4 4
S U P P L E M E N T T O O U T P AT I E N T S U R G E R Y M A G A Z I N E O N L I N E | O C T O B E R 2 0 1 4
Answer:
a
The CDC estimates that hospital-based healthcare personnel suffer about
385,000 needlesticks and other sharps-related injuries per year — and those are
just the ones that get reported. Sudden, painful percutaneous injuries aren't the
only risks here, though. The CDC also notes that sharps injuries are the most
frequent route of transmission for such bloodborne pathogens as HIV and hepa-
titis B and C in the healthcare setting.
Getting stuck is something all healthcare workers want to avoid at all costs.
But the testing, treatment and potential occupational changes that may follow
make it even scarier, since not every patient has been tested and the full extent
of the risk is unknown. More than 1,000 injuries a day highlights the importance
of blunting sharps hazards.
Safety authorities are more likely to examine your
equipment cables than your sharps handling practices.
a.
true
b.
false
Answer:
b
Violations of the federal Bloodborne Pathogens Standard (
tinyurl.com/4f8mcwb
),
which includes the Needlestick Safety Act, top the Occupational Safety and
Health Administration's most recently published list of citations to surgical facil-
ities. The 68 citations in 29 inspections, which totaled $71,883 in fines, followed
a wave of increased scrutiny over sharps handling in the perioperative process.
I've done substantial research on why, despite federal regulations addressing
this issue, surgical personnel are still at risk. Individual resistance is a major bar-
rier, which is why leadership is important. A nurse or scrub tech depends on
physicians for sharps safety, but if they don't want to change their practices, the
risk remains. Compliance with safer techniques requires involvement at all staff
levels: administration, purchasing, training and occupational health. Educate
physicians through data or cost calculations that this is for their protection, too.
S H A R P S S A F E T Y
