A Study of Occupational Exposure to Needle Stick Injury & Body Fluids Among Healthcare Workers in a Tertiary Care Hospital in India - A Cross Sectional Study (original) (raw)
Related papers
Indian Journal of Community Medicine, 2010
Background: Because of the environment in which they work, many health care workers are at an increased risk of accidental needle stick injuries (NSI). Objective: To study prevalence and response to needle stick injuries among health care workers. Materials and Methods: Study Design: Cross-sectional study. Setting: A tertiary care hospital in Delhi. Participants: 322 resident doctors, interns, nursing staff, nursing students, and technicians. Statistical Analysis: Proportions and Chi-square test. Results: A large percentage (79.5%) of HCWs reported having had one or more NSIs in their career. The average number of NSIs ever was found to be 3.85 per HCW (range 0-20). 72 (22.4%) reported having received a NSI within the last month. More than half (50.4%) ascribed fatigue as a cause in their injury. Most of the injuries (34.0%) occurred during recapping. In response to their most recent NSI, 60.9% washed the site of injury with water and soap while 38 (14.8%) did nothing. Only 20 (7.8%) of the HCWs took post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) against HIV/AIDS after their injury. Conclusions: The occurrence of NSI was found to be quite common. Avoidable practices like recapping of needles were contributing to the injuries. Prevention of NSI is an integral part of prevention programs in the work place, and training of HCWs regarding safety practices indispensably needs to be an ongoing activity at a hospital.
Needle Stick Injuries Among Health Care Workers In a Tertiary Care Hospital of India
Indian J Med Res, 2010
Percutaneous injuries, caused by needle sticks and other sharps, are a serious concern for all health care workers (HCWs) and pose a significant risk of occupational transmission of blood borne pathogens. Needle stick injuries (NSI) are wounds caused by sharps such as hypodermic needles, blood collection needles, iv cannulas or needles used to connect parts of iv delivery systems. The causes include various factors Needle stick injuries among health care workers in a tertiary care hospital of India Background & objectives: Percutaneous injuries caused by needlesticks, pose a significant risk of occupational transmission of bloodborne pathogens. Their incidence is considerably higher than current estimates, and hence a low injury rate should not be interpreted as a non existent problem. The present study was carried out to determine the occurrence of NSI among various categories of health care workers (HCWs), and the causal factors, the circumstances under which these occur and to, explore the possibilities of measures to prevent these through improvements in knowledge, attitude and practice.
National Journal of Community Medicine, 2012
Background: Health care workers are entitled to safe working conditions and the organizations have the responsibility to provide the same for their employees (HCW). In this direction the epidemiological data on sharps injury events, becomes an essential pre-requisite. Objectives: 1) To study the prevalence and associated factors of Needle Stick Injuries (NSI) among the health care workers of our hospital. 2) To assess the level of awareness of the health care workers regarding NSI. Materials and methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted and data was collected using a anonymous pre-tested structured questionnaire among the respondents (441) of the health care workers of a tertiary care rural hospital. Statistical analysis was done using chi square test in Open Epi version 2. Results: About 57% (252 out of 441) of the Health Care Workers (HCW) had at least one episode of NSI in the preceding 12 months .Majority were Nurses (81%).The commonest devices involved was suturing needle (41%) and hypodermic needles (44%).Majority of the NSI (46 %) occurred during use of needle on the patient. About (85%) of the HCW didn’t report the injury. Hepatitis B vaccination rate was very low among HCW other than doctors. Doctors had better knowledge on all counts compared to other categories of HCW. A majority of the HCW (92%) were not aware of the reporting system existing in their hospital. Conclusions: The present study showed a high occurrence of NSI in HCWs especially among nurses followed by doctors and a high rate of ignorance and apathy among other categories. These issues need to be addressed, through appropriate education and other interventional strategies by the hospital infection control committee.
