International Sharps Injury Prevention Awareness Month: What Every Nurse Should Know

Every year, thousands of nurses experience sharps injuries on the job, quick moments that can lead to long-lasting stress, health worries, and emotional strain. During International Sharps Injury Prevention Awareness Month, Growing Gracefully with Love is shining a light on the reality of sharps injuries and what nurses can do to stay safe, informed, and empowered.

A recent national study by Yun et al. (2023) offers one of the most explicit pictures yet of how common sharps injuries are among U.S. healthcare workers and how often they go unreported. Their findings reinforce what many nurses already know: we are on the front lines of exposure, and our safety practices matter more than ever.

What the Research Shows and Why Nurses Should Care

The study analyzed survey responses from hundreds of healthcare workers across the U.S., including physicians, trainees, and nurses. Here’s what stands out:

1. Nurses are reporting more, but injuries are still occurring.

While only 54% of all healthcare workers reported their sharps injuries, nurses had the highest reporting rate at around 71%. This means nurses are more likely to advocate for their own safety, yet nearly one-third still stay silent after an injury.

2. Less-experienced clinicians, including new nurses, are at the highest risk.

Medical students and early-training residents reported injury rates of nearly 1 per year, especially in surgical settings. Although the study didn’t break out early-career nurses separately, the implications are clear:  High-pressure environments + limited experience = greater risk.

3. Surgical and procedural areas pose the greatest threat.

Anyone working with scalpel blades, suture needles, or invasive procedures faces a significantly higher risk (over 4 times that in non-procedural areas). Many nurses rotate through perioperative areas, interventional suites, or assist with bedside procedures, making these findings especially relevant.

Why Many Sharps Injuries Still Go Unreported

The study found that healthcare workers often avoid reporting injuries for reasons such as:

• “The patient was low risk.”

• “I didn’t want to feel judged.”

• “Reporting takes too long.”

• “It didn’t seem like a big deal.”

  
  

Do any of these statements sound familiar? These barriers are real, especially when nurses are tired, short-staffed, or worried about being blamed. But skipping the report can delay treatment, miss opportunities for infection prevention, and prevent organizations from fixing safety gaps.

Remember:

You deserve better than that. 

Your safety is worth the paperwork.

Your health is not negotiable.

What Nurses Can Do: Practical, Compassionate Prevention

1. Slow down when you can — even for a second.

Most sharps injuries happen during multitasking and high-stress moments. A single pause before passing a needle or uncapping a syringe can prevent harm.

2. Use safety devices every time they’re available.

Safety-engineered needles, blunt suture devices, and retractable systems save lives, but only when used consistently.

3. Advocate for safer workflows.

If your unit needs better sharps containers, clearer passing protocols, or more safety-engineered supplies, speak up. Nurses’ voices drive meaningful change.

4. Report every injury — even if you think it’s “nothing.”

Reporting protects you and helps create safer systems for the entire team. Your experience matters more than you know.

A Message for Every Nurse

Sharps Injury Prevention Month is not just about protocols — it’s about people, especially those who show up day after day to care for others. Nurses deserve workplaces that prioritize safety and education, and a culture in which reporting is encouraged, not judged. Your well-being has ripple effects: for your family, your patients, your colleagues, and your future.

At Growing Gracefully with Love, we see you. We honor the courage it takes to care. And we believe that protecting yourself is one of the most powerful acts of self-love you can practice — this month and every month.

Call to Action

Take one step today: Check your unit’s sharps-safety setup. Review passing protocols. Remind a colleague about safe needle handling. Or, if you’ve been carrying an unreported injury, consider giving yourself the care you deserve and documenting it.

Staying safe isn’t just policy — it’s part of becoming a healthier, more empowered nurse.

Reference

Yun, J., Umemoto, K., Wang, W., & Vyas, D. (2023). National survey of sharps injuries incidence amongst healthcare workers in the United States. International journal of general medicine, 16, 1193–1204. https://doi.org/10.2147/IJGM.S404418