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Scholarly Paper - Quality Initiative
Scholarly Paper - Quality Initiative
Needlestick Injury
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) (2013) indicated that there are an
estimated 385,000 percutaneous injuries, citing needlesticks as one, occurring in hospitals every
year. These types of injuries particularly needle stick injuries (NSI) places the healthcare workers
and patients at risk for transmission of infection. The agency also stated The greatest risk of
infection transmission is through percutaneous exposure to infected blood (p. 3).
Internationally, occupational or work related exposure to blood and body fluids remains the
number one cause of occupational hazards for healthcare workers, particularly for nurses. Needle
stick injuries occupy the largest percentage among the occupational hazards. Needle stick
injuries vary from deep wound, middle, and surface wound injuries (Gourni, Polikandrioti,
Vasilopoulus, Mpaltzi, & Gourni, 2012).
A great number of researches currently are being done to determine and establish the risk of
blood and body fluid exposure to healthcare workers and the importance of protecting these
workers. In every hospital whether developing or developed countries, the risk of contamination
or transfer of infection through percutaneous exposure remains to be a threat. As a result,
development of an effective program for prevention and management of percutaneous injuries to
infected blood or body fluids is pivotal.
Gourni et al. (2012) stated, It is widely accepted that the most common occupational hazards
for all healthcare professionals involved in clinical care are the needlestick and sharps injuries
mainly caused by inadequate disposal and recapping of needles (p.64). The authors added that
exposure to blood and urine is considered to be the most frequent danger.
Problem and Mission Statement
Gharyan University Teaching Hospital, formerly known as Gharyan Hospital is the only
medical hospital in the city of Gharyan. Gharyan is a village located in the Nafousa Mountains in
the Northwest part of Libya with a population of 85,219. One of the defining characteristics of
the hospital is that, it has been considered as the training institution for medical, nursing, and
paramedical students of Al Jabal Al Gharbi University.
Gharyan Hospital was established when the city of Gharyan needed a facility to deal with the
health care needs of the community. The hospital has a 300-bed capacity, capable of admitting
and managing medical, surgical, gynecologic, pediatric, critical care, communicable/infectious,
and trauma cases. This institution is entirely government owned and all of the services provided
including medications and treatments are free for the citizens of Gharyan.
Since the start of the revolution, Gharyan University Teaching Hospital became the central
hospital in the whole Nafousa Mountains. Majority of admissions were from the neighboring
cities, which cannot be handled by their local medical centers. This situation places all the
healthcare personnel at risk for blood and body fluid infection transmission.
Quality improvement plans which focuses on needle stick injury, including awareness,
prevention, and management will benefit the organization. Chow, et al. (2009) added This
requires more than a commitment to the policy of a safe work practices, it requires a leadership
culture that is devoted to the concept of working safely and reducing risk, acquiring and sharing
information about workplace safety concerns, maintaining rigorous safety management systems
and the practice of regularly auditing and improving information and management systems
(p.125).
In Gharyan University Teaching Hospital an informal survey was done to determine the
incidence of needlestick injuries among nurses. The informal survey revealed that most of the
nurses employed in the hospital had an incident of needlestick injuries in the first quarter of this
year. The highest unit with the most NSIs was in Hemodialysis Unit, averaging to four to five
NSIs per day. Second was in the Adult Intensive Care Unit with 10 NSIs, three of this injuries
were from a HBV positive patient. Third was in the OB-Delivery Room with eight NSIs and
lastly in the Trauma-ER Unit with five cases. These cases were not properly reported because
there is no policy in place for needlestick injuries in the organization.
The quality improvement project will be focusing on the development of a policy, which will
manage needlestick injuries in the organization. Policies as defined by Dayson (1999) are the
guiding principles by which service is provided (p.12). The author explained that policies and
procedures assist all organizations with their decision-making and how the work is supposed to
be done in that organization. Kelly (2011) stressed, policy initiatives have historically targeted
the quality of the structural elements of the healthcare delivery system, such as people, physical
facilities, equipment, and drugs (p.120). The author added that these initiatives focus on the
results and processes of the organization and provider levels.
Quality Improvement Model
The Juran Model of Quality Management identified Quality Improvement as one of the
important aspects of the Quality Management Cycle along with Quality Planning and Quality
Control Measurement. According to this model, Quality Improvement (QI) determines causes of
process failure, alterations and ineffectiveness, and analytically proposes solutions to defects in
the process. QI also critically considers data for better or best practice (Brown, 2010).
