Effectiveness of safety cannula in reducing needle stick injuries

Introduction: The decision to support the implementation of safety cannulae in a health care institution requires analysis of its cost-effectiveness. The aim of our study was to evaluate the effectiveness of safety cannulae over conventional cannulae in reducing needle stick injury (NSI) incidence in Sri Jayewardenepura General Hospital (SJGH), Sri Lanka.

Methods: Hospital device utilization data, NSI data, and total expenditure data including the cost of management of NSIs for conventional and safety cannulae were collected from the period 01/01/2016 to 30/06/2019. The NSI incidence (annual rates per 100,000 devices) for conventional and safety cannulae were calculated and compared to determine the existence of a statistical difference between them. The cost per device inclusive of the management of associated NSIs was also calculated.

Results: The total number of conventional and safety cannulae utilized during the study period was 86,412 and 284,686 respectively. In total, there were 12 NSIs associated with conventional cannula insertion and 5 NSIs associated with safety cannula insertion. The annual NSI incidence per 100,000 devices for conventional and safety cannulae was 13.89 (95% CI 7.18-24.26) and 1.76 (95% CI 0.57-4.099) respectively. There was a significant reduction of NSI incidence with the use of safety cannulae (p< 0.0001). The cost per device inclusive of management of associated NSIs for conventional and safety cannulae was Lankan Rupee (LKR)  73.18 and LKR 83.17 respectively.

Conclusion: There was a substantial reduction of NSI incidence with safety cannulae and we recommend its use in the prevention of occupational risk to health care workers.