Frequency of and prevention measures for needle-stick injuries among hospital healthcare workers in Saudi Arabia.

Abstract

This study was undertaken to determine the frequency of needle-stick injuries among healthcare workers in hospitals in the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia from 1995 to 1997, and to gather information about the measures these hospitals are taking to protect their employees against these injuries. Precautionary measures taken to protect healthcare workers from injury and the follow-up after injuries were surveyed. The total overall prevalence rate of needle-stick injuries was significantly lower among healthcare workers in governmental hospitals than among those in private hospitals. The extremely low prevalence rate of needle-stick injuries indicated that there were serious defects in the reporting systems of the hospitals studied. All hospitals should have a mandatory, clear, and unified policy to help reduce the number of needle-stick injuries. Hospitals must adopt a policy to ensure that precautions are taken to reduce healthcare workers' accidental exposures to potentially infected blood.