Handling of Sharps in the Operating Room: A Single Institution Review

Area of Science:

• Healthcare Safety
• Surgical Nursing
• Occupational Health

Background:

• Operating room (OR) personnel are at high risk for sharp injuries.
• Sharp injuries can lead to serious health consequences for healthcare workers.

Purpose of the Study:

• To analyze operating room (OR) nurses and surgical technologists' experiences with sharps injuries.
• To assess the current level and perceived effectiveness of sharps safety education provided to OR personnel.

Main Methods:

• An anonymous survey was distributed to OR personnel at a single institution.
• The survey collected data on sharp injury history, circumstances of injury, and perspectives on sharps safety and education.
• Forty-two participants completed the survey.

Main Results:

• 69% of respondents reported sustaining at least one sharp injury.
• 58.6% of injuries occurred while handling sharps alone.
• 90.5% believed the "hand back" method was the safest sharps handling technique.
• 45% had never attended continuing medication education (CME) on sharps safety.
• Only 59.4% of those who attended CME found it helpful.

Conclusions:

• A significant proportion of OR personnel experience sharps injuries, often during solo handling.
• Current sharps safety education, including CME, may not be fully effective in preventing injuries or meeting personnel needs.
• Re-evaluation of the content and delivery of sharps safety CME is recommended to improve OR safety.