Knowledge of nurses about safety measures during the use of injections in public hospitals in Pakistan

Abstract

Aim: Injection safety has over the years become important in view of the many diseases that are transmitted through unsafe injection practices. The objective was to assess the knowledge and practice of injection safety by nurses in Tertiary Care Hospitals (Bolan Medical Complex, Sandmen Provincial Hospital, and Fatima Jinnah Chest and General Hospital) in Quetta City, Pakistan. Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study was carried out. A structured questionnaire was the tool for data collection. All the nurses (358) who gave their consent in the Tertiary care hospitals were studied. Data were analyzed using SPSS version 16. The study was conducted from January 2023 till August 2023, it took eight months to complete. Results: The mean age of the respondents was 28.84 ± 8.6 years. The knowledge of injection safety among the respondents was adequate (84.6%) while their safety practice was found to be good (68.2%). Knowledge was significantly influenced by the age, sex, and years of experience of the nurses. One hundred and twelve (31.0%) detached needles and two hundred and sixty-two (73%) respondents recap the used needles regularly and sometimes respectively. Conclusion: This study showed that the knowledge of injection safety was encouraging among the nurses in Tertiary care hospitals of Quetta City but their practice of injection safety was adequate. There is a need for these hospitals to organize regular training workshops and symposia.