A DNP quality improvement project to implement and evaluate an electronic employee injury form for reporting healthcare employee sharps injuries and splash exposures to blood and body fluids

Abstract

This quality improvement project focused on developing, implementing and evaluating an electronic process for reporting healthcare workers’ sharp injuries and splash exposures at a large academic medical center in north Florida. The project aimed to 1) improve sharps injury and splash exposure reporting using an electronic process as an alternative to the paper process; 2) increase the total number of sharps injuries and splash exposures reported with a goal of 20% during the three-month evaluation time period; and 3) improve the quality of data reported. The new process was evaluated by survey and review of data collected before and after project implementation. Records were reviewed for two separate three-month time periods totaling six months of data. The results of the project revealed a 7.69% increase in reports, with failure to meet the anticipated 20% increase. There were 39 incidents reported before and 42 after the change. The new electronic format was successful in providing valuable information for further evaluation. Survey of participants revealed strong overall satisfaction of the new reporting system. Areas for improvement in the system have been identified and are in the process of being modified. The electronic reporting format was also found, unexpectedly, to not be consistently used over the paper reporting and showed poor adoption of change by some stakeholders. Further discussion for changes to the system, education for staff and managers as well as change management for stakeholders was continued to ensure the sustainability of the new reporting system.