Today’s post was shared by Jon L Gelman, who practices law in New Jersey, and the post comes from workers-compensation.blogspot.com
As this article talks about, needlestick injuries are not only expensive, but preventable. And it made me stop to think when I read that “Cross referenced with the most recent CDC reports of the cost to treat healthcare personnel, that amounts to an estimated $3,042 per victim each year.” Yes, that’s over $3,000 for the follow up needed from each needlestick.
A needlestick injury should be covered by workers’ compensation, Answers to Some Common Questions about Workers’ Compensation, and it’s a really basic workplace safety issue. But just because it’s basic and preventable doesn’t mean it isn’t a problem. In addition, it’s not just the folks who immediately come to mind when it comes to healthcare workers who are affected by needlesticks. Because anyone taking out the trash, whether in a healthcare facility or not, can be stuck by an improperly discarded needle and have to go through the worry and medical testing that follow up entails. So please discard sharps in a provided container to be safe and courteous to your fellow workers!
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Needlestick injuries to health care workers is a very costly concern to health care workers, their employers and the their insurers. This article is schare frominfectioncontroltoday.com.
“Needlestick and sharps injuries affect more than half a million healthcare personnel every year, creating over $1 billion in preventable healthcare costs every year and an immeasurable emotional toll on millions of healthcare personnel, according to a Safe in Common review of U.S. healthcare industry statistics.“Safe in Common (SIC)—a non-profit organization that represents healthcare personnel, industry leaders, policymakers and scientists —studied rates and costs of needlestick injuries within U.S. healthcare facilities as part of its ongoing work to raise awareness of advanced safety engineered devices and work practices that can prevent these injuries. After examining the findings from the Massachusetts Sharps Injury Surveillance System, SIC determined approximately 1,000 percutaneous injuries per day in U.S. hospitals alone adds $1 billion in unnecessary annual costs. Cross referenced with the most recent CDC reports of the cost to treat healthcare personnel, that amounts to an estimated $3,042 per victim each year. The costs are attributed to laboratory fees for testing exposed employees, labor associated with testing and counseling, and the costs of post-exposure follow-ups.“These completely preventable injuries, needless cost burdens on the healthcare system and… |
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