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Premier Healthcare Alliance Expert to Discuss Safe Injection Practices and Improving Patient Safety at Joint Commission Infection Control Conference

Pugliese will discuss the risks of patient-to-patient transmission of hepatitis B virus (HBV) and hepatitis C virus (HCV) infections from unsafe injection practices, such as reuse of syringes and needles on more than one patient. There have been more than 33 outbreaks of HBV and HCV in the past 10 years in nonacute healthcare settings from improper needle and syringe use and poor infection control practices, resulting in nearly 500 patients becoming infected.

Occupational needlestick injuries also pose risks of HBV and HCV infection to healthcare workers, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that more than 800,000 needlestick injuries occur annually in the United States from needles and other sharps. The use of safety devices with engineered sharps injury protection can eliminate 90 percent of occupational needlestick injuries; however, they have not been universally adopted in all settings where exposures may occur.

Patient-to-patient transmission of HBV, HCV and other pathogens can also be prevented by adherence to standard infection control precautions and safe injection practices, such as never reusing any syringes, needles, cannulas, lancets, insulin pens and medication vials labeled as single use. Safe injection practices also include never administering medications from a syringe to multiple patients, even if the needle or cannula on the syringe is changed.

Premier, in collaboration with the CDC, offers healthcare administrators and staff a comprehensive workbook on CD-ROM for sharps injury prevention, and others tools and guidelines on injection safety.

About Premier Inc., 2006 Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award recipient

The Premier healthcare alliance is more than 2,200 U.S. hospitals and 63,000-plus other healthcare sites working together to improve healthcare quality and affordability. Premier maintains the nation's most comprehensive repository of clinical, financial and outcomes information and operates a leading healthcare purchasing network. A world leader in helping deliver measurable improvements in care, Premier works with the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services and the United Kingdom's National Health Service North West to improve hospital performance. The Premier Safety Institute offers publicly accessible tools and resources on patient, worker and environmental safety on its Web site at www.premierinc.com/safety

Premier has offices in San Diego, Charlotte, N.C., Philadelphia and Washington. Follow Premier on Twitter.

Premier Inc.
Alven Weil, 704-733-5797