Federal bill requires use of safer devices
HCW Protection Act’ introduced in House
Congressman Pete Stark (D-CA) has introduced legislation into the U.S. House of Representatives that aims to reduce the risk of needlestick injuries to HCWs by requiring hospitals to use only those hollow-bore needles that meet certain safety standards. Hospitals that fail to comply would not be permitted to participate in the Medicare program if the bill passes.
The Health Care Worker Protection Act of 1997 (HR 2754) calls for the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in consultation with an advisory council composed of representatives from consumer groups, front-line health care providers, industry, and technical experts to establish safety standards for hypodermic devices that minimize the risk of occupational needlestick injuries.
However, FDA officials repeatedly have indicated their reluctance to take any action that would effectively ban conventional needle devices, citing the need to balance the interests of the health care community with those of medical device manufacturers. (For more information on the debate over the FDA’s and other government agencies’ roles in promoting the use of safer needle devices, see Hospital Employee Health, October 1995, pp. 121-125.)
In addition, Stark requests an appropriation of $5 million for HCW education and training in the use of hypodermic devices that meet the safety standards.
"Health care workers shouldn’t have to risk their lives while saving the lives of their patients," he says. "This bill would ensure that the necessary tools better information and better medical devices are made available to our front-line health care workers to reduce the injury and death that may result from needlesticks each year."
Stark also notes that "while you can’t put a dollar figure on the psychological toll of a needlestick," the direct cost to treat one needlestick injury averages $2,809. If an HIV infection occurs, direct and indirect costs can total more than $500,000, he says.
The legislation is supported by a number of professional organizations, including the American Association of Occupational Health Nurses, the American Nurses Association, the Association of Operating Room Nurses, and the American Association of Critical Care Nurses.
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