Tips and Educational Activities

No matter what your position is, you can help improve infection prevention practices at your facility by encouraging your supervisors to help make sure all staff, administrators, and supervisors understand and practice appropriate techniques for handling needles and other sharps. The following are recommended activities and tips for promoting safe handling and disposal of sharps at your site:

• Make sure proper sharps-disposal containers are available in every location where sharps are used.
• Hold regular in-service training. All providers should receive updates on clinical techniques and information on a regular basis. Because sharps hold a special risk for health care providers, training about the proper handling and disposal of sharps should be a part of this in-service training.
• Hold staff orientations. Everyone at your facility--from doormen, to receptionists, to medical staff, to administrators--are part of the infection prevention team at your site. Sharps pose a danger to all health care staff in your facility, so all staff should receive an orientation on this topic.
• Be a good role model. You can set a good example. Model good behavior during the course of your day and encourage your staff or colleagues to do the same.

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