Sharp instruments injuries in intensive and general wards

The aim of this study was to determine sharp instruments injuries in intensive and general wards of Rasoule-Akram hospital in Tehran in 2010. Sharp instruments can cause transmission of blood-borne pathogens such as Human Immune Deficiency Virus (HIV)، Hepatitis B (HBV) and Hepatitis C (HCV). Annually، there are 66000 HBV، 16000 HCV، and thousands of HIV cases as a results of contact with sharp instruments among health care personnel around the world. Nurses are almost involved in all sharp instrument injuries. This descriptive-analytical study was conducted on 76 nurses of medical-surgical wards and 44 nurses of intensive care units. Data were collected by using Virginia University Questionnaire (Prevention Information Network) for assessing sharp instrument injuries. The data was analyzed by SPSS software. The finding showed that most injuries occur in patient''s room and the lowest in the treatment room. Also، 55. 8% of all patients have done no action after injury، %35 of them is followed by wards and 9. 2% of them are not followed by wards. According to high frequency of sharp instrument injuries، it is necessary to provide health care personnel with educational programs. Appropriate education may have significant effect in decreasing injuries among health care personnel.