Behavior of Healthcare Workers After Injuries From Sharp Instruments
Open Access
- 14 August 2013
- journal article
- Published by Briefland in Trauma Monthly
- Vol. 18 (2), 75-80
- https://doi.org/10.5812/traumamon.12779
Abstract
Background: Injuries with sharps are common occupational hazards for healthcare workers. Such injuries predispose the staff to dangerous infections such as hepatitis B, C and HIV. Objectives: The present study was conducted to investigate the behaviors of healthcare workers in Kashan healthcare centers after needle sticks and injuries with sharps in 2012. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted on 298 healthcare workers of medical centers governed by Kashan University of Medical Sciences. A questionnaire was used in this study. The first part included questions about demographic characteristics. The second part of the questionnaire consisted of 16 items related to the sharp instrument injuries. For data analysis, descriptive and analytical statistics (chi-square, ANOVA and Pearson correlation coefficient) SPSS version 16.0 software was used. Results: From a total of 298 healthcare workers, 114 (38.3%) had a history of injury from needles and sharp instruments in the last six months. Most needle stick and sharp instrument injuries had occurred among the operating room nurses and midwifes; 32.5% of injuries from sharp instruments occurred in the morning shift. Needles were responsible for 46.5% of injuries. The most common actions taken after needle stick injuries were compression (27.2%) and washing the area with soap and water (15.8%). Only 44.6% of the injured personnel pursued follow-up measures after a needle stick or sharp instrument injury. Conclusions: More than a half of the healthcare workers with needle stick or sharp instrument injury had refused follow-up for various reasons. The authorities should implement education programs along with protocols to be implemented after needle stick injuries or sharps. Keywords: Needle stick Injuries; Behaviors; Knowledge; Health PersonnelKeywords
This publication has 35 references indexed in Scilit:
- Prevalence and factors associated with percutaneous injuries and splash exposures among health-care workers in a provincial hospital, Kenya, 2010Pan African Medical Journal, 2013
- Reducing Needle Stick Injuries in Healthcare Occupations: An Integrative Review of the LiteratureISRN Nursing, 2011
- Sero-prevalence and risk factors for hepatitis B virus infection among health care workers in a tertiary hospital in UgandaBMC Infectious Diseases, 2010
- Study of prevalence and response to needle stick injuries among health care workers in a tertiary care hospital in Delhi, IndiaIndian Journal of Community Medicine, 2010
- Reducing needlestick and sharps injuries among healthcare workersNursing Standard, 2009
- Needle-stick injuries in primary care in WalesPublished by Oxford University Press (OUP) ,2007
- Needlestick injuries and other occupational exposures to body fluids amongst employees and medical students of a German university: incidence and follow-upJournal of Hospital Infection, 2007
- Extended Work Duration and the Risk of Self-reported Percutaneous Injuries in InternsJAMA, 2006
- Needle stick injuries among nurses in sub‐Saharan AfricaTropical Medicine & International Health, 2005
- A Systematic Review of the Economic and Humanistic Burden of Needlestick Injury in the United StatesAmerican Journal of Infection Control, 2004