OBJECTIVES:

Needle-stick injuries (NSI) expose healthcare workers (HCWs) to the risk of infection with a blood-borne virus and incur serious medical consequences. The standardized introduction of safety-engineered devices (SEDs) is strongly suggested in the European Union (EU) hospital setting, from May 2013. Our research objective was the economic advantages definition for a hospital related to the SEDs introduction, across Italy, France, Germany, Spain, Netherlands, Belgium, United Kingdom and Saudi Arabia.

METHODS:

A 3-year incidence-based Budget Impact Model (BIM) was implemented from the hospital perspective, comparing the impact of SEDs and conventional devices use, considering the device acquisition costs and the potential cost savings, associated with avoided NSIs in the inpatients’ diabetes care. Model input data were sourced through a systematic literature review on evidence, clinical guidelines, and market research results, based on the availability of country-oriented information.

RESULTS: Results consider system-wide economic impact including NSIs management costs and costs of supplies. The results depend on the number of inpatients in the hospital and the supply quota of SEDs. Considering a hospital that treats 960 inpatients per week and assuming that in the AS-IS scenario the hospital does not use any SEDs versus a TO-BE scenario in which insulin injections are performed with SEDs, a saving percentage ranging from a minimum of 18.66% (Italy) to a maximum of 41.9% (Germany) could be achieved.

CONCLUSIONS:

The NSIs incidence and the associated costs could be reduced through the adoption of safer working practices, including investment in SEDs. For each country involved in the study, the BIM reports that the incremental costs of acquiring SEDs are offset by savings from fewer NIS. The relevance of the topic and the availability of results stratified per Country of reference could acquire a significant value in the hospital decision making process.