Risk assessment, prevention, and post-exposure prophylaxis of needle-stick injuries among health-care workers

Abstract

Background: All health-care professionals should be concerned about percutaneous injuries brought on by needle sticks and other sharp objects since they increase the potential of occupational transmission of blood-borne diseases such as hepatitis C, hepatitis B, and human immunodeficiency virus from the patient to the health-care professionals. The causes include several things, such as the type and design of the needle, recapping activity, handling or transferring specimens, colliding with sharps or other health-care workers during clean-up, manipulating needles while working on the patient line, passing/handling devices or failing to dispose of the needle in a puncture-proof container. Aim and Objective: This study aims to evaluate the risk of needle-stick injuries (NSI) among healthcare professionals and their understanding of the condition to give useful information on post-exposure therapy and preventative strategies. Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional study was divided into an incidence study on NSI, and a study on the level of knowledge, risk assessment, prevention, and post-exposure prophylaxis. A total of 211 healthcare workers belonging to a tertiary care hospital participated. Institutional ethical approval was taken before the study. Data were evaluated by using SPSS software for descriptive analysis. Results: The study reveals that staff nurses (n = 65, 30.8%) were at higher risk for NSI followed by laboratory technicians (n = 53, 25.1%). The major causes observed were blood withdrawal (n = 83, 39.3%), followed by suturing (n = 32, 15.2%). Conclusions: It is concluded, that the greatest strategy to prevent numerous illnesses among healthcare professionals is to prevent NSI. It should be a crucial component of workplace prevention programs, and training on safety procedures ought to be a continuous process for all health-care centers. Risk assessments, prevention tactics, and post-exposure prophylaxis guidelines are a must to follow.