A recent survey found that the vast majority (94 per cent) of practising surgeons in the UK have either been personally affected by a needlestick injury (NSI) or have seen a colleague experience one.
The Royal College of Nursing also reported last year that the pressures of the pandemic and lack of training accounted for a 50 per cent rise in sharps injuries.
While the risk of infection following an NSI is low, the risks of contaminating HIV, hepatitis or another bloodborne illness are still concerning.
To tackle the issue, UK firm NeedleSmart has designed an end-to-end vaccination and safe needle destruction system aimed at reducing the 100,000 NSIs experienced by NHS workers in the UK each year.
As well as destroying the hypodermic needle, it also provides a full audit trail of each needle, charting the journey from its initial deployment, through to its assignment to healthcare staff, injection to patient, and ultimately its safe destruction.
The Pro...