Preventing sharps injuries in the operating room

Sharps injuries remain a considerable health risk for surgeons and nurses in the operating room. Education is of paramount importance in making health care workers aware of this important health care issue and a number of educational web sites and resources are available to assist in this endeavor, including: International Sharps Injury Prevention Society-Education, information and product knowledge to help reduce the number of sharps injuries. http://www.isips.org International Healthcare Worker Safety Center EPInet-Exposure Prevention Information Network. http://www.med.virginia.edu/ medcntr/centers/epinet/ Joint Commission for Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations Sentinel Alert Preventing Needle stick and Sharps Injuries Issue 22, August 2001. http://www.jcaho.org/about+us/news+letters/ sentinel+event+alert/sea_22.htm Davis MS. Advanced Precautions for Today's O.R. 2001 Edition. The Operating Room Professional's Handbook for the Prevention of Sharps Injuries and Bloodborne Pathogen Exposures. Sweinbinder Publications, LLC, Atlanta, GA. The published literature strongly supports routine use of double gloving and blunt suture needles for fascial closure as recommended techniques for reducing sharps injuries in the operating room. There is insufficient evidence at present to recommend routine use of HFT for the purpose of reducing sharps injuries in the operating room.