needlestick
Variant: needle-stick
Variant: needle-stick injury
(nēd'ĕl-stik‵ 
)
Accidental penetration of the skin by any sharp object used in health care. It is estimated that more than 600,000 needlesticks occur each year among health care providers in the U.S.
Needle points, scalpels, sutures, syringes, and other penetrating objects (sharps) that have been used invasively may transmit blood or other bodily fluids from person to person. The most commonly transmitted pathogens are the hepatitis viruses and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV).Patient Care: Under the provisions of the Needlestick Safety and Prevention Act of 2001, all health care facilities are required to develop exposure and engineering control plans that limit penetrating injuries and are required to maintain logs of such injuries at their facilities.