Karen Daly's Presentation on Sharps Injury Prevention

Introduction

• Speaker: Karen Daly, Nurse and past president of the American Nurses Association.
• Purpose: Share personal story and discuss workplace safety issue affecting nurses.

Personal Story

• Incident: Suffered a preventable sharps injury 18 years ago.
• Cause: Overfilled sharps box; availability of safer devices.
• Consequence: Contracted HIV and hepatitis.

Progress in Sharps Injury Prevention

• Improvements: Sharps injuries in the U.S. have dropped by one-third since a law was enacted.
• Legislation: Law signed by President Clinton in 2000 mandated employer responsibilities and improved safety.

Current Challenges

• Stagnation: No further decline in injuries since 2010.
• Reason: Some employers not providing safer devices with prevention features.

Legal Rights and Responsibilities

• Under 2000 Law:
  • Employers must annually evaluate the effectiveness of safety devices.
  • Nurses have rights to be involved in selecting new safety devices.

Prevention Responsibility

• Shared Responsibility: Everyone in the healthcare field should contribute to workplace safety.
• Nurses’ Role:
  • Don't rush with sharps handling.
  • Activate protective mechanisms on devices.
  • Dispose of sharps properly to avoid downstream injuries.

Advocacy

• Stay Vigilant: Practice safe handling and disposal of sharps mindfully.
• Advocate: Support a safe environment and tools necessary for injury prevention.

Acknowledgements

• Sponsor: CM and F Group for funding educational video.
• Contribution: Provided risk management advice and liability products for over 70 years.

Conclusion

• Message: Protect yourself and others from preventable sharps injuries; advocate for safety and involve in safety device evaluation.