POST 01303E: NEEDLE REMOVER DEVICE: FIELD EXPERIENCE

POST 01303E: NEEDLE REMOVER DEVICE: FIELD EXPERIENCE 12 AUGUST 2008 ******************************************* Dear Moderator, PATH would like to post the following message to follow up on needle remover experiences. Best wishes, Nancy -------- Safely managing infectious sharps waste is an important component of any injection safety strategy and a means by which needle stick injuries can be prevented among health workers and the community. Cardboard safety boxes are the most widely used approach to managing sharps waste but recently, manual needle removers have been incorporated as a key element of some nations' sharps waste management strategies, such as India. Multiple studies have shown wide acceptance of needle removers and a feeling of increased personal safety on the part of health workers and waste handlers. PATH has recently become aware of an injury that occurred when, during use of a needle remover, the upper section of a cut needle rebounded from the device and injured the user. PATH is aware of one other rebounding incident of a needle section in the past four years of monitoring needle remover use, though it did not result in a needlestick injury. Although these appear to be rare events, they are a concern that must be addressed. In both instances, the device was a "barrel" style, double cutting needle remover, though they were made by two different manufacturers. More information is being gathered on the circumstances of the injury and the device is being evaluated. We are exploring minor design changes which would mitigate the problem. The issue has also been reported to both of the device manufacturers for further investigation. PATH is committed to improving health worker safety through identifying and refining solutions for safe sharps waste management. As one way to achieve this, we are requesting information on field experience related to needle remover device performance, including both benefits and limitations. If you or others have experience using needle removers in health facilities or through programs in your country, we encourage you to please complete the attached brief set of questions by August 22, 2008. This information will inform optimal device designs, ultimately leading to safer, more appropriate systems for waste management for health workers, waste handlers, and the community. Please follow this link to fill out the questionnaire on needle remover experiences: In the meantime, it is important to reinforce universal precautions for injection safety and include monitoring of needle remover use in supervision visits, particularly proper cleaning and maintenance procedures. Job aids on the proper use and maintenance of barrel style needle removers and guidance documents on planning for and introducing needle removers into health facilities are included on the PATH needle remover resource page: Thank you for taking the time to complete this brief survey. Nancy Muller ([[email protected]][email protected][/email]) PATH Post generated using Mail2Forum (http://www.mail2forum.com)