Hygiene Requirements

Hand Washing & Gloves

• Hands should be washed before needling a patient for at least 30 – 60 seconds. Soap or an alcohol based hand rub (ABHR) may be used.
• Cuts, abrasions and lesions on the skin of the therapist are a possible source of pathogens and should be appropriately dressed or gloves should be used.
• In the absence of lesions, abrasions and cuts the choice of wearing gloves lies with the physiotherapists.
• Hands should be washed following acupuncture.

Skin Preparation

• Patient’s skin must be clean in the area to be needles. Isopropropyl alcohol wipes are to be used.

Skin Sterilization

• Where indicated (i.e. immunodeficiency or intra-articular needling) skin sterilization is recommended with 2% iodine in 70% alcohol or chlorhexadine in alcohol are to be used and left to dry for a minimum of 2 minutes.
• See prior guidelines on auricular needling.

Treatment Area

• Treatment area should be clean and private
• If bodily fluid/blood has occurred and contacted any surface a through disinfection of the area must be done and linen changed as required.

Needles

• Use only sterile, disposable needles
• If a needle has been open but not used, dispose of in a sharps container as it is no longer deemed sterile.
• If a needle package appears tampered with, torn, broken, ripped or otherwise not up to original manufacture’s standards, do not use rather dispose of within a sharps containers.
• Unused, undamaged, unopened needles are to be returned to needle box to prevent contamination.

Treatment Rooms

• Needles are to be kept on a shelf separate from other materials, supplies or linen in which they may become caught up in (i.e. towels, strapping material)