Focus on ISIPS
by Managing Infection Control Staff
September 2003 Issue
Managing Infection Control
The International Sharps Injury Prevention Society
(ISIPS) was founded on the belief that a significant number of needlesticks
and other sharps injuries can be reduced each year. Ron Stoker, executive
director and foun
der of ISIPS, has first-hand experience of the potential
consequences of needlestick accidents. "In the late-1980s
I worked as a biomedical engineer for a medical device company developing a
valved catheter," recalls Stoker. "On one occasion it was necessary to test
the functionality of the catheter valve in a simulated environment with real
blood. After obtaining some outdated blood from a local Red Cross unit, I
inserted a standard syringe needle into the side of the blood bag. I
aspirated blood into the syringe by pulling quickly back on the plunger. As
I did so, my wet, gloved hand slipped off of the plunger. The vacuum in the
syringe barrel pulled the plunger forward. This unexpected action pushed the
needle through the back of the blood bag and pierced into the base of my
ring finger. Washing my hands and putting antiseptic on the small wound was
all that I could do. Fortunately, I did not develop an illness. The worst
symptom I experienced was a sore finger for a day or two. Many others have
not been that fortunate."
Providing accurate and current information
Formed in the summer of 2001 by Stoker, ISIPS promotes safety-engineered products and services that will meet its goal of preventing percutaneous injury and exposure to bloodborne pathogens. "ISIPS takes the most current information available and disseminates it to healthcare workers, infection control managers, and other interested parties," says Stoker. "The ISIPS Newsletters are issued frequently with information concerning sharps injury news, emerging sharps prevention products and technologies, and the regulatory and legislative environment surrounding sharps injuries."
Prior to founding ISIPS, Stoker was the executive director of NAPPSI, the National Alliance for the Primary Prevention of Sharps Injuries. He attended Brigham Young University earning a bachelor's degree in pre-medical zoology and later was awarded a master's degree in bioengineering from the University of Utah. Stoker has spent the last 22 years in the medical device industry working for a number of companies including Becton Dickinson, C. R. Bard, Merit Medical Systems, Utah Medical Products, and Catheter Technology. He has been awarded six patents for his medical design work.
In addition to being a frequent presenter at
national international meetings, Stoker has author
ed numerous articles
focusing on sharps injury prevention. He participates as a presenter for the
Needlestick Prevention Tour, a series of seminars that are presented to
local infection control chapters and state hospital associations. "The
Needlestick Prevention tour provides detailed, practical information on how
to comply with the Needlestick Safety and Prevention Act while reducing
sharps injuries," explains Stoker. "The program discusses OSHA's enforcement
directives and the federal needlestick prevention law that was passed in
November 2001. The focus of the seminar is practical discussion among the
participants and the presenters on how best to ensure compliance with the
new standard. More than 70 medical devices are discussed."
Membership beyond healthcare
ISIPS provides education and information to workers around the globe," says Stoker. "Individual ISIPS members are interested in the latest information on how to prevent accidental needlesticks and other sharps injuries. They are also interested in finding out the latest information on HIV, Hepatitis, West Nile, and SARS that will assist in infection control."
Although a high percentage of the individuals ISIPS reaches are healthcare professionals, there are additional segments that are represented as well including medical waste disposal experts, custodial workers, hospitals, insurance companies, managed care organizations, alternate site providers, correction officials, law enforcement personnel and others that are in need for the latest information in sharps safety. "The number of individuals requesting the ISIPS Newsletter was first measured in hundreds but has become very popular and has thousands of individuals that are requesting it each month," says Stoker. "In addition, hundreds of thousands of hits come to the ISIPS website each month, with many browsers coming to look at the sharps safety products section."
ISIPS has been pleased with the success that the organization has had over the last two years. "We are excited to see so many individuals and corporations join with us to reduce the overall threat of needlestick injuries," says Stoker. "One method of gauging our success is with the overall numbers of individuals requesting the ISIPS Newsletter. Our internet service provider shut ISIPS down for several days a few months ago because they thought that the number of newsletters that we were sending out indicated that we were sending out spam instead of a requested newsletter. Fortunately, we got that straightened out but it does indicate the level of success that we are having."
New safety technologies
"Technology has played a large role in the mission and success of meeting the mission of ISIPS," says Stoker. "ISIPS has created a technology transfer section on its website. This section of the ISIPS website provides a clearinghouse for new safety technologies." The technologies listed in this section represent licensing and collaboration opportunities for interested parties. Non-confidential information is used to describe each technology. If interested in licensing or purchasing any of the safety technologies presented on the website, or to offer additional safety technologies for sale, companies and individuals are asked to register by filling out a form on the website. Interested companies can register by going to www.isips.org/licensing.php and filling out the appropriate information.
"ISIPS uses the latest in information technology to daily scan more than 37,000 primary sources of information to gather the latest news on needlestick and other sharps injuries,HIV, hepatitis, West Nile Virus, SARS, and other pertinent information that is helpful to the individual ISIPS members," says Stoker. "Information about the latest safety products is also gathered and presented. ISIPS uses several different options to provide information about sharps safety.
"The ISIPS Newsletter is sent out as an html email each Friday to those individuals and companies requesting it," says Stoker. "The newsletter is being sent out to thousands of individuals each month. For those who are interested in more frequent information, the Today's Health News provides daily information.
"One of the most popular sections of the web site is the Safety Products section that features more than 130 different sharps safety products and services sections," continues Stoker. "This Safety Product section provides information, pictures, and provides links to ISIPS corporate members. ISIPS has traditionally focused on providing the latest information on sharps injury prevention products and services. ISIPS is expanding this focus to include additional safety products that reduce blood pathogen exposure as well."
How you can become an Involved member of ISIPS
Infection control managers, risk managers, hospital administrators, healthcare workers and others can participate with ISIPS by:
· Putting a link to the ISIPS web site www.isips.org on your intranet so that interested workers can find the sharps safety information that they are looking for quickly.
· Sign up for the no-cost ISIPS Newsletter by filling out the form on www.isips.org/register.php.
· Those wishing to receive the information on a dally basis can go to the "Today's Health News" Section of the ISIPS website www.isips.org/reports/Articles/daily_health_news.html
· Come to the ISIPS website frequently to look at new safety products. Please send information about new sharps safety products that are not yet listed on the ISIPS website.
· Companies that have sharps safety products should contact ISIPS to provide appropriate information about sharps safety products and services. Many opportunities to present information about these safety products in seminars, presentations, and in magazine articles at little or no cost are frequently available.
· ISIPS and Managing Infection Control are sponsoring the 2nd Annual International Sharps Injury Prevention Awareness Month in December. Mini-posters will be available in Managing Infection Control magazine as well as on the ISIPS website. Individuals and hospitals can utilize this commemoration to assist in providing information that can be used in annual review of sharps safety equipment, exposure plans, and training programs.
· Are you aware of a co-worker who has done an outstanding job of preventing sharps injuries through their work? ISIPS has unveiled an awards program that will coincide with the International Sharps Injury Prevention Awareness Month. These awards will be given in the months leading up to the International Sharps Injury Prevention Awareness Month being commemorated in December,2003. Nominations for the awards can be made by going to www.isips.org/awards.php. Hurry, nominations will close on September 30, 2003!
For further information about ISIPS, contact Mr. Stoker at (801) 280-8797 or ron@isips.org.