Evaluation of needle stick injuries among nurses of Khanevadeh Hospital in Tehran

BACKGROUND: Accidental needle-stick injuries (NSIs) are a hazard for health-care workers and general public health. Nursing workers are at high risk for occupational exposure to blood-borne pathogens (such as HBV, HCV and HIV) via sharp injuries of needle stick. METHODS: This descriptive analytical cross-sectional study was done on 158 nursing workers of Khanevadeh Hospital in Tehran to assess needle stick injuries prevalence and related factors via a questionnaire in 2008. Data were processed through SPSS16.0 software using Pearson's correlation coefficient, chi-square, independent t, and Fisher exact tests. RESULTS: About 40.5% of all participants were men and 59.5% were women. Mean age was 33.26 (8.03) years; 56.96% of participants had history of at least one needle stick injury and 22.15% of them had needle stick injury during last year. Injections were the most common action resulted to exposure (24.44%) and recapping of needles was at the second order (21.11%). Operation room had the highest prevalence (18.9%) of needle stick injuries among all wards of hospital. Emergency ward and ICU were next orders (15.6%). Exposed people believed that the most important and basic reason for needle stick injuries was patients crowdedness and hospital chaos (37.8%). There was no relation between ages, gender, years of professional life, education level and needle stick injuries but men used latex gloves less than women and did recapping needles more than them. CONCLUSIONS: The needle-stick injuries in nursing workers of Khanevadeh hospital (Tehran) were significantly less than other similar studies in Iran.