Needle Stick and Sharp Injuries Among Healthcare Workers: A retrospective six-year study

Abstract

Objectives: This study aimed to examine the proportion of needle stick and sharp injuries (NSSIs) among healthcare workers at King Hussein Medical Center (KHMC), Amman, Jordan. Methods: All NSSI reports referred from departments at KHMC to the Preventive Medicine Department between 2013–2018 were retrospectively reviewed. Proportion of NSSIs were calculated and stratified according to age, gender, job title, place and site of injury and the procedure/task during which the injury occurred. Results: There were a total of 393 NSSIs. A significant association was found between the proportion of NSSIs and all tested variables (P <0.001). The reported proportion of NSSIs was highest among nurses (39.7%) followed by cleaners (36.3%), physicians (10.4%), other workers (7.4%) and lab technicians (5.9%) during the study’s six-year period. Hospital wards were the most common locations (46.1%) where injuries took place. Injuries also occurred most frequently during medical waste collection (38.2%). Conclusion: The proportion of NSSIs was highest among nurses and cleaners. Safety policies and training among high-risk groups should be reviewed to reduce the risk of NSSIs. Multicentre studies at a national level should be conducted to examine whether this study’s findings reflect national trends.Keywords: Needlestick Injuries; Safety; Self Report; Nurses; Accident Prevention; Jordan.

Epidemiology and risk factors of needlestick injuries among healthcare workers in Iran: a systematic reviews and meta-analysis

“…NSI-related risk factors have not yet been properly identified in Iran. Studies have identified factors such as excessive and unnecessary injections, poor personnel training, female gender, high workloads, and excessive fatigue especially at nighttime as the most important causes of NSI [ 7 , 12 – 17 ]. Moreover, a systematic review found age, level of education, number of shifts per month, and history of training courses for individuals as factors influencing NSI.…”

Infection Control Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices among Students of Public Dental Schools in Egypt

“…This might be explained by the higher number of patients senior-level students encounter in the clinical training, as well as the more complex clinical cases that require the use of sharp instruments and needles more frequently, especially in oral surgeries. Generally, around 60% and 40% of the students had experienced needle and sharps injuries, respectively, which has been also documented in other developing countries such as Yemen, Iran, and Nigeria [ 37 , 38 , 41 , 42 ]. This highlights the critical need for post-exposure risk management among dental students.…”

“…Similar trends have been observed among dental students in other countries [ 38 , 39 ]. This may be due to the tendency of female students to recall such incidences more accurately than male students [ 40 , 41 ]. Otherwise, female students might be exposed to more injury incidences during clinical practice [ 39 , 40 , 41 ].…”

“…This may be due to the tendency of female students to recall such incidences more accurately than male students [ 40 , 41 ]. Otherwise, female students might be exposed to more injury incidences during clinical practice [ 39 , 40 , 41 ]. More research is needed to determine whether the reporting rate or risk of exposure is more likely, to provide female students with more effective protection from needlestick and sharps injuries.…”

A quasi‐experimental trial of the clinical and economic impact of implementing of hepatitis B immunoglobulin policy post needle stick and sharp injuries in reducing its unnecessary use at a tertiary care hospital

“…One of the most common modes of transmission is needle stick and sharp injuries (NSSIs) 2 . NSSIs are common, yet these are considered preventable occupational hazards among HCWs because of the current availability of precaution guidelines and increased awareness 3 . The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that approximately two million NSSI cases are reported annually; however, this number could be underestimated as many cases of NSSIs are not reported, especially in developing countries 3,4 .…”