Global Journal of Health Science, 2013
Background: Health care workers (HCWs) are at substantial risk of acquiring blood borne infections such as HIV, Hepatitis-B and Hepatitis-C through needle stick injuries (NSIs). This study aimed to assess the proportion of NSIs and their associated factors among HCWs and also to identify the areas in which preventive efforts might be directed to protect against this occupational hazard. Methodology: A cross-sectional study was conducted in two tertiary care hospitals of Pakistan representing both private and public health sector. A total of 497 HCWs (doctors and nurses) were interviewed using a structured questionnaire. Data was collected from January to May 2008. Results: Overall, 64% of the HCWs were exposed to at least one NSI during their career; among them 73% reported NSIs for two or more times. Factors found to be highly associated with NSIs were those practicing this occupation for more than five years (p < 0.001: OR = 5.92; 95% CI = 3.45-10.16) and working as nurse than doctor (p 0.001: OR = 2.12; 95% CI = 1.35-3.32). Having received booster dose of hepatitis B vaccine (p 0.02: OR = 1.85; 95% CI = 1.10-3.11), working in surgical specialty (p < 0.01: OR = 1.6; 95% CI = 1.09-2.51) and being a female (p 0.03: OR = 1.52; 95% CI = 1.04-2.22) were also found to be associated with NSIs. Most commonly reported reason for NSIs was injecting medicine and drawing blood (42%) followed by two-handed recapping of needle (37%). Only, 34% of study subjects were vaccinated against hepatitis B infection. Overall, HCWs had inadequate practices regarding standard precautions such as availability of gloves/protective cloths (40%) and infection control guidelines/protocols (10%) respectively in their working places. Conclusion: In addition to very high rates of NSIs, low safety practices including inadequate vaccination coverage, unavailability of infection control guidelines and other preventive facilities were reported in this study. Prevention of occupational infections among HCWs should be a priority. Formal training, by health authorities in the local area, about safe practices and availability of preventive facilities should be ensured regarding NSIs among HCWs.
Correlates of Needle Stick Injuries among Health Care Workers at St. Pauls Mission Hospital
Texila International Journal of Nursing, 2019
The aim of the study was to profile the epidemiology and different determinants of needle stick injury among health care workers at St. Pauls Mission Hospital which could be used to develop/foster needle stick infection control measures. A cross sectional quantitative survey-based design was used in this study. A sample of 143 nurses instead was enlisted in this study from an expected sample size. In the last ten years, the incidence of NSIs was 139 episodes with an annual mean occurrence of 11 episodes per year. Within the sample of those who had NSIs, there are more health workers who are proactive and take up preventive actions than those who do not. Infection control measures appear not to be emphasised. There are more than half of respondents who indicated ''No'' than those who indicated ''Yes'' for the infection control prevention strategies. The least adhered to infection control strategy is the non-insistence of wearing of eye goggles when conducting minor or major surgery. The determinants of NSIs were; not wearing gloves before touching anything wet-broken skin, mucous membranes, blood, body fluids, secretion, or excretion or before touching soiled instruments and other items, not using barriers-Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) such as protective goggles, face mask and aprons if splashes or spills of blood or body fluids secretions or excretions are anticipated, lack of training at the workplace, long working hours and lack of supplies: disposable syringes, safer needle devices, and sharps-disposal containers. In conclusion, NSIs were observed in all categories of HCWs. There is a scope for improvement in safety protocols. Preventive strategies have to be devised and reporting of NSI need to be made mandatory. Issues requiring attention include use of safety engineered devices (SED), recording and reporting of incidents, training of all HCWs in handling and disposal of sharps, establishing a staff student health service and inculcating a responsible attitude among HCWs. The solutions are easy ones as they do need substantial resources.
Needle stick injuries in a tertiary care hospital Jayanth S T
2009
Background: Accidental needle stick injuries (NSIs) are an occupational hazard for healthcare workers (HCWs). A recent increase in NSIs in a tertiary care hospital lead to a 1-year review of the pattern of injuries, with a view to determine risk factors for injury and potential interventions for prevention. Methods: We reviewed 1-year (July 2006-June 2007) of ongoing surveillance of NSIs. Results: The 296 HCWs reporting NSIs were 84 (28.4%) nurses, 27 (9.1%) nursing interns, 45 (21.6%) cleaning staff, 64 (21.6%) doctors, 47 (15.9%) medical interns and 24 (8.1%) technicians. Among the staff who had NSIs, 147 (49.7%) had a work experience of less than 1 year (P < 0.001). The devices responsible for NSIs were mainly hollow bore needles (n = 230, 77.7%). In 73 (24.6%) of the NSIs, the patient source was unknown. Recapping of needles caused 25 (8.5%) and other improper disposal of the sharps resulted in 55 (18.6%) of the NSIs. Immediate post-exposure prophylaxis for HCWs who reported injuries was provided. Subsequent 6-month follow-up for human immunodeÞ ciency virus showed zero seroconversion. Conclusion: Improved education, prevention and reporting strategies and emphasis on appropriate disposal are needed to increase occupational safety for HCWs.
