needlestick injuries and the introduction of a safety cannulae in a dublin teaching hospital elaine...
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Needlestick injuries and the introduction of a safety cannulae in a Dublin Teaching Hospital
Elaine DunneClinical Nurse Manager 2
Occupational Health DepartmentConnolly hospital Blanchardstown.
Accidential blood exposures The occupational health department
opened in July 2001. Prior to this staff who sustained an
accidential blood exposure had to attend OH services off site.
Initially reporting of NSI’s was slow. On average now we see 70
accidential blood exposures annually
Number of Needlestick injuries From July 2001- July 2003
101 accidential blood exposures reported
28 from cannulaes
27.7% of all accidential blood exposures were from cannulaes
Time spent on recipient
Initial risk assessment Counselling Blood tests Vaccination PEP Follow up blood tests and
counselling
Time spent on source
Risk assessment of source patient Contacting team if hospital based. Organising urgent bloods Contacting hospital lab to arrange
urgent transport Contacting VRL to arrange urgent
testing
Time spent on source patient Following up source patients results and
informing recipient Taking results after work hours on a regular
basis. If patient from community, trying to find out
GP and making contact to establish risk. Organising to have blood taken from patient
in community has multiple complications.
Trialing safety cannulaes
A/E had trialed numerous cannulaes over the years.
Organised by the CNM3 who was safety conscious
They particularly liked the vasofix safety cannulae
Where we went from here
Met with Infection control Team and Consultant Microbiologist
Organised a trial for A/E and Theatre Post trial evaluation very positive Put proposal to finance for funding Legal case at time payout €8000 so
no resistance from finance.
contd
Exstensive training for medical and nursing staff.
Another legal case so OHD used opportunity to put proposal for safety cannulae throughout hospital
Proposal accepted.
Safety cannulae Introduced throughout the hospital
September 2003. Training vitally important Very little resistance to new device 18 months post introduction we
carried out an evaluation via questionnaire.
Very positive feedback no problems identified.
2 ½ years later Since introducing the safety
cannulae in September 2003 we have had 1 needlestick injury.(from 28 in previous 2 years)
This was were a doctor failed at cannulation and did not activate the device before removing from patient.