The following is a summary of “A Cross-Sectional Analysis of Sharps Injuries Among Dermatologic Surgeons: A Survey of American College of Mohs Surgery Members,” published in the November 2023 issue of Dermatology by Talebi-Liasi, et al.
There was not much information about Dermatologic Surgeons getting hurt by sharp objects or being exposed to bloodborne pathogens. For a study, researchers sought to determine how likely Mohs doctors would get hurt on the job from sharp objects. Find out the rate of injuries, reports, and trust in the staff’s ability to handle dangerous objects. A cross-sectional study used poll answers from American College of Mohs Surgery (ACMS)-member Mohs doctors.
60 ACMS members filled out the poll. Overall, 56.7% said they had at least one sharps injury in the past year, and 14.7% said they were exposed to blood (odds of exposure: 7.5% per year). People who hurt themselves by sticking a sewing needle in themselves did it 76.5% of the time. 44.1% of those who were hurt did not report them. Ninety-five percent said they could get post-exposure prevention at work.
Also, people who worked in academic and single-specialty practices were more likely to say they had high or moderate confidence in their staff’s ability to handle sharp objects and report injuries than people who worked in multispecialty and solo practices (88% vs. 54% P =.02; 76%–81% vs. 27% P =.0004, respectively). Sharps injuries are common among Mohs doctors; many don’t mention them. Even though staff experience and training were seen as more reliable in university and single-specialty practices, there was no link between that and surgeons’ injury rate.
