Analysing and interpreting routinely collected data on sharps injuries in assessing preventative actions

Sharps injuries (SI) occur frequently in hospitals and are a risk for exposure to bloodborne pathogens. During the 1990s, the safety service of a university general hospital introduced, in collaboration with the occupational health service, specific measures to reduce the number of SI.

The aim of this study was to assess the occurrence and evolution of SI during this period and to evaluate the effectiveness of the preventative measures taken, making use of routinely collected data.

In a retrospective study, we analysed the number of SI recorded from 1990 to 1997. The study population was all employees at risk of SI. Because the introduction of intensive preventative measures dates from 1996, an effect on the incidence of SI can be expected from 1996. To assess this effect, mean incidence rates for 1990-1995 and for 1996-1997 were compared.

In the study period, a total of 4230 SI were recorded. The global SI incidence rate decreased from 33.4 SI per 100 occupied beds per year in 1990-1995 to 30.1 in 1996-1997 (P < 0.01). In the same period, among nurses a decrease in incidence rate from 17.2 to 12.7 SI per 100 person-years was noted (P < 0.0001) and for the hotel service from 4.8 to 3.7 (not significant).

Although this study has various restraints, these results suggest that intensive preventative actions, in combination with technological advances, may have contributed to a drop of 67 SI cases per year.