Healthcare Worker Surveys Reveal Significant Rise in Sharps Injuries

Surveys of healthcare workers indicate a troubling trend: The number of sharps injuries is increasing.

The EXPO-S.T.O.P. (EXPOsure Survey of Trends in Occupational Practice) 2016 and 2017 surveys were conducted by the Association of Occupational Health Professionals in Healthcare (AOHP), with their results published in the AOHP Journal.

An Infection Control Today report covering the surveys and their results noted that "EXPO-S.T.O.P. is an electronic survey designed to ascertain the incidence of sharps injuries and mucocutaneous blood exposures among healthcare workers in U.S. healthcare facilities." The 2016 survey included facilities in 37 states, while the 2017 survey — AOHP's largest to date — included 224 hospital participants.

The 2016 and 2017 surveys' results point to a significant increase in blood exposure incidence over the 2011 results and continue this trend, which was witnessed in the 2015 survey. Furthermore, the 2017 sharps injuries rate is almost back to the 2001 rate. That was the year that the Needlestick Safety and Prevention Act was enacted, which contributed to a substantial decrease in sharps injuries in the years that followed, according to the report.

‘New’ Candida Auris Fungal Superbug Isn't So New At All

The media is abuzz about Candida auris, a fungal superbug popping up throughout the United States as well as other parts of the world. News headlines like "Candida Auris: The Fungus Nobody Wants to Talk About" and "'Unbeatable' superbug fungus sickens hundreds across the U.S., CDC says' seem to suggest that C. auris is a new challenge for healthcare providers and patients.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) calls C. auris "an emerging fungus that presents a serious global health threat" and reports that nearly 600 cases of the disease have been confirmed in the United States, as of Feb. 28, 2019. While C. auris — like all superbugs — is concerning, considering the difficulty in diagnosing and treating the infection, it is important to distinguish truth from falsity or rumor when discussing superbugs and working to educate the public on them.

This is what Jamie Wells, MD, FAAP, director of medicine at the American Council on Science and Health (ACSH), does in a recent article for ACSH. Some of the key takeaways:

• C. auris is not new. The earliest known infection occurred in 1996 and it was first described in 2009.

• There's no need for panic. C. auris is not a significant threat to the general public, particularly otherwise healthy individuals. People should practice proper infection control precautions and perform frequent handwashing if a close individual is colonized or infected with C. auris. 

• While contracting C. auris is serious, infection is rare, as indicated by the number of confirmed cases. Consider that another type of infection caused an estimated 959,000 hospitalizations and more than 79,000 deaths in the United States from 2017-2018. That infection? Influenza.

• People with C. auris can be treated and survive.

• Individuals with multiple, existing medical conditions who are admitted to hospitals or long-term skilled nursing facilities are at the highest risk.

• With increased awareness of C. auris and identification of hotspots, more rapid detection or at least consideration of testing should help limit outbreaks.

With all of that said, any health threat should be taken seriously, and healthcare providers must always act responsibly when caring for patients. As Dr. Wells writes, "…  hypervigilance in care of those most susceptible like individuals on chemotherapy or alternative immunosuppressed condition is of critical import. Following contact and necessary precautions can be lifesaving." 

Duodenoscope Reprocessing Remains Infection Prevention Challenge

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has announced that despite efforts to improve the cleaning and reprocessing of duodenoscopes, decontamination remains a significant challenge, with scope-related infections continuing to harm many patients.

The news comes from FDA's latest report concerning postmarket surveillance studies on rates of contamination after the cleaning and reprocessing of duodenoscopes manufactured by Olympus, Fujifilm and Pentax. In 2015, the FDA ordered these companies to conduct such studies gain a better understanding of the transmission of infections and assess the factors that contribute to their occurrence. The objective was to prevent patient infections associated with the transmission of bacteria from contaminated duodenoscopes, including those from multi-drug resistant bacteria infections. 

The implementation of these safety measures contributed to a notable decline in the number of medical device reports associated with patient infections. The number of reports peaked in 2015 at 250 and declined to fewer than 100 reports per year in 2017 and 2018, according to the FDA.

While these results are encouraging, considerable work remains. The FDA noted that it received reports of three deaths of U.S. patients in 2018 related to infections associated with duodenoscopes. In addition, from Oct. 15, 2018, through March 31, 2019, it received 45 reports of patient infection, one report of patient exposure and 159 reports of device contamination.

While the FDA's recommendations for cleaning and reprocessing of duodenoscopes has not changed, FDA indicated it is considering taking additional steps to reduce contamination rates. These include the following:

• Consulting with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and other federal agencies to obtain input and recommendations on infection control and reprocessing of duodenoscopes.

• Discussing the matter at the Healthcare Infection Control Practices Advisory Committee (HICPAC) meeting to obtain input on improving the safety of reprocessed devices.

• Weighing whether additional recommendations will be necessary to help facilities with proper cleaning and high-level disinfection of duodenoscopes to lower contamination rates.

FDA also indicated that it intends to hold duodenoscope manufacturers accountable if they fail to comply with the requirements of their postmarket surveillance studies. Furthermore, FDA noted that it is working with manufacturers on the development of new duodenoscope designs that could reduce the risk of contamination and disposable duodenoscopes that would eliminate the need for reprocessing.