B. Braun Medical Commemorates Second Annual Needlestick Safety Month

BETHLEHEM, Pa. -- B. Braun Medical Inc. joins the International Sharps Injury Prevention Society (ISIPS) in commemorating the second annual International Sharps Injury Prevention Awareness Month.

According to ISIPS, 2 million healthcare workers worldwide are accidentally stuck by sharps each year. Because of sharps injuries, more than three dozen U.S. healthcare workers a year contract HIV, 2,000 workers a year become infected with hepatitis C, and 400 contract hepatitis B.

The goal of ISIPS is to raise awareness of the dangers to health professional and patients through needle stick injuries and solutions now available to reduce hospital-setting risks.

B. Braun develops sharps with passive safety features that remain in effect before, during, and after use. These automatic safety features do not need to be self-activated, and are more likely than active features to have a greater impact on prevention. In an evaluation of 79 hospitals, most needlestick injuries were cause by inactivated and improperly activated sharps safety devices.

"Our mission is to make healthcare delivery safer for the patient and healthcare practitioner alike," said Caroll Neubauer, chairman and CEO of B. Braun Medical. "Like air bags in cars, passive safety mechanisms on medical devices provide the support necessary to reduce needle-stick injuries for medical professionals without interfering in performance. Innovation and information are key risk prevention tools."

Source: B. Braun