Needle-stick and Sharp Injuries (NSIs) among Health Care Workers: A Cross Sectional Study in a Tertiary Health Care Institution of Kolkata, India

Dr. Supantha Chatterjee; Dr. Sukesh Das

Volume : IX, Issue : I, January - 2020

Needle-stick and Sharp Injuries (NSIs) among Health Care Workers: A Cross Sectional Study in a Tertiary Health Care Institution of Kolkata, India

Dr. Supantha Chatterjee, Dr. Sukesh Das

Abstract :

Background: NSI is an important but preventable occupational hazard among Health care workers (HCWs) all over the world. Objective: To assess prevalence of NSIs and related knowledge and practices among HCWs of a tertiary health care institution. Methods: It was an institution based, cross sectional study done among junior doctors (interns and house staffs) and nurses in a tertiary health care institution of Kolkata. Complete enumeration was done and sample size was 215. A self–administered questionnaire was used to collect data. Results: The prevalence of NSIs was 22.3%, more among junior doctors compared to nurses (28.3% vs. 11.7%), majority experiencing 1–3 incidents in last 3 months. Recapping of needle was the most common activity leading to NSIs (56.3%). Only 14.6% reported their NSIs to their authority. 64.2% of the study subjects were vaccinated against Hepatitis B. The study subjects had fair knowledge about the diseases transmitted by NSIs, but their practice on post exposure prophylaxis (PEP) was poor. Heavy workload, fatigue, lack of protective measures and inadequate training contributed to NSIs, as they reported. Conclusion: Greater awareness and willingness to adhere to the designed protocols for sharps management among HCWs are urgently needed to prevent this problem.