Nurse working in an operation theatre must know, the risk of HIV infection with needle stick injury is about?

Appeared in: NORCET-7 Mains-2024

Explanation

The average risk of HIV transmission after a percutaneous (needlestick) injury with HIV-infected blood is approximately 0.3%.
This percentage translates to a ratio of about 1 in 300 exposures.
This is the most commonly cited and tested statistic by major health organizations like the CDC for occupational exposure.
The risk is significantly lower than for other blood-borne pathogens like Hepatitis B (up to 30%) and Hepatitis C (~1.8%).

Option A: A ratio of 1:100 represents a 1% risk, which is more than three times the accepted average risk for HIV transmission via needlestick.
Option B: A ratio of 1:200 represents a 0.5% risk. This is significantly higher than the established average risk of 0.3% for HIV.
Option D: A ratio of 1:400 represents a 0.25% risk. While some studies cite a risk of ~0.23%, the universally accepted and taught average for clinical and testing purposes is 0.3% (1:300).

Clinical Relevance

Nursing practice connection: Knowing Occupational risk of HIV transmission via needlestick injury helps nurses interpret findings accurately and avoid errors in routine assessment, medication administration, and patient teaching.
This knowledge underscores the critical importance of consistently adhering to Standard Precautions, including the use of safety-engineered devices and proper sharps disposal, to prevent occupational exposures.
Nurses must be aware of the immediate steps for post-exposure management, as prompt reporting and initiation of Post-Exposure Prophylaxis (PEP) are crucial for reducing the risk of seroconversion.
What if? If the source patient is known to be on effective antiretroviral therapy (ART) with a consistently undetectable viral load, the risk of HIV transmission is considered negligible or effectively zero. This is known as 'Undetectable = Untransmittable' (U=U).

How to Approach the Question

Identify the question as a factual recall question asking for a specific, well-established medical statistic.
The keywords are "HIV," "needle stick injury," and "risk."
Recall the standard transmission risks for common bloodborne pathogens. A useful mnemonic is the "Rule of 3s": Hepatitis B risk is about 30%, Hepatitis C is about 3%, and HIV is about 0.3%.
Convert the key percentage (0.3%) into a ratio: 0.3% means 0.3 per 100, which is equivalent to 3 per 1,000, or 1 per 333.
Compare this calculated ratio (1 in 333) to the given options and select the closest one, which is 1:300.

Concept Tested & Keywords

Concept Tested: Occupational risk of HIV transmission via needlestick injury.
Stem keywords: Nurse, operation theatre, risk, HIV infection, needle stick injury
Lead-in keywords: is about
Negative lead-in flag: false

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E6 Medicine Harrison 22e Part 1 pp. 1666-1668, 1605-1607

Practise the full NORCET-7 Mains-2024

Attempt every question from this paper in a timed mock, then review the full solution for each one.