The appropriate quality improvement model for the quality improvement initiative for
Gharyan University Teaching Hospital will be the Jurans Quality Improvement Process (QIP).
Brown (2010) explained that this approach is composed of four important steps that will assist an
organization in identifying prioritized areas, collecting data, initiate action for change, determine
effective team, and assess improvement. The four steps are:
The quality improvement team that will be identified in the Adult Intensive Care Unit of the
Gharyan University Teaching Hospital will first identify the problem, in this case, needlestick
injuries in the unit. The team then will consolidate on the development of a policy regarding
NSIs in in the ICU. The next step will be on identifying root causes and formulating cause
theories application to the unit. As part of the remedial journey, the team will consider a draft
policy on need stick injuries in the unit as an alternative solution to the problem. This policy will
be pilot tested in the unit with the implementation and results documented. Checking the
performance of the unit regarding NSIs management will be holding the gains step of the QIP.
The sample policy for NSIs in the ICU is shown below.
Title
Needle Stick Injury Protocol
Prepared by:
Date:
Anthony F. Gomez, PTRP, BSN, RN, MSN, XX
LEU, DNPs
Reviewed by:
Date:
Dr. XX - Head - ICU Department
XX
Approved by:
Date:
Dr. XX - Deputy Medical Director
XX
Facility and Unit based crisis
Purpose: To set forth mechanisms and processes for the management of needed stick injuries.
Policy:
Procedure:
1. Upon exposure or needle stick injury, rinse with water. Disinfect with 70%
alcohol and rinse mucous membrane with water.
2. Reports to the Head Nurse.
3. The Head Nurse will accomplish the Needlestick Injury Report Form.
4. If injury from a non-infectious patient, there will be no action needed.
5. If injury from an infectious patient, refer to Tripoli Central Hospital
Infection Control Committee for Anti-body titer testing, immunoglobulin
administration, and follow up management.
6. If the injury is from a positive Hepatitis B virus patient, determine if the
healthcare worker has past HBV or full vaccinations. If the healthcare worker
has a full vaccinations or past HBV, no action is needed.
7. If the injury is from a positive Hepatitis B virus patient, determine if the
healthcare worker has past HBV or full vaccinations. If the healthcare worker
has no full vaccinations or past HBV, administer HBIG in less than 48 hours.
8. If the injury is from a positive Hepatitis C virus patient, follow up after 9-12
months. If the HVC is negative, no action needed.
9. If the injury is from a positive Hepatitis C virus patient, follow up after 9-12
months. If the HVC is positive, administer Alpha-interferon and Ribavirin.
10. If the injury is from a positive HIV patient, immediate PEP Test Source is
done and follow-up after 1, 3, and 6 months.
11. If the injury is from a positive HIV patient, immediate PEP Test Source is
done and follow-up after 1, 3, and 6 months and if the test is positive,
immediate treatment by AIDS expert.
12. If the injury is from a positive HIV patient, immediate PEP Test Source is
done and follow-up after 1, 3, and 6 months and if the test is negative and no
infection stop the PEP.
The sample draft for Needle Stick Injury Guideline is shown below.
10
No
No Action
Infectio
us
Yes
Yes
Refer
Tripoli
Refer --Y
Tripoli
Central
Central
Hospital
Hospital
Follow Up
HBV
HBV
HBV or
or
Full V
Full
V
HBC
Positive
Positive
follow
follow up
up
after
after 9-12
9-12
months
months
Primary Measurement
Measurement indicators here
obtain
HIV
No Action
Yes
No
HVC
+
Yes
Alpha-Interferon
Alpha-Interferon and
and Ribavarin
Ribavarin
No
in Libya are
or
PEP
No Infection
Yes
usually
difficult to
PEP
PEP follow
follow up
up after
after
1,3,6
1,3,6 months
months
STOP
Yes
No
Treatment
Treatment by
by
AIDS
AIDS Expert
Expert
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under the Ministry of Health of Libya, which does not usually gathers data for measurement.
Measurement indicators for quality improvement or quality management are not yet
accomplished in this country. Instead, the team will make use of data form neighboring ArabMuslim countries for comparison.
Manzour, Daud, Hashmi, Sardar, Babar, Rahman, & Malik (2010) reported that in Pakistan
71.9% of nurses in a tertiary health care facility had NSIs. The authors also noted that in Saudi
Arabia, 16.5% of nurses (0.21 and 0.38 injuries/person/year) experienced NSIs in 2009.
Galougahi (2010) indicated that in Iran, 56.96% of healthcare workers in Khanevade Hospital
had a history of at least one needlestick injury in 2009 and concluded that this rate was
significantly less than other similar studies in Iran.
