{"id":4825,"date":"2013-12-04T18:07:41","date_gmt":"2013-12-04T17:07:41","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.efnweb.be\/?p=4825"},"modified":"2013-12-04T18:07:41","modified_gmt":"2013-12-04T17:07:41","slug":"zero-tolerance-as-key-target-for-the-prevention-of-sharps-injuries","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/efn.eu\/?p=4825","title":{"rendered":"Zero tolerance as key target for the prevention of sharps injuries!"},"content":{"rendered":"

Sharps injuries are a reality that a lot of healthcare professionals have already been confronted to. It is estimated that 1 million sharps\/needle stick injuries occur every year, which is, still today, an unacceptable extremely high number of incidents! Taking into account these numbers and the end of the implementation process (May 2013) of the Directive 2010\/32\/EU<\/a> on prevention from sharp injuries in the hospital and healthcare sector, adopted in May 2010, the European Federation of Nurses Associations (EFN) undertook an online survey<\/a>, aiming to reach frontline healthcare professionals to evaluate the state of implementation of the Directive into their daily practice.<\/p>\n

Focussing on risk assessment; elimination, prevention and protection; information and awareness-raising; education and training; and reporting, the survey was answered by almost 7.000 health professionals from the 28 EU Member States, with 95% of respondents being nurses. The results<\/a>, presented on 2 December 2013, at the 4th<\/sup> European Biosafety Summit<\/a> held in Warsaw, show<\/a> that 41% of the respondents have already suffered a sharps injury incident, and that many healthcare professionals do not have yet access to a range of safety devices, even if overall, the respondents feel that their countries have put in place some adequate measures, with a positive impact in their daily practice and clinical environment. It also shows that some areas are less covered than others, as: specific education on sharp injuries prevention, the performance of risk assessments at the workplace, the explicit ban of recapping, awareness campaigns, and a lack of attention to community care and elderly homes. There is also a common understanding that more actions are needed to guide professionals on what to do when they suffer from a sharps injury, and that the guidelines need to be better rooted into daily practices.<\/p>\n

As such, it is important that we go further in this implementation and that we make sure to reach a 100% prevention of sharps injuries in the healthcare settings as a necessary condition for a healthy and competent health workforce. From an EFN perspective, the approach towards sharps injuries shall be the one of zero-tolerance. Therefore, being the largest group of the healthcare professions, working 24h per day and 7 days a week at to patients\u2019 bedside, it is crucial that nurses are engaged in this risk assessment and that this is not seen just as a theoretical exercise managed by managers or directors. A first step to improve this situation should be the development of a reference colleague – a \u201cLink Nurse\u201d \u2013 working closely with the nurses, and other health professionals, and which would take up a more prominent role in the prevention of sharp injuries at the workplace.<\/p>\n

\"Biosafety<\/a><\/p>\n

To view the pictures of the event, click here<\/a>.
To view a small video of the event, click here<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Sharps injuries are a reality that a lot of healthcare…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4825","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":6954,"url":"https:\/\/efn.eu\/?p=6954","url_meta":{"origin":4825,"position":0},"title":"5th European Biosafety Summit","author":"efn efn","date":"June 3, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"Building on the previous Summits held in Madrid, Dublin, London and Warsaw, the European Biosafety Network organised its 5th Summit in the European Parliament in Brussels on 3rd June 2015. 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Although the deadline for full implementation comes to\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Latest News"","block_context":{"text":"Latest News","link":"https:\/\/efn.eu\/?cat=35"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":12242,"url":"https:\/\/efn.eu\/?p=12242","url_meta":{"origin":4825,"position":2},"title":"International Conference on History of Nursing","author":"efn efn","date":"February 17, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"Organised by the Italian Nurses Association and the European Association for the History of Nursing, in Florence, the city where Florence Nightingale\u2019s was born, the conference gathered nurses, historians, civil and political authorities from national & EU level, to celebrate Florence Nightingale\u2019s Bicentennial discussing on the history of nursing, and\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Latest News"","block_context":{"text":"Latest News","link":"https:\/\/efn.eu\/?cat=35"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":4697,"url":"https:\/\/efn.eu\/?p=4697","url_meta":{"origin":4825,"position":3},"title":"EFN questionnaire on implementation of Sharp Injuries Directive 2010\/32\/EU","author":"efn efn","date":"October 8, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"The EFN is launching an online questionnaire aimed to reach healthcare professionals working in the field to understand how Directive 2010\/32\/EU on Sharp Injuries plays out into their daily practice. The results will be analysed and compiled in a report to be presented at the European Biosafety Summit that will\u2026","rel":"","context":"Similar post","block_context":{"text":"Similar post","link":""},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":3095,"url":"https:\/\/efn.eu\/?p=3095","url_meta":{"origin":4825,"position":4},"title":"Polish Nurses Association organises event on the implementation of Directive 32\/2010\/EC","author":"efn efn","date":"November 8, 2012","format":false,"excerpt":"On 6 November, the Polish Nurses Association held a seminar on the implementation of Directive 32\/2010\/EC on sharp injuries. 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