Implementation of a Safety Campaign to Reduce the Rate of Needlestick Injuries

Abstract

Problem and Purpose: Needlestick injuries are the most common cause of work-related bloodborne pathogen exposure among nurses. At the project site, 62.5% of preventable needlestick injuries reported during the first half of FY 20 were associated with failure to appropriately activate the safety mechanism on safety engineered devices (SEDs). A DNP project was implemented to reduce the rate of preventable needlestick injuries among inpatient nursing staff. Methods: Implementation strategies and tactics utilized were pre- and post-implementation surveys; visual cues; sharp safety huddles; revised new employee orientation; and assignment of an educational, post-injury module to staff. The number of preventable needlestick injuries was tracked during the data collection period; supplemental data included the unit, date and time of incident, hire date, and brief narrative. The number of inpatient nursing units that displayed the visual cue (n=20); the number of inpatient nursing units on which a formal/informal sharp safety huddle was held (n=13); the number of nurses who attended the revised new employee orientation (n=139); and the number of nurses who completed the post-injury module (n=3) was also tracked. Results and Conclusion: Pre-implementation survey data revealed 63% of respondents believed preventable needlesticks were a present concern within their organization (n=76) and 71% believed injuries were likely caused by inappropriate safety mechanism activation (n=86). In comparing pre- and post-implementation data, there were decreases in the percentages of staff who expressed that they disagreed or strongly disagreed with statements intended to measure knowledge about Safety Engineered Devices (SEDs), processes, and education. 95% (n=20) of inpatient nursing units displayed the visual cue during the implementation period. The baseline needlestick injury rate of 0.47 consistently decreased during the implementation period: October: 0.34; November: 0.12; and December 0.2. Needlestick injuries continue to be an occupational hazard for nursing staff, especially during a period of mass vaccination/widespread use of needles during the COVID-19 pandemic. A multifaceted approach including open dialogue with staff, promoting a consistent method for safety mechanism activation, increasing awareness, and ongoing staff education appeared to be associated with a reduced rate of needlestick injuries among inpatient nurses.