Occupational Exposures to Needle stick and Sharp Injury and Blood/Body Fluid Splash and Determinants Among Health Care Workers at Selected Hospitals In Addis Ababa
No Thumbnail Available
Date
2019-09
Authors
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Addis Abeba University
Abstract
Background: Needlestick injuries, sharps injuries, and blood/body fluid splash are
hazards to health care professionals in their working area. Around twenty bloodborne
pathogens are known to be transmitted through these occupational injuries. This problem
alters the health status of health care professionals (HCPs) in different ways, including
physically, mentally, and psychologically. Even though HCPs are affected at a high rate,
there is a low injury report to a higher level.
Objective: To assess the prevalence of occupational exposure to needlestick injuries,
Sharp injuries, and body fluid splash with their determinants among health care
professionals of governmental hospitals in Addis Ababa.
Methods: Institution based cross-sectional study was conducted by self-administered
questionnaire among health care professionals in six selected hospitals. Data was collected
from March 2019 to April 2019, with the study sample size of 438. Six government
hospitals selected via simple random sampling (lottery method) from twelve hospitals.
Data were gathered using a self-administered questionnaire. SPSS version 25 used for data
analysis. The type of analysis was bivariate and multivariate logistic regression with 95%
confidence interval.
Results: Overall, one-year burden of occupational exposure to Needle stick injury (NSI),
Sharp injury (SI), and Blood and body fluid splashes (BBFs) were 141 (33.3%), 90
(21.2%) and 198 (46.7%) respectively. Maximum occurrence of NSI, SI, or BBFs reported
from Emergency 104(36.4%) and Inpatient departments 101(35.3%). Higher exposure of
NSI, SI and BBFs were reported by nurses, 58.2%, 62.2%, and 54.6% respectively, while
midwifery professionals had twelve times more possible exposure of BBFs (AOR 11.89
95% CI 1.25-112.7) compared to Physicians, Nurses, Health officers, and Laboratory
Technicians. Study participants who had not training on infection prevention and safety
practice were positively associated to NSI (AOR 3.4, 95% CI 1.5-7.5), SI (AOR 3.02, 95%
CI 1.17-7.73) and BBFs (AOR 4.27, 95% CI 1.94-9.41). The likelihood of reporting NSI
(AOR 2.6, 95% CI 1.3-5.3) and SI (AOR 3.97, 95% CI 1.86-8.47) significantly increased
among single in marital status. Participants who had job-related stress were two times more
likely encountered to NSI, SI, and BBFs, (AOR 2.23, 95% CI 1.14-4.35), (AOR 2.07, 95%
CI 1.033-4.15) and (AOR 2.18, 95% CI 1.07-4.49), respectively.
Respondents who dissatisfied on their job were nearly three times more likely to sustain
NSI and SI (AOR 2.85, 95% CI 1.4-5.8) and (AOR 2.36, 95% CI 1.11- 4.99) respectively.
HCPs who worked in shift were twice likely to expose to BBFs (AOR 2.36, 95% CI 1.0345.4).
Conclusion and recommendation: The burden of needlestick injuries, sharps injuries,
and blood/body fluid splash were high. Unsafe practice and not applying universal
precautions were also considerably high. Formal training on infection prevention and
safety practice and continuous supportive monitoring to health care professionals from the
concerned bodies is recommended to prevent prevalent occupational exposures to
needlestick, sharps injuries, and blood/body fluid splash.
Description
Keywords
Needlestick injury, Sharps injury, Blood/body fluid splash, Health care professional