title: A quality improvement initiative to reduce needlestick injuries.
abstract: Peterborough and Stamford Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust introduced sharp-safe needles in January 2013; these became a part of general practice by April 2013. A service evaluation was undertaken to investigate whether the introduction of sharp-safe needles had reduced the incidence of needlestick injuries. Results showed that 608 percutaneous injuries were sustained during the use and disposal of sharps between April 2010 and March 2014. A total of 122 injuries occurred following the introduction of the new sharp-safe needles (2013-2014), which was a 26% reduction compared with the previous year (2012-2013, n = 165). These results could mean that the sharp-safe needles reduced the rate of injuries. A definitive evaluation of the effectiveness of the sharp-safe needles was not possible given the limited data available since their introduction.
authors: Emergency department, Peterborough City Hospital, Peterborough, Cambridgeshire, England.
authors: Anthony
authors: A
authors: Beynon
mesh_terms: D006282:Health Personnel / Q000639:trends*; D006801:Humans; D016602:Needlestick Injuries / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D058996:Quality Improvement; D006113:United Kingdom / Q000453:epidemiology
keywords: Blood-borne infection; HIV; health service evaluation; incident reporting; needlestick injuries; nursing care; quality improvement; sharps injuries