The initial overall goal of the team will be to have a proper reporting and management of
needlestick injuries in Gharyan University teaching Hospital. The Centers for Disease Control
and Prevention (2013) stressed the importance of sharps injury reporting as part of baseline
assessment for effective prevention planning. This reporting, which is part of the proposed
protocol on NSIs will provide the team meaningful data which can be utilized for internal
benchmarking, researches, and basis for program development.
Strategies for Managing Ethical Dilemmas
The current situation of the healthcare system of Libya requires a number of foreign trained
healthcare workers specially nurses to fill the countrys demand for healthcare services. In
Gharyan University Teaching Hospital, majority of nurses are nonnative particularly in special
areas like ICU. These nurses are from the Philippines, Ukraine, Romania, India, Bangladesh,
Jordan, Egypt, and Tunisia. With healthcare workers of different nationalities, culture, and
religion, reporting of needlestick injuries might be difficult to attain.
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Managing this type of issue can be done through an establishment of a culture of safety. As
CDC (2013) stated To create a culture of safety, organizations must address those factors known
to influence employees attitudes and behaviors. Organizations must also direct measures to
reduce hazards in the environment (p. 38). The agency pointed out that encouraging healthcare
workers to report any type of injuries would foster a culture of safety and create a blame-free
environment.
Team Description
When a group of individuals joined together to work for a purpose, they are building a team,
which according to Kelly (2011) may comprise specialties within a single discipline, across
departments, or across organizations (p. 192).
The Juran Institute (2013) explained the importance of a team for completing a project, which
should be multifunctional in nature. This approach will ensure that individual biases will be
minimal because everyone is well represented. The CDC (2013) further explained,
Representation of staff from across disciplines ensures that needed resources, expertise, and
perspectives are involved. The responsibility and authority for program coordination should be
assigned to an individual with appropriate organizational and leadership skills. The team should
also include persons from clinical and laboratory services who use sharp devices, as well as staff
with expertise in infection control, occupational health/industrial hygiene, in-service training or
staff development, environmental services, central service, materials management, and
quality/risk management, as available (pp. 24-25).
Since the planned quality improvement will only be applied in the ICU, a functional team
composed of nursing staff of different nationalities will be selected. A functional team will be
beneficial because the QI plan aims to improve processes in the area. A Filipino nurse with
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extensive experiences in the Middle East, a Jordanian nurse from International Medical Corps, a
Syrian nurse, a Libyan nurse from the BSN Program will be part of the team. The head of the
ICU Department and the Manager for Infectious Control Office will also be included as part of
the team. These members were chosen primarily because of their educational and employment
background. Also, these nurses has the ability of using the English and Arabic languages
effectively, therefore, limiting communication barriers. The strength of the members of the team
will be as follows:
1. Head of the ICU Department - a medical doctor that will represent the
Administration/Senior Management. This person will serve as the means of
communication form the ICU to the top-level managers and will be the facilitator during
meetings.
2. Manager of Infection Control Office - this person will assess infection control
implications and sharps injury prevention programs.
3. Filipino Nurse with extensive experience in the Middle East - this person will serve as the
In-service Trainer/Staff Developer, which will provide information on current education
and training practices and will explain proposed protocol and any educational
interventions.
4. Jordanian Nurse from the International Medical Corps - this person will be the Risk
Control/Quality Manager, which will help design process related to the needlestick
protocol.
5. Syrian and Libyan Nurse - these people will be the Front-line Clinical and Laboratory
Staff, which deliver insight into the proposed protocol and will have an active
participation in the evaluation of the protocol.
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The meeting of the team will be done every Friday morning, since this is the only available
day for the members to convene due to schedule restrictions. One member of the team will take
appropriate documentations of everything that took place in the meeting. The documentations
will be then sent to the Office of the Deputy Medical Director for proper communication.
Participative Management Paradigm used by the Japanese is appropriate in order for the QI
plan to succeed in the organization. Brown (2013) explained that this type of management would
foster enthusiasm among workers if they feel they are safe and secure, sharing of information is
practiced, employees are active participants which places its people first, and people are
empowered by including them in decision making process. By utilizing this type of participative
management, members of the team will be motivated because the feeling of involvement in the
process is present.
Leadership Qualities
The Head of the ICU Department will be the leader of the team. The leader will have shared
and unshared responsibilities for the attainment of the project. The Juran Institute (2013)
explained that the leader has the oversight obligation which will motivate the members to
contribute and will assist in resolving conflicts that may arise. The leader should have multiple
skills and must be trained appropriately to handle people, have a strong background about the
subject matter and of the quality improvement process.
