Incidence of Needle Stick Injuries and Behavior After Injuries Among Nurses in Sulaimani Hospitals

Abstract

Background: Needle-stick injuries cause occupational health and safety challenges for healthcare workers on a global scale. Needle-stick injuries can potentially expose individuals to dangerous blood-borne pathogens. Objectives: To determine the prevalence of needle stick injuries and their main causes, as well as the nurse’s behavior after being injured by needle stick injuries. Methods: A self-reported cross-sectional study was conducted in Sulaimani city governmental and non-governmental tertiary hospitals in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq. The data was collected by constructing a questionnaire form from 300 nurses who provide medical care by non-probability convenience sampling from October 1, 2022, to March 1, 2023. Results: 74.3% of the 223 nurses who participated in the study experienced needle stick injuries. The needle syringe (88.7%) was the most common tool involved. The sterilization of wound area 48.9% was the number-ranked action of the nurses after injury, followed by pushing the injured area 28.4% to drain blood. Most of the nurses did not receive post-injury prophylaxes (57.4%) or send their blood to additional tests (73.1%). Conclusions: Syringe needles were a major cause of the needle sticks, which injured three out of four participants. Additionally, the nurses' top priority after receiving a needle stick was to sterilize the exposed portion of the wounds.