Needle safety

The cost of using safety medical devices is minute compared thealthcare and personal costs related tnon-compliance.

Keeping your physician customers’ shelves stocked with needle safety devices is much more than a convenience. When physicians employ safe needle devices, it not only ensures they are in compliance with the law, it protects them, their medical staff and their patients from life-threatening circumstances.

According tthe Needlestick Safety and Prevention Act, which was signed intlaw in 2000, employers are required tidentify, evaluate and implement safer medical devices that are “appropriate, commercially available and effective.” Both clinical staff and non-managerial healthcare workers must be involved in the evaluation and selection of devices. Since the law has been enacted, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has provided the following definitions tclarify needle safety standards that must be upheld:

• Engineering controls. This definition has been updated in recent years and now includes definitions for safety medical devices, such as sharps with engineered sharps injury protections (SESIPs) and needleless systems designed tisolate or remove hazardous pathogens from the workplace.
• Sharps with engineered sharps injury protections (SESIPs). This refers tsafety medical devices with built-in safety features or mechanisms that effectively reduce the risk of exposure incidents, including safety scalpels, safety needles/syringes, shielded or retracting IV catheters, blunt suture needles and more.
• Needleless system. This includes devices that dnot require a needle for the collection of body fluids, the administration of medication or fluids, or any other procedure with potential percutaneous exposure tcontaminated sharps (An example is secondary IV sets, which attach without a needle or adhesive materials, treplace sutures in wound closure procedures.)

In order thelp OSHA assess whether an employer’s bloodborne pathogen exposure prevention policies and procedures are effective, most employers with more than 10 employees must maintain a Sharps Injury Log for recording percutaneous injuries from contaminated sharps, as well as the OSHA forms 300 and 301. (For more information visit https://www.osha.gov/pls/oshaweb/owadisp.show_document?p_table=STANDARDS&p_id=9639.)

A small price tpay for safety
Simply because a physician practice or medical facility has not reported sharps injuries does not mean they haven’t occurred, experts warn. In fact, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that half of the needlesticks gunreported each year. Physician compliance with the Needlestick Safety and Prevention Act is a means of preventing occupational injuries and illness, and when physician customers object ttaking the necessary steps, sales reps should remind them of the following:

• Nearly 1.2 million Americans are infected with Hepatitis B virus, and about 3 million Americans carry the Hepatitis C virus, according tthe CDC.
• Nurses report the greatest number of needlesticks (over 40 percent), while physicians rank second at 10 percent, according tthe International Healthcare Worker Safety Center at the University of Virginia. (Phlebotomists/venipuncture/IV team members account for 5 percent of needlesticks, while hospital housekeeping accounts for nearly three percent.)

And the cost of a needlestick can be much, much higher than the cost of converting tsafety devices:

• OSHA fines practices and facilities up t$7,000 for serious needlestick violations, and up t$70,000 for willful and repeated violations.
• Initial post-exposure evaluation of the injured worker can cost a facility between $400 and $6,000 (based on Association of Occupational Health Professionals in Healthcare 2014 study).
• Medications, treatments, care, transplants and long-term care for employees whcontract disease costs between $500,000 and $1 million.

In addition, the practice or facility faces increased insurance coverage costs, potential worker compensation costs, potential legal actions, lost employee time and the cost of replacing employees when necessary.

Safety device solutions
Distributor sales reps should familiarize themselves with the various sharps safety devices available for their customers, such as:

• Injection devices, including needles and syringes. These devices should include:
  • Retractable needles designed with a spring-loaded mechanism tpull the needle back intthe body of the syringe once the injection is administered.
  • Protective sheath needles that include the activation of a protective cover once the device is used.
  • Syringes with an integrated shield that slides over the needle following use.
• Surgical instruments.
  • Disposable scalpels with locking retractable shields.
  • Blunt suture needles for use in suturing fascia and some soft tissues..
• IV catheters. This includes devices with a mechanism tretract or cover the used stylet after the catheter has been placed.
  • Retractable IV access needles with a push-button shielding mechanism that releases the spring and allows the needle and flash chamber tretract quickly intthe safety barrel.
• Blood collection.
  • A blood collection needle with a hinged sheath that is engaged over the needle, covering it after use.
  • Blood collection set needle that retracts at the push of a button.
  • Retractable lancet.
  • Blood collection tubes, which are made of plastic, rather than glass, tprevent breakage and potential injuries.

In addition, since one third of all needlesticks are reported toccur during the disposal process, sharps disposal containers must be accessible thealthcare workers. CDC’s National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) recommends the following design elements, which can help reduce the risk of needlestick injuries thealthcare workers:

• Functionality.
  • Puncture, leak and impact resistance.
  • Appropriate in size and design taccommodate the largest sharps used.
  • Closure mechanism that is secure and will prevent injuries.
• Accessibility.
  • Ease of operation.
  • Guards tprevent hands from entering.
  • Handles tfacilitate safe use, removal and transport.
  • Placement within arm’s reach and below eye level.
  • Free of obstacles, away from wall switches and clear of impact zone.
  • Appropriate wall mount height (52-56 inches) for clear view and safe access tcollector door.
• Visibility.
  • Visible and recognizable, with a biohazard warning label.
  • Opening completely visible and clear before using.
  • Fill status visible prior tuse.
• Accommodation.
  • Ease of storage and assembly.
  • Intuitive and easy tuse.
  • Promotes one-hand disposal.
  • Safe mounting systems.
  • Durable, stable and cleanable.

It doesn’t take long tensure your physician customers understand – and are on board with – acceptable needle safety protocols. And, the time you take teducate your customers just may prevent a worksite catastrophe and perhaps save a life.

Source. 2011 Needlestick Safety and Prevention Law; How tAchieve Compliance, Jan Harris, MPH and Elise Handelman, Med; sponsored by BD.
Editor’s Note: Repertoire would like tthank BD for its contribution tthis piece.