Needlestick injuries in a major teaching hospital: the worthwhile effect of hospital-wide replacement of conventional hollow-bore needles.
BACKGROUND
Needlestick injury (NSI) with hollow-bore needles remains a significant risk of bloodborne virus acquisition in health care workers. The impact on NSI rates after substantial replacement of conventional hollow-bore needles with the simultaneous introduction of safety-engineered devices (SEDs) including retractable syringes, needle-free intravenous (IV) systems, and safety winged butterfly needles was examined in an 800-bed Australian university hospital.


METHODS
NSIs were prospectively monitored for 2 years (2005-2006) after the introduction of SEDs and compared with prospectively collected preintervention NSI data (2000-2004).


RESULTS
Preintervention hollow-bore NSI rates over 10 years persisted at a constant rate between 3.01 and 3.77 per 100 full-time equivalent employees (FTE) (P = .31). Rates for 2005 (1.93; 95% CI: 1.48-2.47 per 100 FTE) and 2006 (1.50; 95% CI: 1.11-1.97 per 100 FTE) were significantly lower than the average rate for the preintervention years (3.39; 95% CI: 2.7-4.24 per 100 FTE, P = .00004). This represents a fall of 49% (43.1%-55.7%) in hollow-bore NSI, contributed to by the virtual elimination of NSI related to accessing IV lines. More importantly, high-risk injuries were also reduced 57% by retractable syringe use with an overall budgetary increase of approximately US $90,000 per annum.


CONCLUSIONS
Introduction of SEDs results in an impressive fall in NSI with minimal cost outlay.
Whitby
Michael
M
Center for Healthcare Related Infection Surveillance and Prevention, Princess Alexandra Hospital, Brisbane, QLD, Australia. whitbym@health.qld.gov.au
McLaws
Mary-Louise
ML
Slater
Karen
K
D000062:Accidents, Occupational / Q000191:economics / Q000517:prevention & control* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D001315:Australia; D004869:Equipment Safety / Q000191:economics / Q000379:methods; D006784:Hospitals, Teaching; D009339:Needles / Q000191:economics; D016602:Needlestick Injuries / Q000191:economics / Q000517:prevention & control*; D011446:Prospective Studies