Skip to contents
In This Issue:
BWH reduction rates
With an eye toward a safer work environment, BWH efforts to diminish bloodborne pathogens (BBPs) over the past five years have met with strong success. Among highest risk exposures alone, BWH has experienced a 37 percent decrease since 1998. This success is the result of a multidisciplinary effort focused on improving processes, increasing reporting, introducing new products and expanding educational outreach.
Several initiatives are under way to increase reporting, ensuring data is collected and prophylactics issued as quickly as possible. To make reporting easier and response time faster, the BBP Safety Team has collaborated with Occupation Health Services to ease the notification and follow-up process for employees. One way they have accomplished this is with a needle stick beeper, a 24-hour response mechanism for individuals exposed to BBPs.
For the past four years, data has been collected on the relationship between devices and the number of exposures. Since 1998 these products have been associated with a positive trend in an overall reduction in exposures.
While the results are encouraging, according to safety team member Deborah Yokoe, MD, “it is not enough to have these safety products and devices at our hospital. An ongoing goal of our team is to continue to educate nurses and physicians about the proper use of new products and the importance of following safety protocols.”
The BBP Safety Team will continue its efforts to educate all staff about the necessity of self-reporting and will be collaborating with the Value Analysis team to increase acceptance of new safety products.
For more information, contact Yokoe at 617-525-2689 or Marlene Freely at ext. 2-8501.