Safe Injection Practices Added to On-site Surveys

• 8/31/2010
• Author: Janet Pimentel
• Category: The Source Blog
• 5522 Views
• 0 Comments
• 

No matter how old I am, I can’t help but be afraid whenever I receive a shot from a nurse or physician. I have always hated the pinch of the needle and always will – no matter how nicely the nurse or physician talks to me or makes me laugh beforehand. But, my fears have another focus. Articles in recent years have described health care professionals causing outbreaks by reinserting used needles into multi-dose vials or using a single needle to administer doses to multiple patients. So I can’t help but feel glad that injection practices will be observed during an on-site survey in all Joint Commission accredited organizations to ensure that staff members follow standard precautions for disease-free injections (as you know, safe injection practices are a key component of standard precautions required in Standard IC.02.01.01, EP 2).

If you need to review what the proper precautions are, injection safety is directly addressed in the “2007 Guideline for Isolation Precautions: Preventing Transmission of Infectious Agents in Healthcare Settings” provided by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Healthcare Infection Control Practices Advisory Committee (HICPAC). It would also help to find out if your staff understand and adhere to safe injection practices, which can be done through regular training or conducting quality assurance assessments. I, myself, learned a great deal about safe injection by watching a video highlighting the CDC/HICPAC guidelines provided on the One & Only Campaign Web site (think one needle, one syringe, only one time). I know that I will be thinking about the One & Only Campaign (and what I learned) the next time I get a shot. Whenever that happens, my hope will be that the staff and the health care organization understand and follow the right precautions. (And that they passed their most recent survey!)

More resources for The Source: • Home • Current Issue • About • FAQ • Subscribe • Online Access • Contact