| Abstrakt: |
Background: Needle stick injuries (NSIs) pose a significant occupational hazard, exposing healthcare workers to the risk of blood borne infections and other associated health complications. Understanding the prevalence and identifying the contributing risk factors is crucial for developing targeted interventions and enhancing safety protocols to mitigate the incidence of such injuries. Aims & Objectives: •To estimate the prevalence of needle stick injuries among healthcare workers of a tertiary care hospital. •To describe the risk factors associated with occurence of Needle Stick Injury. Materials and Methods: The hospital-based cross-sectional study was conducted at Kanyakumari Government Medical College & Hospital for a period of 2 months (August -- September 2022). The study population comprised 301 individuals, including consultants, postgraduates, interns, nursing students, staff nurses, paramedical workers, technicians, and cleaning staff. Simple random sampling was employed as the sample technique by using Random number table. Informed consent was obtained from the study participants in the regional language after explaining the purpose of study. Institutional Ethical Committee clearance was obtained before data collection. Data was collected using a pre-tested and semi-structured questionnaire, details about devices involved in recent injuries, factors associated with needle stick injuries, types of injuries, duty timings, time of reporting, and actions taken after injuries were obtained and data were entered into MS EXCEL and analyzed using SPSS version 22.0. Results: Paramedical Workers and Staff Nurses constitute the highest percentages of NSIs at 27% and 12%, respectively. The locations where NSIs frequently occur include the Emergency Ward (26%) and Intensive Care (27%). Hypodermic needles are identified as the primary cause (39%), with procedures (38%) and recapping (22%) being the leading activities linked to NSIs. Lack of awareness about the reporting process is identified as a significant reason, with 6.38% of participant were not aware of the reporting procedures. Conclusion: The study not only highlights the prevalence and characteristics of NSIs among healthcare workers but also emphasizes the importance of understanding reporting barriers. The findings to be reported targeted interventions to enhance occupational safety, improvement in reporting practices ultimately contribute to a safer working environment for healthcare professionals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] |
