One of the most psychologically stressful events that can occur to a healthcare worker is an injury caused by a sharp medical device. Over 20 million dedicated health care providers expose themselves to biological, chemical, and mechanical hazards daily. The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that approximately 3 million health care providers are exposed to blood and body fluid due to needl
e stick or sharps injuries annually. In addition to HIV and Hepatitis B and/or C, there are more than 20 other types of infectious agents documented to be transmitted through needle sticks with more than 80% being preventable with the simple use of safe needle devices. According to Safe in Common, a non-profit organization that represents healthcare personnel, industry leaders, policymakers and scientists, there are approximately 1,000 percutaneous injuries per day in U.S. hospitals alone adding $1 billion in unnecessary annual costs. Cross referenced with the most recent CDC reports of the cost to treat healthcare personnel, this amounts to an estimated $3,042 per victim each year. In Europe, estimated country annual costs range from €6 million for France to £300 million for England and Wales. The costs are attributed to laboratory fees for testing exposed employees, labor associated with testing and counseling and the costs of post-exposure follow-ups. There is a significant amount of evidence on the cost-benefit of implementing safer needle devices in the healthcare industry. In addition to the cost savings mentioned above, there is decreased “downstream” costs such as the cost of sharps disposal, nursing time for procedures as a result of product use, medical treatment costs for healthcare workers who become infected after sustaining a needlestick injury, wages and time lost by these workers, compensation claims costs, emotional distress suffered by injured workers, their colleagues, and family members, and reduced quality of life, among others. Although the product price of safer needle technologies is typically higher than conventional needle devices, over the long term the costs-savings significantly outweigh the initial expenditure.
