6 6 • O U T PA T I E N T S U R G E R Y M A G A Z I N E • D E C E M B E R 2 0 1 9
M
y mission from hospital leadership: Reduce sharps
injuries in our 2 regional hospitals by 5% in a year.
We far exceeded our goals, managing a 60% reduc-
tion from 2016 to 2018. While the first steps were
to educate surgeons and staff about sharps safety,
and reinforce and implement best practices, I truly believe that the
changes in our follow-up process are what really drove the reduction.
Essentially, we went from impersonal electronic communications to
judgement-free face-to-face conversations. We made sure we didn't
make those who'd been stuck feel like they've done something wrong.
Instead, we asked if they were OK and focused on helping them pre-
vent a repeat occurrence. That simple shift from blaming to caring
made all the difference. Here's how we made the improvements.
How We Slashed Our Sharps Injuries
Best practices are a must. But replacing emails with conversations
and blame with caring is what really made our sharps injuries drop.
Sheri Tadlock, BSN, RN | Belleville, Ill.
• A PLACE OF THEIR OWN A designated tray for syringes used in surgical settings can go a long way to making sure they
make it to the disposal container without injuring anyone.
Pamela
Bevelhymer,
RN,
BSN,
CNOR
