Roche Best Novice E-poster Award: Tess Amoore

Hospital Wide Roll-out of Safety Pen Needles for Insulin Delivery Devices – A new Diabetes nurse educator’s experience

Tess Amoore¹, Richard MacIsaac^{1, 2}, Kathleen Steele¹

1. St. Vincent’s Hospital, Fitzroy, VIC, Australia

2. Department of Medicine, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, Australia

Hospital Wide Roll-out of Safety Pen Needles for Insulin Delivery Devices – A new Diabetes nurse educator’s experience

Introduction/Background

As a recently qualified Diabetes Nurse Educator working towards Credentialling, I want to share my successful implementation of a hospital wide change of practice.

Needle stick injuries (NSI) to Healthcare Workers (HCW) resulting from patients’ own pen delivery devices have six times the incidence rate compared with disposable syringes; placing significant human and financial burdens for the nurses involved and Health services as a whole¹. The US and European Union governments have mandated the use of Safety Engineered Devices (SED’s) through guidelines, regulations and policy; this is yet to occur in Australia².

Aim

To successfully implement a change management initiative and hospital wide roll-out of an insulin safety pen needle.

Objectives

1. Identify and meet with stakeholders
2. Identify best practice insulin safety pen needle
3. Develop and implement hospital wide education in the use of the safety pen needle
4. Change practice ensuring hospital wide use of safety pen needle

Method

• A planning workshop was organised involving the stakeholders: The diabetes education manager, infection control manager and medication safety pharmacist
• Current practice issues and barriers to introducing the safety engineered device identified
• Collation of studies detailing risks, benefits and cost
• Two month pilot was developed, implemented and evaluated
• Presentations were given at Nurses Forums, Diabetes Update Days, Clinical nurse educator and pharmacy meetings, and the Senior nurses advisory council
• A hospital-wide education schedule was planned and implemented

Results

• Overwhelmingly positive response to pilot trial of safety pen needle.
• Collaborative and supportive approach to hospital wide roll-out ensured initial resistance to change was managed, as supported by anecdotal evidence, ongoing evaluation continues.

Conclusion

Hospital wide education and roll-out of a safety needle for insulin pen devices was successfully implemented following a collaborative approach. Evaluation of safety needle use is ongoing via monitoring of risk reporting.

References

1. Pellissier, G., Migueres, B., Tarantola, A., Abiteboul, D., Lolom, I., Bouvet, E., the GERES Group. (2006) Risk of needlestick injuries by injection pens. Journal of Hospital Infection 63, 60-64.

2. Murphy, C.L.The serious and ongoing issue of needlestick in Australian healthcare settings. Collegian (2013), http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.colegin.2013.06.003

This abstract award is supported by Roche.