Reducing Sharps Injuries in the Operating Rooms of an Academic Tertiary Care Center

Area of Science:

• Healthcare quality and safety
• Surgical safety practices
• Occupational health in medicine

Background:

• Limited data exists on operating room (OR) sterile field sharps injuries among surgical staff.
• Understanding injury prevalence, distribution, and reporting behaviors is crucial for improving safety.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess sharps injury incidence and reporting among surgical staff at an academic center.
• To implement and evaluate interventions aimed at enhancing sharps safety and reporting.
• To identify factors influencing injury occurrence and reporting behaviors.

Main Methods:

• An electronic survey on sharps handling, injuries, and reporting was administered to 864 staff.
• Follow-up survey conducted post-implementation of a shorter injury reporting form and a neutral zone.
• Statistical analyses, including adjusted odds ratios, were used to assess injury risk.

Main Results:

• 44.9% of 363 respondents reported sharps injuries within three years; physicians sustained the majority.
• Residents had similar injury likelihood to attending surgeons; nurses and technologists had lower likelihoods.
• Reporting to Occupational Health Services was low; time constraints were a cited barrier.
• Interventions did not change injury incidence but improved ease of reporting for 54% of respondents.

Conclusions:

• Attending surgeons and residents experience the most OR sterile field sharps injuries and report them least often.
• A simplified injury reporting process increased perceived ease of reporting.
• Further strategies are needed to reduce sharps injury incidence in the operating room.