This is the fourth year that Managing Infection Control and the International Sharps Injury Prevention Society (ISIPS) saluted an elite group of healthcare professionals who have committed their careers to saving lives through prevention of sharps injuries.

Gould's role at UI Hospitals and Clinics includes quality and safety improvements and standards development. "Sharps injury prevention takes more than one person," says Gould. "It can start with one or two, much like what happened at UI Hospitals and Clinics, but to really be successful you need staff who are willing to trial products and be patient enough to recover from the learning curve or change in practice a product may require.

"My goal is to keep as many healthcare workers as possible from ever having a sharps injury and having to go through the workup and worry that comes with it.

"At the same time," she said, "I want the safety products that we use to not only offer injury prevention to the staff, but are also good quality for those on the receiving end - the patient.

"My work of preventing needle sticks all started when, 16 years ago, I experienced a sharps injury from a lancet. I spent the next year worrying about seroconverting and what that would mean for my 16 month old son and husband. Eliminating or reducing the risk of sharps injuries for our staff, one product at a time over 16 years has decreased our institution's sharps injuries."

Renee Gould, A.P.N.