A cross-sectional study of the Prevalence of needle stick and its related factors Among the staff of Kowsar Hospital in Semnan during 2014-2018

Injuries caused by sharp tools are one of the most important biological risks for hospital employees, leading to dangerous physical and psychological consequences. The present study aimed to determine the prevalence of needle sticks and investigate their related factors among the staff of Kowsar Hospital in Semnan.

In this cross-sectional study, all hospital employees who suffered from needle sticks during 2014-2018 were examined. The data collection tool was a checklist, including demographic variables, occupation, type of accident, and measures taken after the needle stick, part of which was collected from the personnel file in the infection control office, and another part was collected through interviews. After collecting the relevant data, they were entered into SPSS software (version 26) and subjected to statistical analysis.

A total of 194 cases of needle sticks occurred, with a prevalence of 23.7%. The mean age of the investigated subjects was 34.57±9.41 years, and 41.2% of cases were in the age group of above 35 years. Moreover, 68% of them were women, 60.3% of subjects worked the morning shift, and most cases of needle sticks occurred in employees with less than five years of work experience (47.9%). Most cases of needle stick (60.3%) were related to employees with bachelor's education and nursing jobs (38.7%). In addition, the highest rate of needle sticks was related to the operating room (28.9%), and insertion of the injection needle into the hand (76.8%) was the most common incident of needle stick, and washing with soap and water (95.4%) was the most common procedure performed after needle stick.

Considering the relatively high prevalence of needle sticks among the medical staff, hospital officials should take into consideration vaccination and reporting systems while teaching proper prevention methods by creating a safe environment and trying to improve it.