Abstract
The effects of four types of safety-engineered devices (SEDs) on needlestick injury (NI) rates were evaluated during a six-year period (2002-2007) at a 520-bed teaching hospital. The devices were winged steel needles (WSNs), IV catheters (IVCs), lancets (LANs), and implantable port access needles (IPNs). A total of 471 NIs were reported, of which more than 60% were caused by hollow bore needles. Device-specific NI rates were significantly lower for SEDs than non-SEDs in the use of WSNs (11.0 vs 25.1 per 100,000 devices delivered, p<0.01) and IVCs (1.0 vs 6.6 per 100,000 devices delivered, p<0.01). Use of SEDs was also associated with significantly lower risks of NIs in the use of WSN (RR=0.44, 95%CI=0.31±0.61) and IVC (RR=0.16, 95%CI=0.05±0.50). There were strong (r=−0.94, p<0.01) and moderate (r=−0.53, p=0.15) negative correlations between yearly SED use rates and NI rates in the use of WSNs and IVCs, respectively. Safety-engineered LANs and IPNs had been used for less than 1 year, and although NI rates for SEDs were lower than non-SEDs (LAN=0.0 vs 0.8 per 100,000 devices delivered, p=0.42; IPN=0.0 vs 41.2 per 100,000 devices delivered, p=0.19), the differences were not significant. In addition to introducing SEDs, promoting their use to replace non-SEDs is effective in reducing NI rates.
