Reducing sharps injuries among health care workers: a sharps container quality improvement project.
BACKGROUND
Many needlestick injuries at Vanderbilt University Medical Center were found to be related to the method of disposal in sharps containers. The "straight-drop" system allowed staff to stuff more needles into a full box, resulting in needlestick injuries. This was also a common problem elsewhere, as reflected in the literature. ANALYZING THE PROBLEM: A multidisciplinary committee reviewed other sharps containers, piloted one, found problems, and then piloted and selected another. Implementation was complex and difficult, but focus was kept on the goal of decreased needlestick injuries. Staff identified other problems, which were taken to the manufacturer of the sharps container selected and resulted in product design changes.


RESULTS
Several months after implementation, data analysis showed that the needlestick injury rate was reduced by two-thirds, a statistically significant change (p = 0.002). Despite the increased cost of the sharps container, savings of prevented needlestick injuries represented a total cost savings to the medical center of more than $62,000 a year.


CONCLUSIONS
This experience is an example of real-life implementation--and the problems institutions may have to overcome before success can be realized.
Hatcher
Irene B
IB
Office of Case Management, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, A 1202 MCN, 1161 21st Ave S, Nashville, TN 37232-2415, USA. Irene.hatcher@Vanderbilt.edu
D003428:Cross Infection / Q000517:prevention & control; D004868:Equipment Failure; D004865:Equipment and Supplies, Hospital; D006785:Hospitals, University / Q000458:organization & administration* / Q000592:standards; D006801:Humans; D017053:Infection Control / Q000458:organization & administration*; D017744:Medical Waste Disposal / Q000295:instrumentation*; D016602:Needlestick Injuries / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D016273:Occupational Exposure / Q000517:prevention & control* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D019982:Organizational Case Studies; D010564:Personnel, Hospital; D013597:Systems Analysis; D013714:Tennessee / Q000453:epidemiology
D017744:Medical Waste Disposal