Since BWH completed its conversion to a “needle safe” environment in February, the Needle Safe Team has been hard at work to continually enhance the system.
“As needle safe legislation is enacted across the country, manufacturers of needle safety technology have introduced new products and improved on their current products,” said Karen Nelson, RN, MPA - Leader of the Needle Safety Team and Director of Corporate and Regulatory Compliance at BWH. “Our team is dedicated to staying on top of improvements, and comparing their effectiveness to current products,” she added.
In addition to an ongoing assessment of new products and improvements, other steps are being taken to measure the effectiveness of BWH’s implementation of a needle safe system.
One such measure is needle box audits, which allows the team to gauge compliance levels in terms of ordering, usage and activation of needle safety products. Since February, audits have been conducted in the Tower and the Connors Center for Women’s Health. Bloodborne Pathogen Exposure data is also being closely monitored by Occupational Health and is shared with Nurse Managers on a regular basis.
Additionally, open training sessions were held in June to update the nearly 100 needle safety unit leaders who received initial training back in November 1999 in preparation of the February 2000 needle safe conversion. “Team leaders continue to be instrumental in communicating the latest information on needle safety products to other staff and employees,” said Nelson. Unit Leaders also receive continual updates on needle safety changes via email and the Needle Safety Team Update.
Future goals of the Needle Safe Team include implementation of an IV Needleless System, finalization of the labeling system for needle safe products and creating a committee to inventory all kits used at BWH and replace non-safe products within those kits with new needle safe products.
The scope of the project is broad and Needle Safety is being introduced into the research environment as well.
For more information of needle safety, please call Karen Nelson, RN, MPA, at ext. 5810