Clinical Study
Sharps Safety: Advancing the Agenda to Curtail Injuries and Exposures
Adoption of automated retraction syringes provided safety, compliance with OSHA, cost savings, and strong staff preference.
Key Findings
High-risk environment: Healthcare workers in correctional settings face elevated risks of exposure to bloodborne pathogens (HIV, HBV, HCV) due to needlesticks, stabbings, scratches, and other injuries.
Needlestick prevention: OSHA requires safety-engineered devices to be evaluated and adopted, based on staff input, to minimize occupational exposures.
Initial problem: In 2006, nursing units in the state correctional system accounted for 57% of all needlestick injuries before safer devices were introduced.
Device trial: VanishPoint® syringes (with automated pre-removal retraction) were tested during the 2007 influenza vaccination program.
Over 5,500 syringes used by 280 nurses (after exclusions).
Zero needlesticks occurred during the trial.
83% of nurses preferred VanishPoint over the existing syringe and other competitors.
System-wide adoption: By June 2008, VanishPoint syringes were implemented for TB testing, medications, and insulin injections throughout the correctional system.
Results:
Needlestick injuries dramatically decreased from 2009–2013.
Remaining injuries were due to situational errors involving inmates, not device failure.
The program saved substantial costs by reducing medical evaluations, follow-ups, and expensive prophylactic treatments after sharps injuries.
Conclusion: Adoption of automated retraction syringes provided safety, compliance with OSHA, cost savings, and strong staff preference.
Abstract/Summary
This article presents a case study of a statewide correctional health program that implemented sharps safety measures to reduce needlestick injuries among healthcare workers. Initially, needlestick injuries were prevalent, with over half occurring in nursing units. Following OSHA requirements, the program evaluated multiple safety-engineered devices. VanishPoint syringes, featuring automated retraction, were trialed and demonstrated both safety and staff acceptance, with zero needlestick injuries reported during the study. Staff strongly preferred VanishPoint over other devices, leading to system-wide adoption in 2008. Over subsequent years, injuries declined sharply, and the program generated significant cost savings by avoiding medical evaluations and prophylactic treatments. The study highlights the effectiveness of engineering controls, staff training, and administrative support in advancing sharps safety in high-risk correctional environments.
Publication/Source
Infection Control Today (ICT)
Special Digital Pulse Issue: Sharps Safety, July 2015
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