Requirements and Evaluation of Sharps Injury Prevention Devices / 中国医疗器械杂志

Accidental sharps injuries are a serious problem in healthcare, many healthcare workers acquire infectious diseases from bloodborne pathogens by sharps injuries during their work. The cost of injury and exposure takes an emotional and financial toll, which has attracted worldwide attention. This paper analyzed the regulatory requirements on sharps injury prevention devices in the United States and the European Union, described the classification and basic requirements of sharps injury prevention devices, evaluation of protective functions, risk identification and control to provide references for regulation and development of such products in our country.

Consideration on Transforming International Standard ISO 23908: 2011 / 中国医疗器械杂志

The paper introduces the background and feasibility of transforming the international standard ISO 23908:2011 , introduces catheters and needles used for blood sampling and gives a rough interpretation of the main content. Based on these analyses, the paper provides some suggestions for this product on standardization.

Occupational Sharps Injury Among Healthcare Workers In Hospital Melaka 2013 – 2015: A Cross Sectional Study

@#Sharps injury imposed a major threat towards safety and health among healthcare workers (HCWs). Many studies in Malaysia concentrated on prevalence of needle stick injury (NSI), however the prevalence of sharps injury among HCWs based on local guideline was still scarce in Malaysia. This information gap leads us to conduct this study. Our study aimed to determine the prevalence of sharps injury among HCWs in Hospital Melaka and to describe the factors among staff with sharps injury. This cross-sectional study was conducted in Hospital Melaka, Malaysia. 165 reported cases from 2013-2015 were reviewed and secondary data extracted. Data was analyzed using IBM SPSS version 20. Among reported sharps injury cases in this study, 65 (39.4%) were male, while 100 (60.6%) were female. The mean age was 27.41 (SD: 6.06). More than half of the reported sharps injury occurred among doctor, 113 (68.5%) specifically House Officer; 89 (53.9%) followed by paramedic, 26 (15.8%) and others, 26 (15.8%). Mostly occurred in ward, 114 (69.1%). The device which accounted for most of sharps injury cases was hypodermic needle, 67 (40.6%). Many of the sharps injury cases occurred while withdrawing needle from patient, 26 (15.9%). Prevalence of sharps injury among HCWs in this study was 0.8% in year 2013, 1.1% in year 2014 and 0.5% in year 2015. Nearly half from the total number of reported sharps injury cases among HCWs in Hospital Melaka were from Medical Department, 71 (43%). Recommended measures include usage of Safety-engineered devices (SEDs) and emphasize on standard precaution.

Occupational exposure to sharps injury among healthcare providers in Ethiopia regional hospitals

BACKGROUND: Sharps injury is a penetrating stab wound from a needle, scalpel, or another sharp object that may result in exposure to blood or other body fluids. According to World Health Organization pooled estimate, the annual incidence of sharps injury in Africa was ranged from 2.10 to 4.68 per person per year, but research data in Ethiopia is limited. The aim of the study was to investigate sharps injury prevalence and associated risk factors. METHODS: Institution based cross-sectional study was conducted with 200 healthcare providers (HCP) in Northeast Ethiopia. Proportionate stratified sampling was used to select HCP. Sharps injury during the last 12 months was an outcome variable whereas demographic characteristics, behavioral attributes, and job environment characteristics were independent variables. Data was collected from April to May 2016 using self-administered questionnaire; which was adapted from World Health Organization best practices for injections and related procedures toolkit. Bivariate and multivariate logistic regression analysis was carried out to identify sharps injury associated risk factors. Epi Info version 3.5.1 software package was used for data coding and entry whereas Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 20 software package was used for analysis. RESULTS: In total, 195 HCP participated with a response rate of 97.5%. The prevalence of sharps injury was 32.8%. Following adjustment for covariates, lack of in-service job training and previous exposure to sharps injury were statistically significant risk factors for sharps injury. HCP who had no in-service job training were 4.7 times more likely sustained sharps injury compared with those who had in-service job training (p < 0.001, OR = 4.7, 95% CI = 2.05–10.56). HCP who had previous exposure to sharps injury were 3.7 times more likely sustained sharps injury compared with those who were not exposed (p-value = 0.002, OR = 3.7, 95% CI = 1.62–8.27). CONCLUSIONS: This study revealed 32.8% or at least three out of ten HCP exposed to sharps injury. This was found statistically significant among HCP who had no in-service job training and who had previous exposure to sharps injury. Thus, training HCP perhaps increase their skill and curiosity to reduce exposure to sharps injury.

Needlestick/Sharps Injuries in Nursing Students in Korea: A Descriptive Survey / 병원감염관리

BACKGROUND: The purpose of this study was to examine the frequency and characteristics of needlestick/sharps injuries (NSIs) in nursing students in Korea. METHODS: The study was based on a survey of questionnaires completed by 341 nursing students who had sustained at least one NSI during clinical practice in hospitals. RESULTS: The NSI incidence rate was 36.4%. Approximately half of the students reported two to four NSIs. Most (90.2%) of the NSIs occurred on the fingertips and were caused by a hollow-bore needle (46.8%) or lancet (45.8%). Some students were exposed to used needles contaminated with unknown pathogens (37.3%), HBs Ag (2.3%), Venereal Disease Research Laboratory (VDRL) (0.8%), or HIV (0.6%). Students cited the reason for injury as carelessness, inexperience, hastiness, or recapping. Almost two-thirds of students who reported having experienced an NSI knew about post-exposure treatment. However, only one-third of the students with NSIs completed an official report. CONCLUSION: Korean nursing students lack knowledge about injury prevention, report procedures, and treatment after NSI. A revised educational approach with emphasis on occupational risk, skill development, and injury reporting is necessary to prevent NSI and to ensure that students obtain post-exposure prophylaxis.

Sharps Injury in Hospital Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (HUKM): Experiences of Health Care Workers and Students

Sharps injury among health care workers in HUKM has received serious attention lately due to the possible transmission of diseases like HIV, Hepatits B and Hepatitis C, which can cause serious consequences for the victim. The aim of the study was to gain a deeper understanding of the emotional problems experienced by health care workers who had incurred a sharps injury and the coping strategies adopted by them to overcome the problem. A 28 item semi-structured questionnaire was designed by the supervisors and the researcher as there was no existing questionnaire to be adopted, as no research had been carried out in this area prior to this. The target group consisted of 64 health care workers of different categories working in HUKM. Data was collected over a period of five months from November 2000 to March 2001. The results of the study revealed that the most frequently injured were the staff nurses, nearly 90% of whom were emotionally upset and were worried that they might contract a disease. There was no significant difference in the emotional stress experienced by the different categories of the health care workers, all were equally upset about the injury but each category of staff adopted different methods to overcome the tragedy. Open comments and opinions about prevention and the management of the sharps injury in HUKM as given by the respondents here are taken into account. Several views given by the participants were explored and discussed. Finally, several implications for nursing and recommendations have been presented.