Common Causes Associated With Occupational Injuries in Iranian Health Care Workers: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis Study

Introduction: Occupational injuries are the most important hazards threatening health care workers (HCWs) and cause contact with infectious agents and the transmission of diseases such as AIDS and hepatitis B and C. This study is a meta-analysis of studies on the common causes of occupational injuries in Iran. Methods: In this meta-analysis, all articles on injuries to HCWs in Iran published on local and international databases during the period 2000-2016 were assessed for eligibility. Using the keywords occupational injury, needle stick injury, healthcare workers, and Iran, searches of local and international databases were conducted. From 60 articles screened, 19 were determined to be relevant and were subsequently analyzed. Results: The results of this meta-analysis showed that needles and injections were the most common causes of occupational injuries in HCWs. The pooled prevalence of needle stick was estimated to be 52.95% (46.05%-59.84%) based on the reports of 19 studies with a total of 8703 participants. The pooled prevalence rate of injections was estimated to be 33.56% (27.43%-37.90%). Conclusions: The results showed that routine activities of HCWs most commonly result in occupational injuries. Given the high prevalence of needles and injections as causes of occupational injuries in Iranian HCWs, more attention and the development of effective strategies to reduce these injuries are necessary.