Primary Prevention of Sharps Injuries

The term "primary prevention" refers to healthcare technologies and practices that reduce or eliminate the use of sharp implements by replacing them with safer technologies and practices (example: catheter securement devices). Primary prevention is the most direct method of preventing needlestick injuries. Simply put, eliminate the sharp and you eliminate the risk.

Primary prevention contrasts with secondary prevention (example: retractable needles), an approach that adds protection but still requires use of a potentially dangerous sharp. Several recent studies show that accidents still occur at surprisingly high rates when secondary prevention is used. Possible causes include clinicians' failure to activate safety features, failure of the safety features to operate correctly, design problems that make the safety features difficult to operate, and post-usage accidents that occur while the devices are in the waste stream.

The medical device manufacturers and designers who make up part of NAPPSI's membership have developed primary prevention technologies as a response to the high rate of bloodborne infections from medical sharps injuries. More than 600,000 American medical workers are accidentally injured by medical sharps each year. Annually, about 2,500 sharps injury victims develop either hepatitis B or C, or contract HIV, which causes AIDS.

Primary Prevention Device Categories

Antimicrobial Catheters - Vascular access devices impregnated with anti-infective solutions

Blood Sampling - Devices to collect blood samples or to conduct point-of-care testing

Catheter Site Protection - Devices placed over the site of a vascular access device to protect it from being dislodged

Catheter Stabilization Devices - Devices manufactured with an adhesive pad and a mechanism to secure the catheter at the catheter-skin junction and to anchor the administration set

Education/Simulator Devices - Devices used to teach invasive procedures such as venipuncture procedures

Hemodynamic Monitoring - Non-invasive methods to assess the patient's hemodynamic profile

Inhalation Systems, nebulizer

Iontophoretic systems

Laser Technologies - Devices that employ lasers to replace the use of needles

Needleless Diagnostics - Diagnostic products that obtain tissue or body fluid samples without the use of needles

Needleless Drug Delivery - Systems designed to deliver pareneral medications that eliminate the use of needles for compounding and administration

Needleless Injection Systems - Products added to the threaded catheter hub to facilitate attachment of the administration set without the use of needles

Pharmacy Automated Filling Systems - Machines used in pharmacies to automate the process of filling syringes, reducing exposure to needlestick and potentially harmful medications

Prefilled Catheter Flush Syringes - Syringes filled with catheter flush and locking solutions thus eliminating the need for filling syringes at the bedside

Skin Antiseptics - Solutions used to reduce the antimicrobial burden on skin

Surgical Glues and Wound Closure - Products used to close wounds that eliminates the use of sutures

Surgical Scalpels

Vascular Visualization - Devices used to enhance the visibility of peripheral veins and arteries, thus increasing successful puncture

Secondary Prevention Device Categories

Blood Collection Equipment (ABG syringes, phlebotomy needles, blood tube holders, collection tubes, butterfly needles, blood banking, blood culture bottles/trays, capillary tubes, tube segment sampler, cord blood collection, lancets)

Blood Splash Protection

Bone Marrow Collection Systems

Dentistry Devices

Gloves, puncture/cut resistent

Injection Devices (needles and syringes, prefilled syringes, insulin injection needles, bifurcated needles, medication transfer systems, vial adaptors, introducer needles, amniotic needles, recapping systems, prefilled syringes with safety needles, pre-injection bandage, ampoule breakers, syringe transportation)

IV Insertion Equipment (protected needle short peripheral catheters, introducer needles, port access needles, winged needles, other catheters(CVC, PICC, Radial Artery, ect.))

Epidural/ Spinal Needles

Disposal Systems (sharps, chemo wastes containers, syringe/needle destruction systems

Hemodialysis and Apheresis Devices

Nuclear Medicine Devices

Surgical Devices (scaples, suture needles ( blunt-tip), staples, electrosurgical scaples, transfer drapes, staple remover, scalpel blade removal)

Fluid Sampling Devices

Other Safety Products

General Information

NAPPSI has launched a major campaign to promote sharps injury protection through a Clinician Advisory, alerting clinicians to the importance of both primary and secondary prevention. NAPPSI is also seeking incorporation of primary/secondary prevention terminology into state regulations that implement needlestick safety laws.

NAPPSI's membership encompasses the major stakeholders in the needlestick safety issue, including manufacturers and developers of primary prevention technology and services, professional associations, healthcare organizations, and individual healthcare professionals and experts. The organization is supported by the paid membership of corporate members. Non-profit organizations and individual clinicians may join for free. For more information on the organization, e-mail info@NAPPSI.org.