Confronting the lingering issue of avoidable sharps injuries
The Vision of Daniels Health began with a single question 'How do we eliminate sharps injuries'. That question birthed a company that has gone on to create the world's safest sharps container with five years of clinical research and R&D invested into its design. It has fuelled 32 years of advocacy on national and international boards and committees to raise minimum standards, and it has captured the passion of over 990 staff who represent Daniels in six countries serving the mission of creating a safer world for healthcare workers.
Fast forward to 2018, we have come a long way from our small visionary beginnings and have seen countless lives saved through SED and container innovation, but sadly we cannot say that the issue of sharps injuries has been resolved. In 2015, EXPO-STOP - the largest sharps exposure survey in the United States, conducted research on 182 hospitals from 38 states. The results showed:
· Approximately 1,000 healthcare workers sustain a sharps injury DAILY
· 40% of reported sharps injuries were sustained by nurses, 35% doctors; and 2-4% were environmental services staff
· Of EVS staff, the two main causes were (I) handling sharps containers (ii) improper disposal of sharps
· Surgical sharps injuries represented 38% of all sharps injuries reported
Bringing thought-leaders and industry experts together, we are privileged to sponsor the inaugural 'It's Not OK' event to help tackle the persistent issue of sharps injuries occurrence and prevention strategies. Speakers include Karen Daley - Former President of the American Nurses Association, Terry Grimmond - Microbiologist and lead investigator of the EXPO-STOP survey, and Mary J Ogg - Senior Perioperative practice specialist at AORN.
Serving healthcare for over 30 years, we are very cognizant that an issue as big as this is not solved by putting forward a single remedy in isolation. A safe container, no matter how safe, cannot eliminate the issue of needle-stick injuries single handedly; albeit vital, it is a single piece of a much bigger strategy. Industry reporting of NI, placement, staff training, SED use and other preventative strategies all form part of the collective need of safeguarding healthcare workers from sharps injuries.
If you're in Chicago, Philadelphia or Florida, we would love to extend the offer for you to join us for this rather groundbreaking event. Learn more here https://www.danielshealth.com/itsnotok