ممرضة انوخزت بإبرة مستعملة من مريض حالته لفيروس الإيدز غير معروفة، وغسلت مكان الوخز بالماء والصابون. ما الخطوة التالية؟

A nurse has a needlestick injury from a used needle; the source client’s HIV status is unknown. She has washed the site with soap and water. What is the next step?

1. Finish the shift and report the incident at the start of the next one
2. Squeeze the site firmly, then disinfect it with diluted bleach
3. Report to occupational health immediately so PEP can be assessed within hours
4. Wait for the source client’s blood results before reporting the incident

Answer: C) Report to occupational health immediately so PEP can be assessed within hours. HIV post-exposure prophylaxis works best if started within 2 hours and is not given after 72 hours, so reporting is immediate and does not wait for source results. Squeezing and bleach are not recommended; they damage tissue without proven benefit.