The leader of the team will inspire every member to function maximally, exhausting every
effort to achieve the goal. By doing this, the person will evolve form a manager to a
transformational leader, which according to Zaccagnini & White (2011), lead with a clear vision
and use coaching, inspiring, and mentoring to transform themselves, followers, and
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organizations (p. 252). This leader will then do the right things instead of doing things right
(Brown, 2010).
Formulate EBP and an Action Plan to Achieve Improvement Outcome
As The Joint Commission (2013) stated When serious events occur, whether they involve
patients or employees, The Joint Commission expects health care organizations to conduct a root
cause analysis that is robust and non-punitive (p.13). The team believes that a root cause
analysis will be beneficial to address the issue of needlestick injuries in the organization. The
RCA Framework Template by the Joint Commission with 24 questions for analysis that can be
helpful on organizing the steps in a root cause analysis will be utilized.
Based on the root cause analysis done, it was noted that the defect in the organization was due
to a lack of protocol in needlestick injuries. Human factors include failure to follow established
policies/procedures. The equipment performance, availability, and condition have no
deficiencies. Environmental factors include safety and security risks, which are controllable. This
needlestick injury in the ICU Department has a probability of happening to other units such as
Trauma-ER, OB-Delivery Department, Hemodialysis Unit and Medical and Surgical Wards of
the Hospital. Regarding the staff, there was no orientation or training done on needlestick injury
prior or during the course of employment. There was no identified problem regarding the staffing
ratios, however, skill and experience level mix was a concern. There was neither plan nor
contingencies in an event when a healthcare worker experienced needlestick injury. Also there
was no failure-mode responses planned or have been testes in the organization.
After a comprehensive root cause analysis, the team will developed a draft protocol or policy
regarding needlestick injuries in the ICU unit. This policy or protocol will be pilot tested in the
ICU unit, documenting the implementation and results.
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ICU Department. Each step of the Quality improvement Process will take at least two months
each, and the last step, three months. Within the first five months, the team will have a clear and
defined project with an ongoing functional team. This will be evidenced by a development of a
draft policy or protocol for needle stick injury.
Within this period, the team will be able to determine the root cause of the problem,
determination of theories and testing them, and finally be able to determine the defects in the
process. The remaining four months will be allotted to the testing of the draft protocol or policy
regarding needle stick injury. By this time, there will be proper reporting of any sharp injuries in
the unit and the team will be able to have a baseline data to present.
These data will then be utilized to determine standards within the organization and will be
used for research and possibly the basis for another program development. This vital information
will also be considered as the basis for revising the protocol and making it a standard protocol to
be used by the hospital. After the nine-month period, the hospital will have a standard protocol
for needlestick injury and will be utilized by every unit to prevent, report, and manage these
injuries.
Summary of the Team Process in Creating Improvement
The Juran Institute (2013) stated, Numerous companies have initiated quality improvement,
but few have succeeded in institutionalizing it so that it goes on year after year (p. 67). The
teams goal for this organization is not just to initiate a quality improvement project but also to
institutionalize the change. The team believes that by doing these initiatives, Gharyan University
Teaching Hospital might be a model institution here in Libya where quality management is
taking place. As a training institution, the hospital can train not only the future health workers of
Libya but the future quality managers as well.
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The goal of the team to address the issue of needlestick injuries in the ICU Department will
be successful only if there will be an effective reporting of every incident to be able for these
injuries to be managed appropriately. Without the reporting of cases, the organization will have
no baseline data to use. The team leader will demonstrate the skill and ability of a
transformational leader, which will motivate the team members to work effectively and
efficiently.
The team will do their part by functioning according to their designated roles and
responsibilities, able to meet the demands of the project. Every meeting will be properly
documented and communicated to the top management for information dissemination. An open
line of communication will be open to all members of the team, respecting their own beliefs,
culture, and religion. Proper and appropriate translations will be done to ensure everyone
understands the totality of the project.
Conclusion
The healthcare delivery system of Libya is in chaos and this is evident by lack of quality
management in most of its branches. In Gharyan University Teaching Hospital where resources
are readily available, quality management is pivotal to manage these resources and produce
patient satisfaction. This can be done through a Quality Improvement initiative. Commencing in
a single unit with a problem that can be addressed by applying quality management principles
and evidence-based practice, will foster changes that can influence the whole healthcare delivery
system of the country.
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