By Dr. John Molinari and Peri NelsonQ: I poked myself with a sterilized Cavitron tip yesterday and got a very deep cut on my hand. What is the proper procedure for working with patients when I have this type of injury? I am a hygienist and constantly wash my hands and don gloves all day. Is there a risk of staph infection? A: The fact that the accident occurred with a sterilized tip suggests that the risk of subsequent infection from the tip itself is very low, depending on the efficacy of the sterilization cycle. As for what to do after the accident, your practice should already have a post-exposure management plan in place as component of the larger infection control plan. This may be labeled as Exposure Incident Protocol or something to that effect in the compliance manual. Washing hands very well immediately after the accident is important, and I assume that was what was done. After that, follow up that same day with the medical facility your practice is contracted with for post-exposure evaluations would be able to determine what type of treatment and/or temporary barrier was needed for the finger (i.e. stitches, antibiotics). The medical professional who saw you may also give their opinion about whether you should practice immediately depending on the extent of the wound. As for practicing, the routine hand hygiene procedures (i.e. hand washing and alcohol-based hand sanitizers) used as a component of your standard precautions work well. Remember also you are wearing gloves for every patient and these serve as a good barrier to protect skin.
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