Determinants of Needle Stick Injuries Among Healthcare Providers at a Tehran University Hospital in 2016: A Descriptive Report

Abstract

Background: Needle Stick Injuries (NSIs) are the most common occupational injuries among HCWs. The aim of this study was to explore the prevalence and distribution of determinants for such injuries in a university hospital in Tehran, Iran, in 2016.

Methods: We conducted a descriptive cross-sectional study in Ziaeian Hospital, a teaching hospital of Tehran University. The medical records of 55 Health Care Workers (HCWs) who experienced NSIs in 2016, were extracted from the hospital registry and analyzed using SPSS version 22.

Results: Available data of 55 HCWs with a history of NSIs were extracted from the hospital registry. The highest number of NSIs belonged to registered nurses (34.6%), licensed practical nurses (14.5%) and medical doctors (12.7%), respectively. The majority of the NSIs occurred in the morning shift (50.9%) followed by night shift (36.4%) and evening shift (12.7%). Most of the NSIs occurred in the emergency department (38.1%) and operating room (18.2%). The healthcare workers reported fatigue as the most common reason for being injured by needles (67.4%). All the HCWs were trained and familiarized with the safety and risk control measures after needle stick exposures in the hospital.

Discussion: The present study described the determinants of NSIs among HCWs in a university hospital. The fatigue and working overload were the main reasons for NSIs. The results of this study could be used to address the shortcoming in the guidelines and protocols to ensure the sustainable safety measures that could reduce the occurrence of the NSIs in hospitals in Iran.

Keywords: HCWs; Iran; NSIs; Needle stick; determinants; health care workers; injuries.