inexperience, medical trainees may face a greater risk of sharps injures (Sis) than their senior colleagues. Studies comparing injury patterns of medical trainees and attending physicians are needed for targeting prevention. State public health regulations require all hospitals licensed by the Massachusetts Department of Public Health to report SIs among workers to the MDPH Sharps Injury Surveillance System. Data on 6,204 SIs among attending physicians and medical trainees during 2002-2007 were examined.

Medical trainees experienced 59.4% (3,686) of all injuries among physicians. Medical trainees and attending physicians were injured most often in operating/procedure rooms. The greatest variation in SIs occurred in intensive care units; medical trainees accounted for 80% (441) of the injuries. Over the academic year from July 2002 – June 2007, medical trainees experienced the greatest number of SIs in the first quarter of the year (867) vs. last quarter (708), while SIs among attending physicians were more evenly distributed throughout the year. Among injuries involving devices for which sharps injury prevention features (SESIPs) are widely available, SESIPs accounted for 41% of SIs to medical trainees and 32% of SIs to attending physicians.

The different patterns of SIs for attending physicians and medical trainees may be partially explained by their clinical roles which determines the devices used and that inexperience is a risk factor for SI. Findings also suggest that SESIPs should be more widely adopted, and that additional training in the appropriate use of SESIPs is needed for all physicians.