The Centers for Disease Control estimate that 18,000 health care workers per year become infected by the HBV virus and 1,800 become carriers, resulting in 300 deaths per year. Thirty-two health care workers have contracted AIDS. Over 80,000 accidental sticks are reported each year costing more than $500 per stick. Safety syringes may be mandated into universal usage by Congress. Existing safety syringe devices merely provide an improved means of recapping the needle after its use.The goal of the Phase I is to provide a small simple part that is attachable to a standard syringe which will significantly reduce the chance that an accidental needle stick will occur. This simple device will perform under all situations as would a normal syringe. It could be operated without complicated directions and would provide protection from needle sticks, before, during, and after use. The prototype device will be evaluated by twenty-four health-care professionals based on Been safety and market/ergonomic factors and by four plastic injection molding manufacturers based on three manufacturing/production factors. The Phase I project will involve the designing and construction of a prototype, testing of the prototype, evaluation of the prototype by health-care professionals and plastic manufacturers based on the eighteen criteria identified, and modifying the design, if necessary, based on the results of the evaluations.National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI)
