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Outpatient Surgery E-Weekly

Contact Congress Over Drug Shortage Issues

A Kentucky congressman is urging surgical facilities to contact their members of Congress and request that they sign his letter demanding changes to...

N.J. Posts ASC Inspection Reports Online

State and federal inspection reports of New Jersey's ASCs are now available online, giving patients an opportunity to make more informed choices abo...

Are Opioids Necessary?

While it's not always practical, or even possible, to eliminate opioids from your post-op pain management regiment, reducing their use in favor of n...

Archive > December, 2009 Vol. X, No. 12

How We're Stamping Out Sharps Injuries

When disposable sharps started showing up at sterile processing, this hospital sprang into action.

Jacqueline Dixon, RN, MSHA, CNOR; and Susan Lynch, RN, BSN, CNOR

Our sharps safety program hit an unexpected bump 2 years ago, when we discovered that disposable sharps were inadvertently being sent to the sterile processing department rather than being disposed of in the sharps container. The scrub nurses weren't always removing the scalpel blades, saw blades, sutures and needles from the tray after each case. Several times, trays with exposed sharps went downstairs to sterile processing, putting the reprocessing staff at greater risk of infection. Unfortunately, a staff member suffered a needlestick. Here's how we tackled this problem.

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