Page 76
S U R G I C A L
S A F E T Y
READER SURVEY
Safety Scalpels: State of the Industry
Have you experienced or witnessed a scalpel-related injury?
Yes: 63.4%
No: 36.6%
Are safety scalpels
in use at your facility?
Yes, they're the only option: 17.9%
Most of the time: 18.7%
Occasionally: 11.4%
Rarely: 12.2%
Never: 39.8%
Approximately how many of
the scalpels purchased by your facility are safety scalpels?
None of them: 39.7%
Less than 10%: 20.7%
11 to 25%: 2.5%
26 to 50%: 3.3%
50 to 75%: 5.8%
more than 75%: 18.2%
all of them: 9.9%
OSHA's Bloodborne Pathogens Standard requires surgical facilities to develop and annually update a written exposure control plan. Has your facility compiled such a sharps injury safety policy?
Yes: 87%
No: 2.4%
I don't know: 10.6%
When's the last time your
docs trialed safety scalpels?
Within the past 12 months: 38.5%
Within the past 3 years: 32%
More than 5 years ago: 12.3%
We've never trialed safety scalpels: 17.2%
SOURCE: Outpatient Surgery Magazine Reader Survey, April 2013, n=124
