Prevalence and causes of unreported needle stick injuries among health care workers: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Objectives Health care workers (HCWs) are exposed to needle needles daily. Despite individual studies, there is no statistics on the prevalence of unreported needle stick injuries (NSIs) have been reported. This study was performed to determine the prevalence and causes of unreported NSIs among HCWs. Content In present systematic review and meta-analysis study, three international databases (Web of Science, Scopus, PubMed) were searched from January 1, 2000 to December 31, 2018. The random model was used to determine the prevalence of unreported needle stick among HCWs. Summary and outlook Forty-one studies performed on 19,635 health care workers entered the final stage. Based-on random effect model, pooled prevalence of unreported needle stick injuries was 59.9% (95% CI: 52.0, 67.7; I2=98.9%). The most common cause of unreported NSIs was: They were not worried about NSIs (n=12). The high prevalence of unreported needle sticks injuries indicates the urgency and necessity of paying attention to strategies to improve reporting among health workers.

The Effects of Nurses' Personal and Professional Characteristics on Needle Stick Injuries

Background: Nurses face many professional dangers such as needle stick injuries. This study investigated the effects of nurses' personal and professional characteristics on needle stick injuries. Methods: The present cross-sectional study was performed on 200 nursing staff in a hospital. The sampling method was the classified method. Participants were asked to complete a researcher-made questionnaire on personal characteristics (age, work experience, gender, marital status, and educational level) and job (work department, number of shifts per month, and type of work shift). Also, the number of their needle stick events was extracted from their medical records. Results: The prevalence of needle sticks was 45.5%. Based on individual characteristics, the mean age and work experience of people with a history of needle stick are significantly lower than people without a history of needle stick (P <0.03). There was a significant relationship between needle stick history and educational level (P <0.00). However, there was no significant difference between the two groups without and with a history of needle stick in terms of marital status (P = 0.11) and gender (P = 0.13). Based on job characteristics, there were significant relationships between the history of needle stick with the variables of type of work shift (P = 0.00) and the number of shifts per month (P <0.00). Conclusion: Some personal and professional characteristics effective in needle sticking were identified. These findings can be used as a guide to prioritize individuals to take precautionary measures against needle sticking.

Assessment of needle stick injuries among healthcare workers: A cross-sectional study from Kakiri military and SOS hospitals, Uganda

The Ugandan military medical services work together with the civilian public health system to deliver quality healthcare. This Partnership is the mainstay of health service delivery in Uganda. The burden of needle stick injuries (NSIs) is increasing in Uganda’s larger health industry; however, data on needle stick injury in military and public health facilities is lacking. No published data exist on comparative studies for a mix of facilities both military and civilian health settings. This study represents the first time this issue has been studied in a military or public health hospital in Uganda. A hospital-based, cross-sectional study was conducted in July 2018 to September 2019 in Kakiri Military and SOS Hospitals in Uganda using a structured questionnaire. Respondents were purposively selected based on the objectives of study, occupation status and department (N = 310). The overall prevalence of NSIs among respondents was 27.2% and prevalence rates for the two facilities was nearly identical. The largest percentage of NSIs occurred during drawing venous blood samples (49.4%). Significant predictors of NSI were gender, occupational status, age, poor knowledge on prevention and post exposure of NSI, and less professional experience. Infection control practices were lacking in both selected health facilities. Over a quarter of HCWs in Uganda reported NSIs, which places them at significant health risk. Fostering the practice of universal precautions, best infection control practices and training of healthcare workers on bio-safety measures can reduce the prevalence of NSIs.

