Stop sticks: important reminders to avoid sharps injuries
Sharps Safety Reminders
Only use a sharps device when needed.
Organize your work area.
Do not multitask - often multiple disciplines may be trying to work with the patient. If a sharps is involved - no other work should be performed.
Never work with a sharps you have not been trained on. If you recognize an unfamiliar device please seek education prior to using.
Assess hazards (anxious or combative patient) and get assistance if needed.
Safety Device Reminders
Sharps injuries are often the result of a failure to utilize the safety device properly.
Always maintain eye contact with the needle.
Activate the safety feature with one hand - please place a PEARL if you have a device that cannot be activated with one hand.
Never recap needles.
Create a stop moment when disposing of the needle into the sharps container.
Never pass a contaminated sharps from one person to another.
Utilize STAR with Sharps
Stop: Handling Sharps is a High-Risk Activity: Always Focus!
Think: Prepare the patient and organize the work area.
Get assistance with an unstable patient
Act Safely:
“SHOUT OUT FOR SHARPS”
Verbalize: “Sharp in Hand” to help focus on the task.
“CLICK TO SAFETY”
Immediately activate safety device; feel and hear device engage.
Do Not Recap needles.
Keep sharps in view and under your control: keep your eye on it!
Dispose immediately: do not set a sharp down; keep it pointed away.
Review: Visually inspect for sharps in trays, beds, and waste receptacles. Do not multi-task with a sharp in hand
Good Samaritan Caregivers Share Their Sharp Injury Stories
“Needle was sucked up into the suction tube & was trying to remove needle from the suction…needle stick to left thumb.”
“My first needle stick ever -- and I have been an EMT for a long time -- starting IVs in the back of an ambulance.”
“I gave a heparin shot using a TB syringe. I pulled it out of the skin and poked my left index finger.”
