Risk Management and Healthcare Policy (Nov 2023)
Needlestick and Sharps Injuries Among Healthcare Workers at a Tertiary Care Hospital: A Retrospective Single-Center Study
Abstract
Rahma Yusuf Haji Mohamud,1 Nur Adam Mohamed,2 Ahmet Doğan,3 Fartun Mohamed Hilowle,1 Suad Abdikarim Isse,4 Mohamed Yaqub Hassan,5 Ifrah Adan Hilowle1 1Department of Education, Mogadishu Somalia Turkey Recep Tayyip Erdogan Research and Training Hospital, Mogadishu, Somalia; 2Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Mogadishu Somalia Turkey Recep Tayyip Erdogan Research and Training Hospital, Mogadishu, Somalia; 3Department of Infectious Diseases and Clinical Microbiology, Mogadishu Somalia Turkey Recep Tayyip Erdogan Research and Training Hospital, Mogadishu, Somalia; 4Hospital Infection Control Committee Nursing, Mogadishu Somalia Turkey Recep Tayyip Erdogan Research and Training Hospital, Mogadishu, Somalia; 5Department Pediatric, Mogadishu Somalia Turkey Recep Tayyip Erdogan Research and Training Hospital, Mogadishu, SomaliaCorrespondence: Rahma Yusuf Haji Mohamud, Department of Education, Mogadishu Somalia Turkey Recep Tayyip Erdogan Research and Training Hospital, Mogadishu, Somalia, Email [email protected]: Healthcare workers are still at risk from needlesticks and sharps injuries, which can expose them to blood-borne diseases like hepatitis B, hepatitis C, and HIV. We aimed to investigate the proportion of needlesticks and sharps injuries among healthcare workers in a tertiary care hospital in Somalia and also evaluate associated risk factors.Materials and Methods: This retrospective study was conducted at the Mogadishu Somalia Turkey Recep Tayyip Erdogan Training and Research Hospital. The data was retrieved from the hospital record of the infection prevention and control department over a six-year period between 2017 and 2022.Results: There were a total of 233 needlestick and sharps injury incidents. The highest number of needlestick and sharps injury cases were reported among nurses (52.4%), followed by cleaners (22.3%), physicians (18.5%), and technicians (6.9%) during the six-year period. Operation theaters were the most frequent place (21.9%) where injuries happened, followed by inpatient care (17.6%) and emergency rooms (16.7%). The most commonly reported instrument that resulted in injuries was a hypodermic needle (81.1%). About 24.9% of the needles or sharps devices that caused needlestick and sharps injury cases were contaminated with hepatitis B. There was a significant difference between gender and place of injury for needlestick and sharps injuries (P=0.001).Conclusion: Healthcare professionals around the world continue to face major health risks from needle stick and sharps injuries. The present study found that 8.6%of healthcare workers sustained a needle stick and sharps injuries incident in the past year. According to our findings, healthcare institutions need to regularly teach healthcare professionals, especially nurses and cleaners about the significance of needle stick and sharps injuries.Keywords: needle stick, sharps injuries, healthcare workers, occupational hazards, Somalia
