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Sharps‐Related Injuries in California Healthcare Facilities: Pilot Study Results From the Sharps Injury Surveillance Registry
Formats Available in JSTOR: PDF
Abstract(back to top)
BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES. In 1998, the California Department of Health Services invited all healthcare facilities in California (n = 2,532) to participate in a statewide, voluntary sharps injury surveillance project. The objectives were to determine whether a low‐cost sharps registry could be established and maintained, and to evaluate the circumstances surrounding sharps injuries in California.
RESULTS. Approximately 450 facilities responded and reported a total of 1,940 sharps‐related injuries from January 1998 through January 2000. Injuries occurred in a variety of healthcare workers (80 different job titles). Nurses sustained the highest number of injuries (n = 658). In hospital settings (n = 1,780), approximately 20% of the injuries were associated with drawing venous blood, injections, or assisting with a procedure such as suturing. As expected, injuries were caused by tasks conventionally related to specific job classifications. The overall results approximate those reported by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s National Surveillance System for Health Care Workers and the University of Virginia’s Exposure Prevention Information Network.
CONCLUSION. These data further support findings from previous studies documenting the complex and persistent nature of sharps‐related injuries in healthcare workers. In the future, mandated reporting using standardized forms and consistent application of decision rules would facilitate a more thorough analysis of injury events.
Bibliographic Information(back to top)
- Sharps‐Related Injuries in California Healthcare Facilities: Pilot Study Results From the Sharps Injury Surveillance Registry
- Marion Gillen , RN, PhD, Jennifer McNary , CIH, MPH, Julieann Lewis , MSPH, Martha Davis , MSPH, EMT, Alisa Boyd , MPH, Mary Schuller , BS, Chris Curran , MS, Carol A. Young , AA and James Cone , MD, MPH
- Infection Control and Hospital Epidemiology
- Vol. 24, No. 2 (February 2003) (pp. 113-121)
Notes and References(back to top)
This item contains 1 note(s).
Notes
Dr. Gillen, Ms. McNary, Ms. Lewis, Ms. Davis, Ms. Boyd, Ms. Schuller, Ms. Curran, and Ms. Young are from the School of Nursing, University of California, San Francisco, and Dr. Cone is from the Occupational Health Branch, California Department of Health Services, Oakland, California. Address reprint requests to Marion Gillen, RN, PhD, UCSF School of Nursing, Department of Community Health Systems, Box 0608, San Francisco, CA 94143‐0608. Supported by funds received from the State of California, Department of Health Services, Hazard Evaluation System and Information Service. The staff of the Sharps Injury Control Program thank each of the participating healthcare facilities; the stakeholders who planned and shaped this program; Department of Health Services and Occupational Health Branch staff, George Bibbons, Kim Hagadone, and Julia Quint; and the Training for Development of Innovative Control Technologies project staff, June Fisher, Anna Bonner, and Robbie Welling.
Items Citing this Item (back to top)
5 item(s) in JSTOR cite this item
- Philippe Kiss , MD; Marc De Meester , MD; Lutgart Braeckman , MD, PhDVol. 29, No. 12 (December 2008) pp. 1192-1194Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/10.1086/592407
- Noleen J. Bennett , RN, MPH; Ann L. Bull , BSc (Hons), MApEpid, PhD; David R. Dunt , MB, BS, PhD, FFPH; Lyle C. Gurrin , BSc (Hons), PhD; Philip L. Russo , RN, MCE; Denis W. Spelman , MB, BS, FRACP, FRCPA, MPH; Michael J. Richards , MB, BS, FRACP, MDVol. 28, No. 7 (July 2007) pp. 896-898Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/10.1086/518749
- Madelyn Azar‐Cavanagh , MD, MPH; Pam Burdt , MSN, RN, CFNP; Judith Green‐McKenzie , MD, MPHVol. 28, No. 2 (February 2007) pp. 165-170Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/10.1086/511699
- Syed M. Shah , MD; David Bonauto , MD; Barbara Silverstein , PhD; Michael Foley , PhCVol. 26, No. 9 (September 2005) pp. 775-781Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/10.1086/502616
- Bradley N. Doebbeling , MD, MScVol. 24, No. 2 (February 2003) pp. 82-85Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/10.1086/502169