OBJECTIVES : With the application of safety engineered devices for venous blood collection, the rate of needlestick injuries (NSIs) and blood exposure among healthcare workers has decreased while the device costs remain a primary concern. The objective of this study is to assess the overall budget impact of implementing safety needles versus the conventional type for venous blood collection from a China healthcare payer’s perspective.

METHODS : A budget impact model was constructed to estimate the net budget impact of safety needles compared with conventional needles for venous blood collection in the emergency and outpatient departments over a three-year period. Market share in each year, device costs and the number of nurses in each department were based on the survey data from a hospital. Frequencies and costs of NSIs, time of blood collection and other related costs were collected from literature and Chinese government websites.

RESULTS : Compared with the conventional blood collection needles, the total cost savings of implementing safety needles were estimated to be 53,308 CNY, 133,269 CNY and 266,539 CNY, with a corresponding percentage reduction of 7.52%, 18.80% and 37.61%, respectively. The key driver of lower costs on the departments is the frequency of NSIs, where the implementation of safety needles avoided NSIs 94 times, 235 times and 470 times from year 1 to year 3 respectively. The expenditure of associated NSIs costs was decreased by 92,908 CNY, 232,269CNY and 464,539 CNY when implementing safety needles.

CONCLUSIONS : The present budget impact results suggest that safety needles for venous blood collection achieved greater clinical and economic benefits, where it can significantly reduce the incidence of NSIs among healthcare workers as well as saving the expenditure for the emergency and outpatient departments. Safety needles for blood collection is therefore recommended as a beneficial option for the key clinical departments.