Needlestick Injuries

Procedure for Getting Source Samples Processed Urgently

Delays in virology samples being processed can result in staff having to take extended PEP.

PEP
All cases should be discussed with the ID consultant on call for consideration of PEP.

SOURCE SAMPLES
The source patient HIV, Hepatitis B and C sample should be taken as per the needlestick
protocol on staff net.
The virology lab in GRI is open Mon-Fri 9am-5pm and Sat & Sun 9am-2pm.

In Hours
During these hours, ask for the sample to be taken directly to the lab by porters.
Phone the virology lab and ask for the sample to be run as urgent and the result phoned back to ED.

Out of Hours
Out with these hours, ask for the sample to be taken to the lab by porters and dropped into their receiving box.
Email the patient details to west.ssvc@nhs.net and ask for the sample to be run urgently and the results to be phoned to ED. The sample will be run the next morning.
If it is a reasonable hour of the day (i.e. Saturday afternoon), the on call virology consultant can also be notified by phoning them via switchboard at home (bear in mind there is little point in phoning them at 3am, as they check the emails reliably every morning).

Please note- if you simply put the sample into the blue microbiology box in majors, it won’t arrive at the lab until the next day and will be processed as’ routine' (this may take a couple of days, or not at all if it’s a weekend), and the results will not be phoned back to ED, resulting in undue worry for the needle-stick recipient, and unnecessary doses of PEP.