The Prevalence of Needle sticks injuries among health care workers at a hospital in Tehran
Needle stick injuries (NSIs) are one of the most significant and preventable hazards in relation to Healthcare workers (HCWs). Such injuries have been shown to be of high prevalence within developing countries. To determine the prevalence and circumstances pertaining to the occurrence of NSIs among HCWs employed at a special hospital. The study conducted was a cross-sectional study on HCWs and was carried out in one of Tehran's special hospitals in the year 2012. In this study, in order to identify and determine hazardous potential due to needle stick, HFMEA method was chosen. This resulted in the collection of 240 valid and reliable questionnaires. The validity and reliable nature of the questionnaires was confirmed by experts and by means of the test re-test method. The gathered data was analyzed with SPSS software, version 16.From the analysis of the data it was shown that, a total of 97 (40.42%) HCWs had suffered NSIs in the last year. The patient ward showed the highest prevalence of NSIs (47.42%) in the hospital. Nurses had the highest risk of suffering NSIs (56.7%) in comparison with the other occupational groups. All in all 175 NSIs occurred for the 240 HCWs trialed during the selected period of clinical practice. Of those that received injuries, only roughly 1 in 3 (38.14%) reported it to their infection control officer. Just over a quarter (26.80%) of the injured HCWs used post exposure prophylaxis (PEP) against HIV. Almost all (88.75%) of the HCWs had received a safe injection course. In general, NSIs and their subsequent underreporting are commonplace among hospital healthcare professionals. Significantly, more than two-thirds of the injured HCWs did not use post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) against HIV. Improved prevention and reporting strategies are needed if the occupational health and safety of healthcare workers is to improve.
Prevalence of Needle Stick Injuries among Health Care Providers
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENDORSING HEALTH SCIENCE RESEARCH (IJEHSR), 2013
Percutaneous exposure to contaminated needle sticks and other sharps is an occupational hazard to HCWS that causes morbidity and mortality from infections with blood borne pathogens. This study was conducted to see the prevalence of needle stick injuries among health care providers at Civil Hospital Karachi (CHK).The objective is to study the prevalence of NSI among HCWs, the most frequent reason of injury, common causative equipment, and affected site of hand. It is an Prospective Observational cross sectional study at CHK in its 3 units including 100 participants. Study was conducted from 2nd Jan 2012 to 28th Feb 2012. Result shows that a large percentage (77%) of HCWs reported having had one or more NSIs in their career. While 23% did not report NSI in their career.(40.3%) NSIs occurred during use of the needle. Greater part of injuries reported due to disposable syringes (45/77 or 58.4%). Finger was affected by NSIs, in 72.7% cases.Our study concluded that the occurrence of NSI was found to be very frequent among HCWs in our setup. Poor compliances to universal precautions is a risk factor for sharp injuries. Some circumstances such as pressure of work and time constraint was a contributing factor. NSIs could reduce with the use of safer designed equipment. The promotion of adequate working conditions and Training programs regarding safety precautions on ongoing basis is very essential for future control of NSIs among health care workers at Hospitals.
Needlestick Injury Among Healthcare Workers in a Tertiary Care Hospital, Kerala
Journal of Evidence Based Medicine and Healthcare, 2017
BACKGROUND Needlestick Injury (NSI) is a major occupational health and safety issue among Healthcare Workers (HCWs). In India, incidence of NSI is high, but surveillance is poor with scarce authentic data. The aim of the study is to determine the occurrence of NSI, its associated factors and assessment of knowledge and practice of preventive measures and post exposure prophylaxis among HCWs in a tertiary care hospital in Kerala. MATERIALS AND METHODS A cross-sectional study was conducted among 515 HCWs who included doctors, house surgeons, final year medical students, nurses, student nurses and lab technicians of a government sector tertiary care hospital in Kerala. All HCWs of the institution present during the study time were included and only those unwilling to participate excluded. Ethical clearance and administrative permission was obtained along with informed consent from subjects after ensuring confidentiality. Content validated, structured questionnaire consisting of questions regarding demographic data, incidence and prevalence of needlestick injury, circumstances leading to it, response of subjects to NSI and knowledge of study subjects on post exposure prophylaxis was administered to the study subjects. The technique of data collection was self-reporting by the study subjects. Data collected was analysed using statistical software Epi Info 7. RESULTS Overall, 55.7% HCWs had sustained at least one NSI in this hospital, while 35% of them had a NSI during the current year. NSIs were sustained during blood withdrawal (34%), injections (20.5%), suturing (20.2%) and cannula insertion (12%). Recapping the needle (26%) was the most frequent cause followed by collision with others (24%), manipulation of needle in patient (23%) and during/in transit to disposal (10%). Majority (84%) did not report the incident, 8.4% underwent post exposure follow up, 82% of the HCWs were fully hepatitis B vaccinated, 44% had received training, 62% used gloves, 49% recapped needles and 55% followed proper sharp disposal. Significant association was found between NSI and male gender (p <0.001), designation (p <0.001) and years of experience (p <0.05) with interns and those with less than one year's experience at greater risk.