Prevention from sharp injuries in the hospital sector: An Italian national observatory on the implementation of the Council Directive 2010/32/EU before and during the COVID-19 pandemic (5 September 2022)

Summary

European Union Directive 2010/32/EU legally enforces a set of strategies aimed at preventing sharps injuries and determining the risk of bloodborne infections and psychological distress in healthcare workers.

This article in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health looks at the results of a national survey conducted in Italy in 2017 and repeated in 2021 to evaluate the progress of the Directive's implementation. The authors assessed the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on implementation.

Content

Key findings

• Knowledge of the Directive requirements decreased significantly between 2017 and 2021, with <60% of participants answering correctly in 2021, Nurses’ attendance in specific courses dropped to 25% in 2021 compared to 54% in 2017.
• Over 75% of hospitals introduced multiple safety-engineered devices (SED), though total replacement occurred in <50% of cases; routine SED availability increased for blood collection (89%) and venous access devices (83%).
• Incorrect behaviours in handling sharps decreased significantly over time.
• Nurses’ HBV vaccination coverage was high (89% in both surveys); in the last year, 97% were vaccinated against Covid-19, and 47% against influenza.
• Average annual injuries per hospital did not increase significantly (32 in 2021 vs. 26 in 2017).
• In 2017, nurses’ perceived safety barriers were working in emergency situations (49%) and lack of resources (40%); in 2021, understaffing (73%), physical fatigue (62%), and handling difficulties while wearing full protective equipment (59%).
• Safety measures were implemented in Italian hospitals, and although the average injuries per hospital did not show a decrease, these measures could have helped protect healthcare workers during the pandemic, mitigating its potential impact on the increase in situations at risk of injury.

Further reading

An uncharted safety gap: inconsistent access to home sharps disposal in the UK
Needlestick injuries – making the point for safety
Injection technique and dual safety in diabetes care - a new SHBN working group to tackle safety risks