Hospital Shares How It Reduced Needlestick Injuries by Nearly 70 Percent

Infection Control Today

An article published in the Spring 2014 issue of the Journal of the Association of Occupational Health Professionals in Healthcare discusses how a systematic, data-driven approach and the subsequent adoption of a safety-engineered blood collection set helped Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital (RWJUH), a leading academic medical center, reduce needlestick injuries (NSIs) by nearly 70 percent among its patient care technicians and nursing staff.

In the article, “Successfully Reducing Wingset-related Needlestick Injuries,” author Doris L. Dicristina, RN, BSN, MS, COHN-S/CM, director of employee health and wellness services for RWJUH, reports how her team identified that forward-shielding safety blood collection sets accounted for 30 percent of the institution’s NSIs in 2010 and 43 percent in 2011.

The financial impact of these NSIs on RWJUH ranged from $400-$6,000 per injury, depending on whether the patient was known to carry a bloodborne disease such as hepatitis C, hepatitis B or HIV/AIDS. Using a novel financial model, RWJUH estimated that it would need to generate more than $106,000 in additional revenue to cover the cost of each NSI from a source-negative patient, with injuries from source-positive patients costing even more … more

 

By clicking Sign Up you're confirming that you agree with our Terms and Conditions.

Want to Learn More?

See how the USW is making a real difference in our communities and our workplaces.