Guidelines in Practice: Sharps Safety

Sharps injuries are a recognized and preventable occupational risk among health care workers, particularly those who work in the perioperative setting. The recently updated AORN "Guideline for sharps safety" provides perioperative team members with information on identifying potential sharps hazards and interventions to prevent sharps injuries. This article provides an overview of the guideline and discusses recommendations for an organizational sharps safety program, evaluating and selecting devices with engineered sharps injury prevention features, using devices with engineered sharps injury prevention features, neutral zone and safer sharps handling, sharps disposal, and personal protective equipment and double gloving. It also includes a scenario related to the implementation of safety-engineered sharps devices. Perioperative nurses should review the guideline in its entirety and apply the recommendations when handling or disposing of sharps.