Optimizing Your Sharps Safety Program

ON THIS PAGE: Overview    Objectives    Intended audience    Accreditation   

Overview

Healthcare workers are exposed daily to the risk of injury by needles and other sharp medical instruments. The incidence of sharps injuries, which declined substantially after enactment of the Bloodborne Pathogens Standard in 1991, has risen again in recent years. This program summarizes the risks associated with handling needles and sharps in the healthcare environment and describes how implementation of a comprehensive sharps safety program can mitigate these risks.

Objectives

After completing this continuing nursing education activity, the participant should be able to:

1. Review statistics related to needlestick injuries (NSIs) and bloodborne pathogen transmission.
2. Discuss the impact of NSIs on healthcare professionals and healthcare organizations.
3. Identify features of safety engineered devices and best practices for sharps safety programs.
4. Describe the evaluation process for safety engineered devices, the importance of NSI tracking, and considerations for staff training in a sharps safety program.

Intended audience

This continuing education activity is intended for any healthcare professional who wants to learn more or needs to gain knowledge and skills in sharps safety and how to implement a comprehensive sharps safety program in order to mitigate risks.

Accreditation & credit designation statements

Pfiedler Education is a provider approved by the California Board of Registered Nursing, Provider Number CEP14944, for 2.0 contact hours. Obtaining full credit for this offering depends upon attendance, regardless of circumstances, from beginning to end. Licensees must provide their license numbers for record keeping purposes.

This continuing education activity was planned and provided in accordance with accreditation criteria. This material was produced in December 2020 and expires in December 2022.