Exposure to Blood / Needle Sticks

Protocol for Medical/PA Students to Report an Exposure/Needle Stick Incident:

1. When an exposure/needle stick occurs, the student must immediately notify the Supervising Faculty Member and/or Clerkship/Course Director.
   
   
2. The student should then seek assistance from the Head Nurse in the area where the exposure occurred or the Erlanger House Supervisor to assist in completing an Erlanger Exposure Form for Non-Employees. This form must be sent/given to the Erlanger Infection Prevention and Erlanger ExpressCare/Employee Health.

• • • • Call 423.778.6168 to reach the House Supervisor/Erlanger Administrator on-call. If there is no answer, call the Erlanger operator at 423.778.7000 and ask the operator for the House Supervisor.

3. The student should then notify the Chattanooga Campus Coordinator and UT Risk Management:

• • • • Call 423.778.7442 (leave a message if the incident occurs after-hours) and
      • Email tiffany.nabors@erlanger.org to provide details of the incident; then
      • Complete the UT Incident Report Form & email it to: riskmanagement@tennessee.edu

4. The student may be directed to report to the Emergency Department for screening or treatment if the exposure occurs between 4:00 p.m. and 8:30 a.m. (Erlanger Employee Health Office opens at 9:00 am.) If the source patient is known to be positive for HIV or hepatitis, the Nursing Supervisor may direct immediate treatment per Erlanger Health Exposure Protocol.

• • • • Erlanger Employee Health personnel, Nursing Supervisor, and Administrator On-Call are all authorized to order baseline tests per Erlanger Health Exposure Protocol (e.g., HIV, hepatitis panel, etc.) on the student and the source patient at no charge to either party. Erlanger Health will cover all initial evaluation (lab draw, lab processing/resulting, etc.) costs related to the exposure;
      • Lab reports will be sent to the Erlanger Employee Health Office when complete;
      • If the student is directed to report to Erlanger Employee Health or the Emergency Department, the student should bring a copy of the Erlanger Exposure form with them.

5. Erlanger Employee Health will give the student follow-up care recommendations once all lab reports are reviewed.

• • • • The student will be financially responsible for any necessary follow-up care resulting from the exposure event once initial lab evaluation is completed. This care will be coordinated between UTHSC Student Health Services in Memphis, Erlanger Employee Health, Erlanger Infection Prevention, and UTHSC College of Medicine-Chattanooga administrative offices;
      • The student will email Jonathan.Moore@erlanger.org for HEPC results 3–5 days post-exposure.

6. Erlanger ExpressCare/Employee Health is located at: 325 Market Street, Suite 102, Chattanooga, TN 37402; phone: 423.778.4800.