Needle Stick and Sharps Injuries among Healthcare Workers in an Oncology Setting: A Retrospective Seven-Year Study

Abstract

Abstract Needle-stick injuries (NSSIs) are one of the most common occupational hazards that need to be addressed among healthcare workers (HCWs) around the world, and they are one of the most common sources of infection such as hepatitis B virus (HBV), the hepatitis C virus (HCV), and the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). This study aimed to determine the prevalence and factors related to NSSIs and to assess related safety measures among different categories of healthcare workers at King Hussein Cancer Center (KHCC), Amman, Jordan. This retrospective study using chart review was conducted at King Hussein Cancer Center, Jordan, Amman. This study targeted all healthcare worker who work in KHCC and got injured and report a NSSI within the period of 2015–2021. Data were obtained from the employee clinic as they received the needle-stick incident reports from the staff. Results showed that a total of 355 NSSIs were included in this study. Distribution of male and female was (n = 164, 46.2% and n = 191, 53.8% respectively). Majority of these injuries (61.6%) occurred during the day shift, while 38.4% of it occurred during the night shift. The rate of needle stick per 100 occupied hospital beds was ranged between 14.6% and 28.2%, with a maximum rate in 2019 (28.2%) of all reported incidents during the study period. Nurses were encountered as the most affected job category (n = 220, 62%), followed by housekeeping staff (n = 58, 16.3%) and the physicians (n = 45, 12.6%). Surgical floor (n = 65, 18.3%) was the most common place of occurrence of NSSIs, followed by Operating Room (OR) (n = 56, 15.7%), then Emergency Room (ER) (n = 37, 10.4%) and intensive care units (ICU) (n = 33, 9.3%). It was found that NSSIs occurred most frequently during blood collection (n = 94, 26.5%), followed by waste collection (n = 65, 18.3%) and during putting needles into the sharps box (n = 58, 16.3%).it was found that fingers (n = 216, 60.8%) and hand/palm (n = 117, 32.9%) are the most affected body parts. Incidents during use of the sharp item (n = 191, 53.8%) and while disposing (n = 65, 18.3%) were the most common. On the basis of work experience, NSSIs were more common in the early years of employment (less than 2 years’ experience). This research can help uncover potential risk factors and gaps in KHCC's existing preventative initiatives, as well as serve as a blueprint for future changes in preventive medicine and public health policies.