VOA标准英语2010年-Study: Needle Injuries Often Unreporte

A recent study found almost 60 percent of surgical¹ residents admitted they had sustained needlestick injuries when they were medical students. Blunt tip needles, such as this one, are considered safer

A recent study shows that medical students and hospital interns² often fail to report self-inflicted needlestick injuries when treating patients.  That is a major worry if the patient or the health care worker carries an infectious disease, such as HIV-AIDS or hepatitis. 

There is a wide gap between what medical students learn in the classroom and in a medical facility. Real experience has to begin at a teaching hospital, treating patients who are often very sick.

Twenty-four year old Swathi Eluri is a third year medical student at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore. She is learning on the job at Johns Hopkins Hospital.  One minute she is bedside, monitoring a patient's condition. Then scrubbing up before going into surgery.

Eluri and other students must learn to be adept³ with needles and other sharp instruments.  They are supervised.

 

But a recent study of surgical residents [doctors in training] at 17 medical centers in the United States indicates that almost 60 percent admitted they had sustained needlestick injuries when they were medical students.

To make matters worse, many of these students failed to report the injuries to hospital officials.The lead author of the study done by Johns Hopkins University is Dr. Martin Makary. He says students put themselves and others in danger from infectious diseases when they are stuck. "We put the most vulnerable people on the front lines of this battle," he said.

In surgery, these doctors in training are frequently assigned the task of stitching up the fascia.

"A needle that goes through the skin needs to be as sharp as possible because that's going to be associated with the easiest access, the more slick closure, and the less pain when somebody has, say their blood drawn⁴ or their skin closed," Dr. Makary stated.

Dr. Makary is advocating the use of blunt tip needles which are considered safer. "This needle is still sharp enough to penetrate⁵ through body tissue," he said. "But it does have a blunt tip, so that if it accidentally goes into my finger, it's much less likely to perforate."

The Johns Hopkins study also recommends that doctors wear two sets of gloves to make them and the patient less vulnerable to infectious diseases. 

The study found that 600,000 to 800,000 needlesticks and similar injuries occur each year among health care workers in the United States.  While most known cases of HIV or hepatitis are reported, other possible infections often are not.

Swathi Eluri says she has never been injured by a needle.  But she knows other medical students who have.

The Johns Hopkins study has urged hospitals to set up a hotline telephone number that medical personnel and students can call when they are injured.

The researchers say a prompt response by the hospital is meant to reassure⁶ medical students that there is no stigma⁷ in reporting this kind of accident.

 

1 surgical   

adj.外科的，外科医生的，手术上的

参考例句：

• He performs the surgical operations at the Red Cross Hospital.他在红十字会医院做外科手术。
• All surgical instruments must be sterilised before use.所有的外科手术器械在使用之前，必须消毒。

2 interns   

n.住院实习医生( intern的名词复数 )v.拘留，关押( intern的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• Our interns also greet our guests when they arrive in our studios. 我们的实习生也会在嘉宾抵达演播室的时候向他们致以问候。 来自超越目标英语 第4册
• The interns work alongside experienced civil engineers and receive training in the different work sectors. 实习生陪同有经验的国内工程师工作，接受不同工作部门的相关培训。 来自超越目标英语 第4册

3 adept   

adj.老练的，精通的

参考例句：

• When it comes to photography,I'm not an adept.要说照相，我不是内行。
• He was highly adept at avoiding trouble.他十分善于避开麻烦。

4 drawn   

v.拖，拉，拔出；adj.憔悴的，紧张的

参考例句：

• All the characters in the story are drawn from life.故事中的所有人物都取材于生活。
• Her gaze was drawn irresistibly to the scene outside.她的目光禁不住被外面的风景所吸引。

5 penetrate   

v.透(渗)入；刺入，刺穿；洞察，了解

参考例句：

• Western ideas penetrate slowly through the East.西方观念逐渐传入东方。
• The sunshine could not penetrate where the trees were thickest.阳光不能透入树木最浓密的地方。

6 reassure   

v.使放心，使消除疑虑

参考例句：

• This seemed to reassure him and he continued more confidently.这似乎使他放心一点，于是他更有信心地继续说了下去。
• The airline tried to reassure the customers that the planes were safe.航空公司尽力让乘客相信飞机是安全的。

7 stigma   

n.耻辱，污名；(花的)柱头

参考例句：

• Being an unmarried mother used to carry a social stigma.做未婚母亲在社会上曾是不光彩的事。
• The stigma of losing weighed heavily on the team.失败的耻辱让整个队伍压力沉重。