The Center For Disease Control And Prevention - 1218 Words

Sharp Safety Procedures and Guidelines Kelli Bauman Bake University School of Nursing NU332: Foundations of Nursing November 11, 2015 Sharps Safety Procedure and Guidelines The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (2011, para. 2) defines a sharps injury as, â€Å"a penetrating stab wound from a needle, scalpel, or other sharp object that may result in exposure to blood or other body fluids.† Different types of sharps include intravenous cannulas, butterfly needles, hypodermic needles, phlebotomy needles, lancets, scalpels, suture needles, razors, scissors, tissues, and fragments of bone (Weston, 2013, p.208). Sharps injuries affect a great number of health care professionals in the workplace . It is estimated that†¦show more content†¦Education programs created for health care professionals about sharps safety teaches people about various workplace settings where sharps injuries take place. According to the Health Protection Agency (2008), sharp injuries occur during use of sharps, after use but before disposal, between steps in procedures, during disposal, and while recapping needles. In developing nations, where sharp injures are more prevalent, the causes may be linked to lack of knowledge, lack of training, and reusable designs of sharp devices (Duesman Duncan, 2012). Consequently, education programs serve the purpose to identify the situations in which injury occurs and to identify methods to reduce these injuries. Education programs seek to identify strategies used to reduce sharps injuries in the situations where they may occur. The Council on Surgical and Perioperative Safety (2007) developed a set of Safe Surgery Principles. The fifth principle states, â€Å"The Council on Surgical and Perioperative Safety endorses sharps safety measures to prevent injury during perioperative care. Sharps safety measures should include double-gloving, blunt suture needles for fascial closure, and the neutral zone when appropriate to avoid hand to hand passage of sharps.† Double gloving reduces the risk of provider exposure to the patient’s blood by offering another layer of protection. Blunt suture need les reduce the risk for injury by making