Infection control and hospital epidemiology : the official journal of the Society of Hospital Epidemiologists of America
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Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol · Mar 1993
Comparative StudyInstalling needle disposal boxes closer to the bedside reduces needle-recapping rates in hospital units.
To compare the proportion of recapped needles, an injury surrogate measure, in disposal boxes on two different types of hospital units, both before and after an intervention. ⋯ Environmental changes alone are an effective means of altering the risk to healthcare workers from sharp instruments. The use of needle-box counts provides a sensitive and stable instrument to measure injury surrogates and, indirectly, behavioral change in hospital workers.