Ongoing Use of Conventional Devices and Safety Device Activation Rates in Hospitals in Ontario, Canada

Abstract

This study assessed voluntary compliance with the use of sharp safety devices in lieu of conventional ones and the activation status of these safety devices: VanishPoint syringes, Terumo Surshield butterflies, and Insyte Autoguard IV catheters. Sharps disposal containers from various wards in three private, not-for profit, university-affiliated Ontario hospitals were audited during 9 days in August 2007. In the 149 audited sharps containers, 55% of all syringes found were conventional compared with 45% that were safety syringes. In the three hospitals, the percentages of conventional (non-safety) vs. safety syringes found in used sharps containers were as follows, respectively: (i) 72% conventional and 28% safety, (ii) 55% conventional and 45% safety, and (iii) 65% conventional and 35% safety. In addition, it was found that 77% of 2131 Terumo butterflies, 97% of 1117 Insyte Autoguard IV catheters, and 87% of 4897 VanishPoint syringes in the containers had been activated. This study, carried out approximately 1 year before it was legally required to use safety instead of sharp conventional devices, found that most devices in use were conventional ones. It was also found that only the activation rate for the safety IV device was acceptable.

[Supplementary materials are available for this article. Go to the publisher's online edition of Journal of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene for the following free supplemental resource: a file containing tables outlining safety syringes and conventional syringes by ward and hospital and hospital-wide and ward activation rates by category of device.]

Keywords:

• activation rate
• percutaneous injury
• safety-engineered sharp devices

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

This study was conducted with the help of Rienne Austin and Rosemary Van Oostrom, at Hamilton Health Sciences, and Dr. A. Kopyto assisted with data analysis. The study was funded by the McMaster University Occupational Health Education Project.

Notes

^A N/A = not applicable because the hospital does not have this type of ward.

^B Includes mothers and newborns.

^C Includes medical and surgical pediatric wards.

^A Proportion of safety syringes by hospital.

^B Proportion of conventional syringes by hospital.

^C Proportion of all syringes that were safety syringes.

^D Proportion of all syringes that were conventional syringes.

^E Proportion of recapped conventional syringes.

^F Proportion of bloody conventional syringes that were recapped.

^A Total number of safety devices and activation rates according to hospital.

^B Total number of safety devices and activation rates according to brand name.

^C Total number of safety devices found and overall activation rate (86%).