Needlestick injury among medical personnel in Accident and Emergency Department of two teaching hospitals

Needlestick injury has been recognized as one of the occupational hazards which results in transmission of bloodborne pathogens. A cross-sectional study was carried out among 136 health care workers in the Accident and Emergency Department of two teaching hospitals from August to November 2003 to determine the prevalence of cases and episodes of needlestick injury. In addition, this study also assessed the level of knowledge of blood-borne diseases and Universal Precautions, risk perception on the practice of Universal Precautions and to find out factors contributing to needlestick injury. Prevalence of needlestick injury among the health care workers in the two hospitals were found to be 31.6% (N = 43) and 52.9% (N = 87) respectively. Among different job categories, medical assistants appeared to face the highest risk of needlestick injury. Factors associated with needlestick injury included shorter tenure in one's job (p < 0.05). Findings of this study support the hypothesis that health care workers are at risk of needlestick injury while performing procedures on patients. Therefore, comprehensive infection control strategies should be applied to effectively reduce the risk of needlestick injury.