Medical sharps are instruments and pieces of equipment that medical professionals use to cut or puncture parts of the body. State laws have special regulations in place that require the proper handling of sharps disposal. Here are a few reasons why it’s important to dispose of medical sharps properly.
Ensure Patient and Employee Safety
The first reason that proper medical sharps disposal is important is to ensure patient and employee safety. If not handled correctly, medical sharps can cause cuts and injuries to medical staff and patients. There are several helpful tips for preventing needle sticks and sharps injuries. Every healthcare facility should have designated sharps containers to dispose of sharps to avoid these potential injuries. It’s also important to dispose of these instruments directly after use. If these objects are left lying around, the risk of injury increases, which is something that must be avoided at all costs.
Avoid the Spread of Infections
Avoiding the spread of infections is another reason that it’s essential to dispose of medical sharps properly. Once a medical professional uses a needle or medical sharp on a patient, it is not safe for use on anyone else, as this can spread dangerous germs and bacteria. These germs and bacteria can cause serious infections such as Hepatitis B, Hepatitis C, and HIV. In order to avoid reusing sharps, it’s important to immediately dispose of them in the designated sharps container after single patient use. You should never reuse a needle or sharp on multiple patients, even by accident.
Keep Healthcare Facilities Clean
The third reason that it’s crucial to dispose of medical sharps properly is to keep healthcare facilities clean. Healthcare facilities have specific cleaning regulations in place to ensure the environment is safe and clean at all times. Leaving medical sharps out after use creates an unsafe and unclean environment. We’ve mentioned the risks of injury and infection from used medical sharps, which is why proper disposal is so important. Healthcare facilities treat many patients in a day, and a clean environment ensures patient health and safety, which is a top priority.
Now that you know why properly disposing of medical sharps is important, you can follow the proper steps and procedures to ensure employee and patient safety. The cleaner your healthcare facility is, the healthier and safer your patients and medical staff will be.
