Venous blood collection is a routine part of diagnosis and has become the main way to cause needle stick injury. Studies have shown that more than 90% of nurses have received blood collection training. However, needlestick injury accidents are still common. So how can we prevent sharps injuries?

Causes of Needle Puncture

(1) Weak Awareness of Protection:

Lack of necessary operation training and assessment are the main factors of needlestick injuries. 

(2) Operating Environment

① Nursing staff are too busy 

② Poor light, crowded and noisy surroundings 

③ Sharps container in inappropriate places and the amount is not enough

High Risk Segments of Needlestick Injury

In the procedure for venous blood collection, nurses have the risk of needle stabbing injury in many segments. For example, withdrawing the needle, material pretreatment, and needle sleeve back, etc.

(1) Before Blood Sampling

①Failure to check whether the Blood Collection Needle is intact

②Expose the needle in advance for too long

(2) During Blood Sampling

①Because the patient is restless and does not cooperate, the needle slips off, resulting in a sharp needle injury

②When changing the Blood Sample Collection Tube, the needle handle was not fixed or failed to locate the inlet of the collection tube, resulting in needlestick injuries

(3) After Blood Sampling

The study found that more than 40% of acupuncture injuries occurred when sorting out medical waste, and nurses still had great problems when discarding venous blood collection needles.

① The needle was not treated at the first time after pulling out the needle, resulting in needle stabbing during secondary treatment

② When handling, hold the hose to make the needle swing freely

③ The sharps container is not fully opened, not placed in a reasonable position, and the contents are too full

④ When dealing with other people's medical waste

⑤ Put the needle cap back on both hands.

Operation Procedure, Specification, and Prevention of Venous Blood Collection

(1) Strengthen training and protection related knowledge

① Strengthen pre-job training and regularly train relevant knowledge;

② To reduce the number of acupuncture injuries. Survey nursing staff's compliance, and apply the PDCA cycle for quality management.

(2) Personal Requirements of Nursing Staff

①Nurses should be aware of the severity of needle stick injury and enhance self-protection

②The nursing staff should pay attention to the operation, strictly follow the operation process and remember the protective measures.

(3) Blood collection environment

①Avoid over frequent blood collection by a single person, and arrange additional personnel if necessary

②During blood collection, ensure that the surrounding environment is spacious and bright to avoid crowding and noise

③For restless and uncooperative patients, use sedative drugs according to the doctor's advice or find other nurses to assist in blood collection;

④Conduct propaganda before blood sampling to avoid patients' unconscious avoidance to exposure contaminated needles

(4) Usage Details of Blood Collection Needle

① Before blood sampling, check whether the blood collection needle is in good condition and move cleanly when unpacking;

② Remove the needle cap before inserting the needle tip. Do not remove it too early

③ During blood sampling, ensure needle handle is fixed with adhesive tape and inserted in a blood vessel

④ When replacing the Blood Collection Tube, confirm that the needles at both ends are in a fixed state

⑤ After pulling out the needle, the non-safety blood collection needle can stab the short venous needle into the head of the cotton swab and discard it into the sharp box

⑥ Do not put back the needle cap with both hands;

⑦ When pulling out the needle, hold the needle handle with your thumb, not just pull the catheter

⑧ Discard the needle into the sharp toolbox at the first time after pulling out the needle to avoid secondary treatment and long-distance movement of hand-held contaminated needle

The injury of needle sticks is the most important occupational factor leading to blood-borne diseases among nurses. As nurses, please protect yourself first so that you can better care for patients.

Want to know more details about needlestick injury management, or to get quality Blood Lancet supplied by SUPERFIRT at the best price, please feel free to Contact us.

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