Patient safety does not happen 'by accident'

Patient Safety Awareness Week (PSAW) takes place March 13-19, 2022 and is an annual event promoted by the Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI). PSAW aims to increase awareness about patient safety in healthcare settings and recognize ongoing efforts to ensure that safe practices are in place and up to date.¹ In recognition of PSAW, Nipro would like to renew this conversation as we spotlight the protection of patients and healthcare professionals (HCPs) alike.


A SKILL TO BE PRACTICED
Patient safety is fundamental to delivering high-quality, essential healthcare services – but it is a muscle to be flexed; a skill to be practiced. As a discipline, patient safety evolved as the treatments and systems within healthcare facilities became more complex. “To err is human” – and so the resulting rise of often accidental patient and HCP harm necessitated protection efforts to help prevent and reduce the risks, errors, and other harm that could occur in the healthcare setting.²

Fundamental to patient safety is PREVENTION:

• Awareness: Risk assessment | Ongoing training & evaluations | Hands-on clinical education
• Systems: Policies & procedures | Audits | Leadership Support
• Products: Aseptic kits | Securement Devices | Built-in safety mechanisms

GETTING TO "THE POINT" OF PATIENT SAFETY
A needlestick injury (NSI), whereby a person is unintentionally penetrated by a needle (or other sharp object), may result in exposure to blood or other body fluids.³ It is a very serious matter. Unsafe injection practices and accidental punctures may transmit infections (e.g. HIV, Hepatitis B or C), thereby posing a direct danger to patients, HCPs, waste management professionals, etc. In short, anyone with exposure to the needle is at risk – from administration to final disposal.

Every year, patients and HCPs are affected by needlestick and sharps injuries – with 1 in 10 healthcare professionals predicted to be exposed to bloodborne pathogens in the coming year.⁴  The World Health Organization estimates that 3 of the 35 million HCPs worldwide are exposed to bloodborne pathogens each year because of these needlestick injuries.⁵

In fact, it is estimated that NSIs account for a burden of harm estimated at 9.2 million years of life lost to disability and death worldwide – also known as Disability Adjusted Life Years (DALYs).⁶

Moreover, the CDC estimates that 5.6 million workers in the healthcare industry and related occupations are at risk of occupational exposure to bloodborne pathogens.⁷ And needle-stick injuries during daily occupational duties in 2010 accounted for approximately 40% of hepatitis B and hepatitis C infections and 4.4% of HIV infections in healthcare workers.⁸

The ripple effect of an NSI is WIDE-REACHING:

• Biological consequences
• Psychological impact
• Documentation and possible investigations
• Follow-up check-ups
• Time spent
• Extra costs

1. Maximize user safety
2. Maximize patient discomfort
3. Enhance ease of use