Sharps Injuries and Devices from Pre-packaged Kits

Background: Sharps injuries (SI) among healthcare workers continue to be a significant public health problem, potentially exposing workers to more than 20 bloodborne diseases.

Methods: Since 2001, the MDPH Sharps Injury Surveillance System has collected data to characterize SI among hospital workers. The system has revealed the continued use of devices lacking sharps injury prevention features. In 2006, in response to hospital staff concern about injuries with devices in prepackaged kits, MDPH began collecting additional information to distinguish injuries associated with devices in kits.

Results: Data on SI among hospitals workers during 2006-2010 were examined to identify injuries associated with devices in prepackaged kits. Of the 15,163 injuries reported, 20% (3,057) involved devices from prepackaged kits. A majority of these kit-related injuries (55%, 1,678) occurred with devices lacking sharps injury prevention features, most commonly IV stylets, scalpels and hypodermic needles & syringes for which devices with sharps injury prevention features are widely available.

Conclusions: OSHA requires the use of devices with sharps injury prevention features, including devices in prepackaged kits. Data demonstrate that device manufacturers and kit packers continue to dispense products that place hospitals in violation of the OSHA Bloodborne Pathogen Standard and MDPH regulations. Suppliers will make changes to kits upon request, creating regulation-compliant custom kits, often at a premium cost. Eleven years after revision of the BBP Standard explicitly requiring use of devices with sharps injury prevention features, suppliers should work to ensure that longstanding regulatory requirements are met with standard kits, rather than costly custom kits.