Needlestick injuries among health care workers in Ondo State, Nigeria

Introduction: Health care workers (HCWs) are at risk of needlestick injuries (NSIs) due to the environment in which they work. Prevention is associated with the combination of availability of special retractable needle syringes, safety boxes, educational intervention, as well as supporting policy. This report is a part of a larger study which assessed the level of multifocused intervention for NSI and prevalence of NSIs among HCWs in State Specialist Hospitals, Ondo State of Nigeria. Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted among 642 HCWs comprising doctors, nurses, laboratory workers, and health attendants in selected hospitals. The study utilized structured questionnaire to assess experiences of NSIs, associated activities with injury and documentation. Results: Five hundred and twenty questionnaires retrieved were adequate for analysis NSIs were reported by 290 (55.8%) of the HCWs made up of 77.6% doctors, 68.3% nurses, 51.4% laboratory workers, and 30.0% health attendants. Syringe needles were responsible for 68.5% of all injuries. Activities associated with most injuries were the administration of intramuscular injections (52.4%). About half (51.4%) of injuries occurred during use while 23.4% of injuries were disposal related. Ninety-three (32.1%) of the devices causing injury had been previously used. Only 25% of those injured reported the injury to appropriate authority. Conclusion: These findings implicate the need for a multifocused intervention to disabuse reuse of devices and encourage reporting of injuries.