title: Chinks in the armor: percutaneous injuries from hollow bore safety-engineered sharps devices.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Despite their overwhelming efficacy, safety-engineered sharp devices (SESDs) cause a residual fraction of injuries. Although the fraction of injuries from SESDs is less than that reported for nonsafety devices, it remains a "preventable fraction" and is a sizable target for further advances.
  
  
  METHODS
  A retrospective review of 3,297 percutaneous injuries from hollow bore safety-engineered devices occurring between 2001 and 2009 was conducted examining the Exposure Prevention Information Network (EPINet) needlestick surveillance data.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Nurses sustain 64.6% of all SESD injuries. 42.9% Of SESD injuries occur after device use and are likely preventable through consistent and effective use of safety-engineered technology. Excluding injuries that occurred during device use or between procedural steps, 71.8% (n/N = 28/39) of physician injuries, 58.2% (n/N = 645/1,109) of injuries to nurses, and 45.8% (n/N = 88/192) of injuries to phlebotomists occurred when an available SESD was not fully activated.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Passive devices that do not require action on the part of the end user to engage a safety feature currently represent a small portion of the SESD market. Wider dissemination of a broader array of passive SESDs coupled with continual education of end users is essential to an effective sharps injury prevention program.
authors.affiliation: University of Nevada, Reno, Reno, NV, USA. lblack@unr.edu
authors.forename: Lisa
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Black
mesh_terms: D006801:Humans; D009339:Needles; D016602:Needlestick Injuries / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000517:prevention & control*; D009726:Nurses; D016273:Occupational Exposure / Q000517:prevention & control; D011482:Protective Devices; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012867:Skin / Q000293:injuries*