Occupational Safety Strategies for controlling and Management of Needle Stick Injuries among Nurses at Student University Hospital

Abstract

Occupational exposure to blood born pathogens from needle sticks injuries (NSIs) is serious problem. NSIs are primarily associated with occupational transmission of hepatitis B virus (HBV), hepatitis C virus (HCV), and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). This highlights the necessity for application of occupational safety strategies for controlling and management of needles stick injuries .Aim of the study: to identify the effect of application of occupational safety strategies for controlling and management of needle stick injuries on nurses. Study design: Aquazi experimental study design. Setting: this study was carried out in student university hospital affiliated to Tanta University Hospitals. Sample: All nurses in direct contact with the patients, having no training course on infection control were involved in this study (280 nurses) they were divided to study and control groups each group contain 140 nurses. Tools of the study: Three tools were used. Tool (1): Structured questionnaire. It was developed to assess the sociodemographic data and knowledge of nurses regarding NSI. Tool II: Observational checklist was developed to assess safe work practices for preventing NSI among nurses. Tool I1I: WHO NSIs prevention assessment tool (2005) for health care facilities to assess the hospital supplies. Result: The majority of the study and control groups (93.6%, 94.3% respectively) had previous exposure to NSI. There was significant improvement in the total score of knowledge and performance of the study group about occupational safety for controlling and management of NSIs. immediately and 3 months after the program application. There was significant positive correlation between knowledge and performance immediately and three months after strategy application. Conclusion: - the strategy was effective in improving nurses' knowledge and practices regarding NSIs prevention. Recommendations: each health facility needs to establish occupational health and safety clinic, provide health care facilities with adequate supplies and safety devices to prevent NSI, establish in service training and educational center for hospital staff and development of reporting and analysis system for managing of occupational exposure to NSIs.