Premier Educates Continuum Of Care Market On Preventing Needlestick And Sharps Injuries
Charlotte, NC - As part of its commitment to improve worker and patient safety, the Premier Safety Institute this week mailed its new Prevent Needlestick Injuries brochure to Premier members across the continuum of healthcare delivery sites, including surgery centers, home healthcare facilities, imaging centers, clinical laboratories, physician offices, and long term care facilities. Within its Continuum of Care Program, Premier serves more than 47,000 members who provide healthcare services outside the hospital setting.
The mailing is part of broader educational outreach to all healthcare delivery settings, including hospitals. The brochure was sent to an additional 90,000 caregivers throughout the national healthcare community.
"Worker safety is paramount in today's complex and fast-paced healthcare environment," said Gina Pugliese, R.N., M.S., Premier Safety Institute Vice President. "Injuries from needlesticks and other "sharps," such as scalpels, pose a risk in developing a serious occupational infection such as Hepatitis B, Hepatitis C or HIV. Caregivers owe it to themselves, their families, and their patients to reduce risk of infection from needlesticks."
There are many devices in the market that eliminate the dangers of needlesticks and other "sharps" injuries. "However, many healthcare delivery sites outside of the hospital may not have ready access to the most recent education on worker safety and availability of sharps safety devices," Pugliese said. "For example, it is estimated that only 60 percent of these patient care settings have converted from standard hypodermics as compared to the more than 80 percent of hospitals that have converted. Through this educational outreach, we hope to close that gap."
As part of the Bloodborne Pathogen Standard, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) requires employers to provide sharps safety devices, and on an annual basis, review new devices that are available and provide education on preventive strategies.
Premier developed Prevent Needlestick Injuries to educate caregivers and their employers, offering the best available information on how to prevent occupational needlesticks and other sharps-related injuries in addition to infection-prevention steps to follow if an injury does occur. The 12-page, easy-to-read booklet has information about the following:
- How needlesticks happen
- Why needlesticks are stressful to you and your family
- What safer work practices can protect you
- What are the laws for using safety devices
- What types of safety devices are on the market
- How to evaluate safety devices
- How to dispose of sharps safely
- What to do if you are injured
To download a copy of the brochure, order printed copies, or find additional resources on needlestick prevention, including OSHA compliance, visit Premier's Safety Institute Web site at www.premierinc.com/needlestick.
About Premier, 2006 Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award recipient
Serving 1,700 hospitals and more than 47,000 other healthcare sites, Premier Inc. is the largest healthcare alliance in the United States dedicated to improving patient outcomes while safely reducing the cost of care. Owned by not-for-profit hospitals, Premier operates the nation's largest healthcare purchasing network, the most comprehensive repository of hospital clinical and financial information and one of the largest policy-holder owned, hospital professional liability risk-retention groups in healthcare. Premier's Safety Institute provides publicly available safety resources and tools to promote a safe healthcare delivery environment for patients, workers, and their communities. Headquartered in San Diego, Premier has offices in Charlotte, N.C., Philadelphia and Washington.
SOURCE: Premier Safety Institute