Be safe Don't Get Stuck

Needle sticks in healthcare and other occupational settings definitely continue to be a serious problem. In 2000, the Needlestick Safety and Prevention Act was signed into law by congress. This law amended the Occupational Safety and Health Administration's (OSHA) Bloodborne Pathogen Standard, giving more specific details involving safer needle devices. States and territories that govern their own OSHA programs, also must adopt these revisions.

Needlestick wounds are caused by a needle that accidentally punctures the skin. This is a definite hazard for healthcare workers that work with hypodermic syringes or other equipment that has a needle. These sticks can occur at any time, the worker may be preparing the needle for the injection or disassembling or disposing of the needle. Needles are often thrown into the garbage or linen instead of being properly disposed of and therefore injure other workers, who encounter them unexpectedly.

In spite of all the guidelines and educational training programs for the healthcare professionals, needlesticks continue to be an ongoing problem. The bloodborne infectious diseases are considered to be HIV/Aids, Hepatitis B, and Hepatitis C. Healthcare professionals are strongly encouraged to use blunt-tip suture needles or needle free systems in order to decrease the risk of a needlestick injury. Hazardous fluids can be injected into the workers body by an accidental stick that punctures the skin.

Wolf-Pak provides valves for use with intravenous tubing's, which are one piece, luer-activated valves. They are easy to swab and come as a stand-alone piece or with an extension set pre-attached. These come in 100/box. The smartsite valve is one of the most widely used in the world. This valve, increases compliance and does away with the need for caps and cannulas. These valves are latex free and are suitable for a wide variety of drugs.

The major reason that simple solutions fail to stop the problem is that needles can cause injuries at any stage of their use. The design of the equipment, the type of the procedure, the experience of the staff, recapping, and the disposal of needles, are all factors that influence the reoccurring needle sticks. Approximately 30 to 50% of the needlestick injuries incurred are by nursing and laboratory staff. More than 30% of these injuries occur when the staff is disposing of the needles in sharp containers. The highest accounts of incidents occur because the sharp containers are overfilled.

All facilities have policies in place for the changing of the sharp containers and these policies should be carefully followed by all personnel. If you receive a needlestick, always report it to the proper people. Follow the guidelines and procedures of your facility. When using sharps such as needles or any other type of sharps, always be careful, follow policies and think before you act.