Workbook for Designing, Implementing and Evaluating a Sharps Injury Prevention Program

Occupational exposure to bloodborne pathogens from needlesticks and other sharps injuries is a serious problem, but it is often preventable. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that each year 385,000 needlesticks and other sharps-related injuries are sustained by hospital-based healthcare personnel (1). Similar injuries occur in other healthcare settings, such as nursing homes, clinics, emergency care services, and private homes. Sharps injuries are primarily associated with occupational transmission of hepatitis B virus (HBV), hepatitis C virus (HCV), and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), but they may be implicated in the transmission of more than 20 other pathogens (2-5).

The Workbook includes several sections that describe each of the organizational steps and operational processes. A toolkit of forms and worksheets is included to help guide program development and implementation. The Workbook also contains:

-A comprehensive overview of the literature on the risks and prevention of sharps injuries in healthcare personnel;
-A description of devices with sharps injury prevention features, and factors to consider when selecting such devices; and
-Internet links to websites with relevant information on sharps injury prevention.