Prioritising safety in venous blood collection procedures
After leading the development in point of care testing for many years with our capillary blood collection products, we have built on this experience and introduced a new venous blood collection range.
Non-communicable diseases and disease identification are on the rise, and globally each year over one billion patients have blood collected by venous devices. This rise in diagnostic testing can contribute to an increased risk of needlestick injuries to healthcare professionals (HCPs) from mishandling of product, or failure to activate safety mechanisms prior to disposal. Risk can be mitigated through training, but there can be significant economic cost associated with claims and treatment for needlestick injuries, compounded by the physical and psychological trauma experienced by healthcare professionals.
Furthermore, the current pressures placed on the NHS, which have been highlighted in a recent study by the British Medical Journal highlighted how the healthcare industry is experiencing the highest levels of burnout since it was first tracked in 2018, resulting in higher levels of fatigue with “44% of trainee doctors regularly feeling “exhausted in the morning.[i]”” Therefore, with the added factor of burnout at play, it is crucial that diagnostics staff are provided with appropriate equipment that is easy to use and minimises the risk of injury.
The Unistik® venous blood collection range builds on our long-established expertise in capillary blood sampling, offering a portfolio of devices that combine safety, comfort and quality to help improve the blood collection experience. We offer a range of devices that provide safety from NSIs through intuitive safety mechanisms.
Unistik® ShieldLock has flexible, textured wings to ensure a secure grip during procedure and a thumb-activated safety mechanism that covers and protects the needle once it is removed from the vein.
Unistik® VacuFlip has been designed for safe and straightforward blood collection procedures, utilising an ergonomic safety guard that flips over the needle once removed from the vein to secure the device and reduce the risk of needlestick injuries.
Our safety blood collection devices are designed to help prevent needlestick injuries and reduce the risk of failed blood collection. Each device is compatible with other common blood collection devices, along with the Unistik® Holder and Luer adapter blood collection accessories, which enables HCPs to switch over with minimal disruption to their existing processes.
References:
[i] Weigl, M. (2022) “Physician Burnout Undermines Safe Healthcare,” BMJ [Preprint]. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.o2157.