Frequency of sharp injuries and its related factors among high‑risk wards staff

Blood-borne infections are a serious problem of health systems. Most of these infections are caused by sharp injuries.

This study was conducted to determine the frequency of sharp injuries and its related factors among high-risk wards staff. Setting and Design: This cross-sectional study was conducted on high-risk wards staff at educational hospitals of sari in 2018.

In this study, 306 high-risk wards staff who were working in educational hospitals of sari district for more than 1 year completed a self-administered questionnaire. Statistical Analysis Used: Data were analyzed using descriptive statics, independent T- test and Chi –square.

All participants had a history of sharp injuries during their work experience, and in the last year, from the 306 participants in this study, 250 (81.7%) had at least one Needle Stick Injuries (NSI) event. in 66.7% of cases in the surgical technologists, suture needles were reported to cause NSI. While, 61.1% of nurses, 61.4% of anesthesia personnel and 45.5% of physicians, reported syringe needles as the main cause of injury. Suture and stitch needle was the most important cause of injury. The result shows that there is no significant relationship between work experience and gender with NSI rate.

The results of this study indicate a high prevalence of NSI in personnel of high-risk wards, especially in the operating room. Due to the excessive use of needles and needle stitches in these areas, the incidence of them is high. It is recommended that safety measures be taken in the use of sharp equipment to reduce the complications in case of an accident.