Global prevalence of percutaneous injuries among healthcare workers: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Abstract

Background: Health-care workers (HCWs) are at risk of occupational exposure to bloodborne pathogens through contact with human blood and other body fluids. This study was conducted to estimate the global and regional one-year prevalence of percutaneous injuries (PCIs) among HCWs. Methods: We systematically searched EMBASE, PubMed, CINAHL and PsychInfo databases for studies published from January 2008 to January 2018 that reported the prevalence of PCIs among HCWs. A random effects meta-analysis was conducted to estimate pooled prevalence of PCIs among HCWs. Results: Of the 5205 articles identified, 148 studies from 43 countries met the inclusion criteria. The pooled global one-year prevalence estimate of PCIs was 36.4% (95% CI: 32.9-40.0). There were substantial regional variations in the one-year prevalence of PCIs, ranging from 7.7% (95% CI: 3.1-12.4) in South America to 43.2% (95% CI: 38.3-48.0) in Asia. The estimates for Africa and Europe were comparable with values of 34.5% (95% CI: 29.9-39.1) and 31.8% (95% CI: 25.0-38.5), respectively. The highest one-year prevalence by job category was among surgeons at 72.6% (95% CI: 58.0-87.2). The estimates for medical doctors (excluding surgeons), nurses (including midwives) and laboratory staff (including laboratory technicians) were 44.5% (95% CI: 37.5-51.5), 40.9% (95% CI: 35.2-46.7) and 32.4% (95% CI: 20.9-49.3), respectively. PCIs commonly occurred among HCWs working in hospital (41.8%, 95% CI: 37.6-46.0) than non-hospital (7.5%, 95% CI: 5.9-9.1) settings. Conclusion: Our findings suggest high rates of PCIs among HCWs with direct patient care across many regions of the world. However, paucity of data from some countries was a major limitation.

Prevalence of Percutaneous Injuries and Associated Factors Among a Sample of Midwives in Hunan Province, China

“…This work is the first to investigate the prevalence and predictors of percutaneous injuries among midwives in Hunan Province, China. Based on the results, 15.7% of the midwives sustained percutaneous injuries 1 year prior to the study, which was lower than previously published rates for healthcare workers (Auta et al, 2018;Jacob et al, 2010;Serdar et al, 2013). The lower prevalence of percutaneous injuries in this study may be explained by the underreporting of percutaneous injuries among midwives in China (Cao, 2013).…”

“…Thousands of healthcare workers experience at least one episode of percutaneous injury per day worldwide (Auta et al, 2017). Recently, a meta-analysis found that one in three healthcare workers worldwide is at risk of percutaneous injury annually (Auta et al, 2018). In another study, it was found that approximately 3 million occupation-related percutaneous injuries occurred yearly (Kaweti & Abegaz, 2016).…”

Needlestick and sharps injuries in an Indonesian tertiary teaching hospital from 2014 to 2017: a cohort study

“…The pooled 1-year prevalence was even higher in low-income and middle-income countries at 36.3% (95% CI 30.3% to 42.2%) and 41.8% (95% CI 36.7% to 46.9%) compared with 24.8% (95% CI 19.4% to 30.2%) in high-income countries. 2 Following NSSIs, more than 20 types of bloodborne pathogens can be transmitted. Despite the availability of effective treatments, the possibility of getting HIV, hepatitis C virus (HCV) and hepatitis B virus (HBV) may lead to HCWs' psychological distress, including depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder and an impaired quality of life.…”

Protocol of a scoping review assessing injury rates and their determinants among healthcare workers in western countries

“…In western countries, 1510 cases of HCV, 360 cases of HBV and 11 cases of HIV occurred in the year 2000, accounting for 8%–27%, 1%–8% and 0.5%–3.1% of infections, respectively 17. A recently published systematic review and meta-analysis of the literature performed by Auta and coworkers18 computed a global 1-year prevalence of PIs of 36.4% (95% CI 32.9 to 40.0), ranging from 9.5% (95%CI 6.7 to 12.4) in Australasia to 15.7% (95%CI 12.1 to 19.3) in North America and to 31.8% (95%CI 25.0 to 38.5) in Europe. Incidence rates of sharps injuries ranged from 1.4 to 9.5 per 100 HCWs, with a weighted mean of 3.7/100 HCWs per year and a related mean societal cost of €272 19.…”