title: Impact of safety devices for preventing percutaneous injuries related to phlebotomy procedures in health care workers.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Use of protective devices has become a common intervention to decrease sharps injuries in the hospitals; however few studies have examined the results of implementation of the different protective devices available.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To determine the effectiveness of 2 protective devices in preventing needlestick injuries to health care workers.
  
  
  METHODS
  Sharps injury data were collected over a 7-year period (1993-1999) in a 3600-bed tertiary care university hospital in France. Pre- and postinterventional rates were compared after the implementation of 2 safety devices for preventing percutaneous injuries (PIs) related to phlebotomy procedures.
  
  
  RESULTS
  From 1993 to 1999, an overall decrease in the needlestick-related injuries was noted. Since 1996, the incidence of phlebotomy-related PIs has significantly decreased. Phlebotomy procedures accounted for 19.4% of all percutaneous injuries in the preintervention period and 12% in the postintervention period (RR, O.62; 95% CI, 0.51-0.72; P < .001). Needlestick-related injuries incidence rate decreased significantly after the implementation of the 2 safety devices, representing a 48% decline in incidence rate overall.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The implementation of these safety devices apparently contributed to a significant decrease in the percutaneous injuries related to phlebotomy procedures, but they constitute only part of a strategy that includes education of health care workers and collection of appropriate data that allow analysis of residuals percutaneous injuries.
authors.affiliation: Service d'Hygiène Hospitalière, Bâtiment PQR, Groupe Hospitalier Pellegrin CHU de Bordeaux, Place Amélie Raba-Leon, 33076 Bordeaux Cedex, France. anne-marie.rogues@chu-bordeaux.fr
authors.forename: Anne-Marie
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Rogues
authors.forename: Catherine
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Verdun-Esquer
authors.forename: Isabelle
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Buisson-Valles
authors.forename: Marie-Françoise
authors.initials: MF
authors.lastname: Laville
authors.forename: Agnès
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Lashéras
authors.forename: Anne
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Sarrat
authors.forename: Hélène
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Beaudelle
authors.forename: Patrick
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Brochard
authors.forename: Jean-Pierre
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Gachie
mesh_terms: D006282:Health Personnel; D006801:Humans; D016602:Needlestick Injuries / Q000517:prevention & control*; D018962:Phlebotomy / Q000295:instrumentation* / Q000639:trends; D011482:Protective Devices; D013997:Time Factors