[Incidence of a needle stick injury occurring in a needleless intravenous system]

A needle stick injury occurred with a needleless intravenous system. When a nurse picked up a disposable glove left on the floor of an operating room to discard it, there was an intravenous needle left under the glove and caused a needle stick injury to the nurse. Although the needle was designed as a needleless intravenous system, we found after a close observation that there is a potential hazard for a needle stick injury regarding the needle. The incidence happened due to the negligence of standard precaution by another health care provider (a doctor); leaving the contaminated needle on the floor. Unfortunately, the disposable glove fell on the needle for some reason and concealed it. Should the doctor follow the standard precaution properly, i.e. discard it in a puncture-resistant sharps container immediately, this incidence might not have happened. Any safety device may not prevent incidence 100%, we have to always heed and follow a standard precaution.