Needle stick and sharps injuries among health care workers in Gondar city, Ethiopia

BackgroundAll employees in health care settings handling needles or other sharps are at risk for needle stick and sharps injuries (NSSIs). Health care workers in under developed countries are at greater risk of infection from blood borne pathogens because of the lack of safety devices and the high prevalence of these pathogens.ObjectivesThe aim of this study was to assess the prevalence of NSSIs and associated factors among health care workers in government health institutions in Gondar city, Ethiopia.MethodsInstitution based cross sectional study was conducted from May–December, 2010. The study included 344 health care workers who were selected from the source population using simple random sampling technique. Data were collected through interviews using structured and pre-tested questionnaire and the collected data were entered and analyzed using SPSS version 16.0.ResultsThe prevalence of NSSIs among health care workers in the preceding 12 months was 106 (30.8%), of which 58 (54.7%) was reported by females. Lack of training on occupational health and safety, working more than 48 h/week, dissatisfaction with work environment and work culture, greater than 10 years of work experience and having low and moderate perception of risk were found to be significantly associated with NSSIs.ConclusionThe study found high prevalence of NSSIs among health care workers. Effective training, ongoing awareness on the risk of hazards, preventive measures such as engineering control, and post-exposure prophylaxis following NSSIs are essential to reduce the risk of such injuries.

► Prevalence of NSSIs were highest in nurses followed by housekeepers.
► Syringe needles followed by catheter were the most common cause of NSSIs.
► Most of the injuries reported during injection and assembling of after use sharps.
► Not having training on health and safety was significantly associated with NSSIs.
► Post-exposure prophylaxis to NSSIs are important in injury reduction.