A Call for Easier Safety Device Classification

A lthough significant progress has been made in devices designed to protect clinicians from sharpsrelated injuries, the danger of accidentally contracting a serious, and sometimes fatal disease has by no means been eliminated from the healthcare workplace. At the same time, nurses are expressing growing concern about the dangers associated with needlestick injuries. A recent survey conducted by the American Nurses Association reported that sharps-related injury now ranks third in the list of concerns that nurses have about health and safety in their workplace. It is disconcerting to find that nearly 20% of these nurses stated that their facilities provided absolutely no safety devices for use in injections, placement of IV catheters, or phlebotomy procedures. Of the remaining 80 percent surveyed, most stated that just a small number of safety devices were made available for procedures. Recent legislative and regulatory actions support the demands of clinicians for a safer workplace. In addition, the Joint Commission on Allied Health Organizations (JCAHO) has announced that it will cite accredited institutions that do not comply with all applicable needle safety standards. National compliance initiatives, combined with federal and state legislation, remain essential in assuring that healthcare workers have a choice in the types of safety devices they use. However, such large-scale efforts alone are not sufficient to mandate the relevant and sustainable improvements in clinical safety desired. As a result, clinicians must be individual advocates for change, and effective advocacy depends largely on a thorough knowlA Call for Easier Safety Device Classification Marilyn Hanschett, RN, PhD Julie Naunheim-Hipps, BS, CRNI