Needlestick Injuries
A needlestick injury is a life changing event.
Industry Facts:
There are an estimated 385,000 needlestick injuries per year in the US, equating to approximately 1,050 injuries per day
Factors contributing to the needlestick injury rate are devices that allow a contaminated needle to be exposed when it is removed from a patient, and then require the clinician to perform an extra step to cover the needle tip
Approximately 40% of needlestick injuries involve a safety-designed needle
Aggregate testing costs range from $200 to $1,690 per needlestick injury
The average cost per case as a result of a bloodborne pathogen infection caused by a needlestick injury is $1 million
An estimated $1 billion annually is saved by preventing needlestick injuries
Approximately one third of all needlestick injuries occur during disposal
Approximately one third of all needlestick injuries occur to a non-primary user
The CDC estimates between 62% to 68% of needlestick injuries can be prevented
It is estimated about half of sharps injuries go unreported
There are an estimated 1,000,000 needlestick injuries annually in Europe
Hollow bore needles pose a greater risk of needle injury due to the presence of blood or bodily fluids in the needle bore
In the US, the Needle Stick Safety and Prevention Act of 2000 and the subsequent OSHA Bloodborne Pathogens Standard of 2001 require adoption of safer needle devices
Five years post passage, injuries decreased by 31.6%
However, this legislation did not affect surgical settings, where injuries increased by 6.5% in the same time period