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The needle safety team provided training to more than 300 new residents and fellows as part of their orientation to BWH at the end of June. As part of the training sessions, Anesthesiologist Jim Philip, MD, led a presentation on needle safety that provided a review of BWH policy, a summary of helpful data and an overview of the key needle safety products available to BWH clinicians. A critical part of the message was the focus on safety at all times and the importance of calling the STIK beeper (3-STIK or 37845) for any exposure to blood or body fluids via a splash, cut or needle stick exposure.
Physicians remain at highest risk for exposures due to the large number of sharp instruments and needles they handle on a regular basis. Since 1999, a multidisciplinary team has worked to improve the needle safety at BWH. As a result, there was a 22 percent decrease in needle stick injuries from 1998 to 2002. Also, the reporting of exposures increased by 30 percent among physicians thanks to the team’s ongoing needle safe awareness program. For further information on BWH’s needle safety program, visit the hospital’s intranet site at (www.bwhpikenotes.org). The needle safety homepage can also be accessed directly at http://www.bwhpikenotes.org/needlesafety/index.html