Public HealthInjury PreventionSurgeryOccupational HealthPatient SafetyWorkplace Injury PreventionDevice SafetyMedical Device SafetyOccupational SafetySafety AssessmentSafety EvaluationSurgical SafetyClinical Safety EvaluationNeedle Safety DevicesNeedle Stick Injury PreventionPhlebotomy SafetyPhlebotomy Therapy
HEALTH-CARE workers (HCWs) are at risk for infections with bloodborne pathogens resulting from occupational exposures to blood through percutaneous injuries (PIs). Phlebotomy, one of the most commonly performed medical procedures, has been associated with 13%-62% of injuries reported to hospital occupational health services<sup>1,2</sup>and with 20 (39%) of the 51 documented episodes of occupationally acquired human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection reported in the United States (CDC, unpublished data, 1996). Although safety devices designed to prevent PIs Associated with phlebotomy have been available for use in the United States, clinical evaluation of these devices has been difficult because (1) ascertainment of PIs is difficult (many injuries are unreported,<sup>2,3</sup>and observation of all procedures is impractical because phlebotomy is performed throughout the hospital by different groups of HCWs at all hours), (2) data to calculate PI rates (i.e., the number of phlebotomies performed and devices
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