At the 5th POINTERS conference held in Cardiff City Hall, in December 2014, healthcare professionals from the fields of infection control, bloodborne virus transmission prevention and occupational convened. During this conference following a series of presentations relating to occupational exposures to bloodborne viruses, a discussion session was held to which all attending delegates were invited to participate. Twelve roundtable groups, of approximately 6 delegates explored the topic of ‘raisng awareness of needlestick injuries in healthcare settings’. Each group explored a different question with the support of a facilitator from the Public Health England’s (PHE’s) Significant Occupational Exposure’s (Sig. Occ.) team. Each group recorded the key points from their discussion on flip-charts and presented their feedback to the wider discussion group.

The flip-chart notes were transcribed by the Sig.Occ. team and a qualitative analysis was used to describe and interpret the combined discussion group notes. Six key themes emerged 1) National context, strategy and data, 2) Local leadership and ownership 3) Practicalities of raising awareness of needlestick injuries 4) Personalisation, and individualisation of impact and responsibility, 5) Shared responsibility, opportunity and impact and 6) Reporting practices, procedures and clinical management.

The underlying notion discussed was that raising awareness of needlestick injuries involves consideration of macro (national reporting, data and policy), meso (Trust level support and implementation) and micro (individual accountability and interest) levels of healthcare practice. In addition, all groups discussed the shared or mutual nature of responsibility for and effect of reducing the occurrence of needlestick injuries.

Raising awareness of needlestick injuries was however considered part of a wider effort to reduce needlestick injuries that might also include increased use of safety-engineered devices and audits of safer worker conditions.