HAND DEXTERITY IN-HOSPITAL PERSONNEL WITH MULTIPLE NEEDLESTICK INJURIES

OBJECTIVE: To test the hypothesis that multiple needlestick injuries i n hospital employees may be due to intrinsic deficits in hand dexterit y. DESIGN: A case-control study comparing employees with multiple repo rted needlestick injuries to those with none. Hand dexterity was teste d using the Purdue Pegboard Test, a standardized validated test of han d dexterity. SETTING: A 300-bed, acute care teaching hospital. PARTICI PANTS: Fifteen hospital employees who sustained four or more injuries were compared to 19 controls. RESULTS: No differences were detected in hand dexterity between the case and control groups. CONCLUSIONS: Whil e employees with multiple needlestick injuries accounted for 85% of re ported injuries, underlying factors responsible for injuries in this h igh-risk subgroup do not include measurable deficits in hand dexterity .