Occupational Medicine & Health Affairs
Open Access

Abstract

A needle stick injury, which is the accidental puncture of the skin by a needle during a medical intervention is the most common cause of sharp injury events in the healthcare environment. Certain groups of individuals are at greater risk than others because of the nature of their work. A cross sectional study was conducted at the Medical Department of Social Security Organization, Khalij e Fars hospital- A 120 beds general hospital located in Bandar Abbas the south harbor of Iran. This survey was based on a self administered questionnaire which was filled anonymously. The questionnaire covered the age, gender, educational level, occupation group, the details of need lestick injuries within the last 12 months, under each professional group, circumstances resulting in the sharp incident, the kind of activity and procedure under which the needle stick injury occurred, and the HBV vaccination status. Overall, 71 (31.7%) of respondents had experienced needle stick injury within the last 12 months. Only 32 (45.1%) of them reported the injury. Operation room was the most prevalent site of needle stick injuries occurrence (16.9%). The most needle stick injuries occurred during surgery (26.8%). There was a significant difference in case prevalence of needle stick injury among various job categories (p<0.05). Surgeons appeared to have the highest prevalence (66.7%). Needle stick injuries among health care workers are common and often not reported. These findings underscore the need for ongoing attention to reduce such injuries and to improve reporting systems.

Biography

Email: famadarsareh@yahoo.com