FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE/October 29, 1997 CONTACT: Sara Foer [202/651-7023]; Joan Meehan [202/651-7020] MEDIA ADVISORYANA Applauds Introduction of Health Worker Protection Act of 1997Stark Bill Mandates Use of Safer Needlestick DevicesWASHINGTON, D.C. -- The American Nurses Association (ANA) today applauded the introduction of the Health Worker Protection Act of 1997, federal legislation that would mandate the substitution of existing needlestick products with safer needle devices. These safer devices would help prevent needlestick injuries as well as minimize the risk of transmission of infectious disease through work-related exposure to blood. The bill, H.R. 2754, was introduced by Rep. Pete Stark (D-13th-CA) on October 28. Specifically, the bill would: 1) ensure that safer medical devices are reviewed by the Food and Drug Administration for their efficacy and quickly made available to front line health care workers; 2) mandate an education campaign to inform health care workers about the risks associated with bloodborne pathogens and the use of safer needle devices; and, 3) make the use of such safer devices a condition for hospitals' participation in the Medicare program. ANA worked closely with Rep. Stark's office on the bill and lobbied for this legislation in conjunction with its safety and quality initiative. ANA is committed to protecting health care workers in their work settings and campaigns vigorously to maintain safe standards for all health care workers and the patients for whom they are responsible. In addition, ANA promotes the consistent and strict use of universal precautions; the availability of proven safety measures; the standardization of methods to ensure equipment is safe; and the continued evaluation and modification of work practices by staff nurses to ensure optimum safety in the work place. "It is critical that registered nurses be involved in determining the safety precautions health care facilities need because they are on the front lines and see the tragedies that can occur when inadequate measures are in place," said ANA President Beverly L. Malone, PhD, RN, FAAN. As part of these efforts to protect health care workers, ANA also supports the Lynda Arnold National Campaign for Health Care Worker Safety, a grass roots campaign initiated in February 1996 to encourage hospitals to adopt safer needle systems. While working in the intensive care unit at Community Hospital in Lancaster, PA, more than five years ago, Arnold, a registered nurse just four months out of school, was removing a catheter needle from a patient's vein when the patient suddenly moved his arm. According to Arnold, "that movement forced the needle into my palm. When I took off my [latex] gloves to wash my hands, I realized that not only was I stuck, but I was also bleeding." Six months after she experienced this injury, Arnold learned that she had been infected with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), which causes AIDS. As part of her national campaign, Arnold will ask every health care facility in the United States to sign a commitment to implement protective blood drawing devices and intravenous catheters. To date, 385 hospitals have joined the campaign with only 11 declining. In fact, safer needle devices are cost-effective when weighed against the total direct and indirect costs associated with needlesticks. In addition to the immeasurable costs of life and lifestyle changes, the treatment costs for injuries related to needlesticks continue to rise. "Congressman Stark's Health Worker Protection Act provides front line health care workers with the information and tools they need to practice more safely," stated Malone. "Furthermore, the ANA, in conjunction with Lynda Arnold's campaign, is urging health care facilities to purchase only those devices known to reduce the risk of exposure to bloodborne pathogens." According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, American health care workers report more than 800,000 needlesticks and sharps injuries each year; however, the numbers of needlestick injuries are considered to be underreported. Approximately 80% of blood contacts occur through needlesticks, making them the most common cause of health care worker-related exposure to bloodborne pathogens. Nurses are the largest group of health care workers in the U.S., and as of 1996, made up 24% of the 52 reported and 111 potential cases of HIV infection among health care workers known or thought to have been infected on the job. Although these numbers may appear low, 86% of all reported occupational HIV exposures resulted from needlestick injuries caused by hollow-bore needles. Therefore, given the numbers of annual needlestick injuries, the potential for additional cases of HIV infection is significant. In addition, hepatitis B and hepatitis C, two other life-threatening conditions, are the most common infectious diseases acquired through work-related exposure to blood. According to the CDC, health care workers have a 1 in 300 chance of acquiring AIDS from a needlestick and a 1 in 6 chance of contracting hepatitis B. Those at risk for needlestick or sharps injuries include anyone who handles blood, blood products, and biological samples as well as housekeeping staff and those responsible for the disposal of contaminated materials. According to CDC, as of the end of 1996, 18,856 health care workers had contracted AIDS in the U.S., with 76% of those workers being reported as dying. "I am living proof that it does happen and that the consequences can be deadly," said Arnold. The American Nurses Association is the only full-service professional organization representing the nation's 2.6 million Registered Nurses through its 53 constituent associations. ANA advances the nursing profession by fostering high standards of nursing practice, promoting the economic and general welfare of nurses in the work place, projecting a positive and realistic view of nursing, and lobbying the Congress and regulatory agencies on health care issues affecting nurses and the public.
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