The study of prevalence of needle stick and sharp injuries among healthcare workes in tertiary care hospital, Navi Mumbai

Needlestick injuries (NSIs) as defined by accidentally puncture the skin by needles. The occupational exposures to NSIs are considered to be much higher in the developing world and multiple risk factors eg. improper use of protective equipment (like failure to use suitable-sized gloves), working in surgical or intensive care units, insufficient work experience, young age, needle recapping, unsuitable needle disposal, intravenous cannulation may contribute to NSIs. To determine the occurrence/ prevalence of needle stick and sharp injuries (NSIs) among healthcare workers working in a tertiary care hospital and the factors responsible for NSIs. A cross-sectional study was conducted in a tertiary care hospital among HCws in the hospital over a period of one year Jan 2020-December 2020. Nursing staffs are most frequently reported NSI. Among the groups, most common cause of NSIs was found to be recapping of needle followed by cleaning, HGT and procedure. The most common cause of NSI among housekeeping staffs found to be needle lying on the floor and accidental mixing of sharp biomedical waste with other waste. The HCWs from critical care unit eg. ICUs are the most commonly reported NSIs HCWs are always at high risk of attaining NSIs. The nursing staffs followed are the most vulnerable group who gets the sharp/NSI and require extra attention. As a preventive measures regular training and education of nursing staffs and all other categories of health care workers to be ensured in healthcare settings.

Knowledge, Attitude, and Practices towards Needle Stick Injuries among Students and Staff in a Tertiary Medical Centre in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India

Background: Needle stick injuries are one of the greatest fears that revolves around the health care workers all over the world, and the majority of them are avoidable by following proper precautionary methods in handling the devices. Even though, by following the precautionary methods, a few accidents may happen a few times and thus resulting in a needle stick injury. The aim of our study was to assess the knowledge, attitude and practices towards Needle stick injuries among students and staff in a tertiary medical centre in Chennai, Tamil Nadu , India Objectives: To assess the knowledge, attitude, practices about needle stick injuries among students and staff in a tertiary medical centre in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India. Materials and Methods: This descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted in Saveetha Medical College and Hospital. Our study included students and staff of the institution, irrespective of their age and sex. Data collection was carried out using a standardized questionnaire. Results: 62.1% of the participants know the last universal precaution guidelines of needle stick injuries management. 83.3% are fully vaccinated with anti-HBV.70.9% always use gloves when deal with needles. 14.3% had Needle stick Injury. 40.9% strongly believe that needle stick injury can be prevented. Since adequate awareness is created by the institution, participants in this study have higher knowledge, attitude and practices when compared to reference studies.

800. Needle Stick And Sharps Injuries Among Health Care Workers – The Experience of a Tertiary Hospital in Jamaica

Background Despite advances in occupational safety protocols in healthcare facilities, needle stick and sharps injuries (NSSIs) continue to be a concerning occurrence among healthcare workers (HCWs). Such exposures lead to the risk of blood borne infections as well as emotional and financial consequences which may be difficult to measure. Few studies on NSSIs among Jamaican HCWs have been published in the last decade. We evaluated adherence to established NSSIs management protocols and investigated the demographic and work-related characteristics of HCWs sustaining NSSIs. The proportion of HCWs affected and frequency and direct costs associated with these injuries were estimated. Methods This retrospective case-series reviewed HCWs employed or contracted to an urban tertiary teaching hospital in Jamaica, who reported NSSIs in the emergency room during the period January 1, 2015 and December 31, 2018. Archived incident reporting forms for these HCWs were reviewed. Data were analyzed using STATA 14 statistical software. Results 57 cases of NSSIs were reported at an average rate of 1 per month and an annual incidence of 0.14 per 100 beds and 4.75 per 100 workers. 49 (86%) HCWs were female and 18 (14%) were male. 55% of HCWs were between the ages of 24-29 years old. Nurses (53%) and physicians (19%) made up most of the sample. 28 (58%) HCWs reported not wearing gloves during the incident. Improperly handling used sharps and re-capping needles were reported by 26 (46.5%) and 17 (30%) of HCWs respectively. HIV and viral Hepatitis screening of source patients were performed 85% and 55% of the time respectively. Only 25% of HCWs were prescribed HIV post exposure prophylaxis. Post-injury counselling occurred with 52 (91%) HCWs and follow up care arranged for 36% of cases. The mean direct cost associated with the initial management of the HCW was US &163.22 per NSSI. Conclusion The frequency of reported NSSIs by HCWs is low but the burden of direct costs is high. There is inadequate adherence to NSSIs management protocols and accurate monitoring systems are lacking. We recommend the need for safer needle disposal methods and devices, routine auditing of sharps practices and training in occupational hazard prevention and management. This may improve occupational risk perception among HCWs and workplace safety. Disclosures All Authors: No reported disclosures

