Affiliations 

  • 1 Sesama Centre Plaza Komanwel, International Medical University, Bukit Jalil, 57000, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, laikah@imu.edu.my
Environ Health Prev Med, 2005 Jan;10(1):33-41.
PMID: 21432161 DOI: 10.1265/ehpm.10.33

Abstract

OBJECTIVES: To determine the prevalence of cases and episodes of needlestick injury among three groups of health care workers in the past one-year, the level of knowledge on blood-borne diseases and universal precautions and the practice of universal precautions. Other factors associated with the occurrence of needlestick injuries and the reporting of needlestick injuries were also analysed.

METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted in May 2003 to study the needlestick injuries among 285 health care workers (doctors, nurses, medical students) in a public teaching hospital in Negeri Sembilan, Malaysia.

RESULTS: The prevalence of needlestick injuries among the respondents was 24.6% involving 71 cases i.e. 48.0% among doctors, 22.4% among medical students, and 18.7% among nurses and the difference was statistically significant (p<0.001). There were a total of 174 episodes of needlestick injury. Prevalence of episode of needlestick injuries was highest among doctors (146%), followed by nurses (50.7%) and medical students (29.4%). Cases of needlestick injuries attained lower scores on practice of universal precautions compared to non-cases (p<0.001). About 59% of cases of needlestick injury did not report their injuries.

CONCLUSIONS: The study showed that needlestick injuries pose a high risk to health care workers and it is underreported most of the time. Many needlestick injuries can be prevented by strictly following the practice of universal precautions.

Study site: Hospital Tunku Ja'afar, Seremban

* Title and MeSH Headings from MEDLINE®/PubMed®, a database of the U.S. National Library of Medicine.