KEYWORDS:
bloodborne pathogens
needlestick
sharps
cost

BACKGROUND:
The 1999 Needlestick Safety and Prevention Act, in conjunction with the Occupational
Safety and Health Administration's 1991 Bloodborne Pathogens Standard, mandate that
all employers identify, evaluate, and make use of effective safer medical devices,
particularly Sharps Engineered for Sharps Injury Prevention (SESIP). This regulation was justified based on estimates of the number of infections prevented in all health care workers.

OBJECTIVE(S):
For routine infant immunization, estimate the risk of transmitting bloodborne pathogens and the additional costs of preventing transmission using SESIP.

METHOD(S):
The estimated prevalence of undiagnosed bloodborne disease among infants was
multiplied by the risk of transmission through needlestick and the rate of needlestick
during immunization. Risk of infections was adjusted for the use of General Precautions, small bore immunization needles, preexposure vaccination (hepatitis B) and postexposure treatment (HIV and hepatitis B). The estimated risk of infection without SESIP was multiplied by the estimated number of immunizations related injections administered to infants each year. We obtained data on the wholesale cost of SESIP.

RESULT(S):
Results will be presented on the risk of needlestick injury and the cost necessary to prevent transmission through the exclusive uses of SESIP.

CONCLUSIONS(S):
Although the risk of transmission of bloodborne infection from accidental needlesticks during routine infant immunization is very low, the universal adoption of SESIP for infant immunization must be viewed as a part of a comprehensive use of safer medical devices.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES:
List three serious blood-borne infections that might be transmitted through accidental needlestick during immunization.
List four measures that can reduce the risk of accidental transmission of bloodborne infections during immunization