Impressive fall in needlestick injuries

May 20, 2008

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These authors have demonstrated an impressive fall in needlestick injuries with minimal cost outlay.

Whitby M., McLaws M.L. and Slater K (2008) Needlestick injuries in a major teaching hospital: the worthwhile effect of hospital-wide replacement of conventional hollow-bore needles. American Journal of Infection Control. 36(3), p.180-6.

Abstract:

“Needlestick injury (NSI) with hollow-bore needles remains a significant risk of bloodborne virus acquisition in health care workers. The impact on NSI rates after substantial replacement of conventional hollow-bore needles with the simultaneous introduction of safety-engineered devices (SEDs) including retractable syringes, needle-free intravenous (IV) systems, and safety winged butterfly needles was examined in an 800-bed Australian university hospital. NSIs were prospectively monitored for 2 years (2005-2006) after the introduction of SEDs and compared with prospectively collected preintervention NSI data (2000-2004). Preintervention hollow-bore NSI rates over 10 years persisted at a constant rate between 3.01 and 3.77 per 100 full-time equivalent employees (FTE) (P = .31). Rates for 2005 (1.93; 95% CI: 1.48-2.47 per 100 FTE) and 2006 (1.50; 95% CI: 1.11-1.97 per 100 FTE) were significantly lower than the average rate for the preintervention years (3.39; 95% CI: 2.7-4.24 per 100 FTE, P = .00004). This represents a fall of 49% (43.1%-55.7%) in hollow-bore NSI, contributed to by the virtual elimination of NSI related to accessing IV lines. More importantly, high-risk injuries were also reduced 57% by retractable syringe use with an overall budgetary increase of approximately US $90,000 per annum. Introduction of SEDs results in an impressive fall in NSI with minimal cost outlay” (Whitby et al 2008).