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Tips for Selecting Safe Needle Devices
Exposures to bloodborne pathogens through needle and other sharp device injuries have prompted hospitals to seek safer devices and have been a driving force for federal and state legislation mandating the use of safer sharps. No doubt your hospital is currently purchasing safe needles and will continue to expand into new devices and applications. A few considerations up front can make your life easier and safer in the long run. What are some points to consider?
Evaluate and select products systematically:
- Keep your eyes open for new products.
- Ask for samples. A hands-on look at the products is essential.
- If samples look promising, do a clinical evaluation in the appropriate department. (Check out the evaluation tools developed by the Training for Development of Innovative Control Technologies project (TDICT), available online at http://www.TDICT.org.)
- Look closely at employee evaluation and feedback. This will help rule out inferior devices or, from criticism and questions raised, will identify key points to communicate during widespread introduction of the device.
- When you buy a new device, use the manufacturer's representative for training staff.
Keep contracts short because products are rapidly changing and improving. One large healthcare system reports that their needle contracts don't exceed 1 year, so they can take advantage of favorable new products coming onto the market.
Use manufacturers' representatives for training. A criterion for selecting a product should be that the manufacturer must train throughout all your facilities. Encourage staff members to question and offer constructive criticism to the manufacturer's rep. The representative is a direct link back to the design engineers and this is one way products get refined and improved.
Use existing product lists to be informed about safe needle devices on the market. Two comprehensive lists are available online:
For more information about alternative healthcare products and practices, visit the Sustainable Hospitals Project website at http://www.sustainablehospitals.org or contact the SHP at 978-934-3386 or by email at shp@uml.edu
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