A Study of Needle Stick Injuries among Nursing College Students in a Tertiary Care Hospital in Chengalpattu District, Tamil Nadu

Introduction: Needle stick injuries (NSIs) are the most potential occupational hazards among nursing personnel with possible transmission of blood borne pathogens. As nursing students are in the learning stage, they might be at higher risk of acquiring the injuries.Objectives: Todetermine the prevalence of needle stick injuries and to assess the awareness, attitude and practices followed with regard to NSIs.Methodology: An online cross-sectional study was conducted from October to December 2020 among 175 students in a nursing college in Chengalpattu district Tamil Nadu, using a pretested semi- structured questionnaire, adopting universal sampling technique. Data was analyzed using SPSS version 23. Categorical variables were summarized as Percentages and chi square test was used for statistical analysis. Results: The overall prevalence of needle stick injury among nursing college students was 16%.Final year studentsweremore exposed to the injuries(35.7%). Majority (96.57%) of the students were aware about universal precaution guidelines, 57% of students were aware about the diseases transmitted by NSI, 97.71% were aware about safety devices and 67.43% of students were aware about the post-exposure prophylaxis in management of NSIs.Among the students, 71.43% had used gloves regularly, 72% were immunized against Hepatitis B, only 25.71% of students attended Integrated Counselling Testing Centre(ICTC) and more than half of the students always practiced recapping needle after giving injections. Conclusion: Majority of the students in this study were aware about NSIs, their attitude towards NSIs was agreeable. The practices reported though assessed through online survey was found to be deficient.Periodic education and training need to be done to avoid injuries in future.

Occupational blood exposure beyond needle stick injuries: hospital-based cross-sectional study among healthcare workers in governmental hospitals of Northern Ethiopia

Background Occupational blood exposure is one of the major public health problems that healthcare workers (HCWs) are encountering. Most previous occupational blood exposure studies are delimited to needle stick injury, which could underestimate the real level of blood exposure. On the other hand, others deal with crude blood and body-fluids exposure, which possibly overestimate the magnitude of blood exposure. Therefore, this study aimed at determining the prevalence of occupational blood exposure and identifying associated factors among HCWs in the Southern Tigrai zone governmental hospitals of Northern Ethiopia considering all the potential means of blood exposure (needle stick injury, sharp medical equipment injury, and blood splash) while excluding blood-free body-fluids. Methods A hospital based cross-sectional study design was employed to gather data from randomly selected HCWs in three governmental hospitals from February to March, 2020. A multivariable logistic regression model was used to identify the independent factors associated with the outcome variable. Results From the total of 318 HCWs, 148 (46.5 %) were exposed to blood at least once in their lifetime. Working for more than 40 h per week (AOR= 9.4; 95 % CI: 7.61, 11.41), lack of adequate personal protective equipment (PPE) (AOR=3.88; 95 % CI: 1.64, 5.42), Hepatitis B virus vaccination (AOR=0.54; 95 % CI: 0.12,0.78), recapping used needle sticks (AOR=3.18; 95 % CI: 1.28, 8.83), and lack of infection prevention and patient safety (IPPS) training (AOR=13.5; 95 % CI: 8.12,19.11) were detected to significantly increase the likelihood of occupational blood exposure. Conclusions As nearly half of the HCWs were exposed to blood, reducing work load below 40 h per week by employing additional staff members, supplying adequate PPE, avoiding recapping of used needle sticks, and providing IPPS training for the HCWs should be practiced.