Factors Affecting Occurrence of Needle Stick Injuries Among the Health Workers at International Hospital Kampala.

Abstract

Introduction: An epidemiological study by WHO(2010) indicated that a person who experiences one needle stick injury from a needle used on an infected source patient had risks of 30%, 1.8%, and 0.3% respectively to become infected with HBV, HCV and HIV. In 2012, International Hospital Kampala had a total of nigh-teen needle stick injuries according to the records of the infection control management. If the above situation is not dealt with, transmission of infectious diseases through needle stick injuries will continue hence increasing the prevalence of these diseases among health workers in International Hospital Kampala. General objective: This study intended to investigate the factors affecting the occurrence of needle stick injuries among health workers in International Hospital Kampala. Methodology: The study was carried out on 113 participants in International Hospital Kampala. A cross-sectional descriptive study design was used together with a non-probability sampling technique. A questionnaire was used to collect data from the participants who were asked about their demographics, prevalence, knowledge level, practices, and health facility factors affecting the occurrence of needle stick injuries (NSIs). The data collected was analyzed using SPSS and the results presented in tables and figures. Results: From the results obtained,majority, 67/113(59.29%) of the health workers in IHK had experienced NSIs. Re-capping needle sticks was one of the risks factors noted to be associated with NSIs in this study(X²=25.58, P=0.00). The results showed that most of the respondents mentioned both HIV and Hepatitis as some of the diseases that are obtained from NSIs (X²=6.45, P=0.04). Majority of the respondents knew how to prevent NSIs and they mentioned proper disposal of needle sticks as what they do to prevent such injuries. Knowing how to prevent NSIs was significantly associated with occurrence of these injuries (X²=4.49, P=0.03). In this study, provision of safety boxes to ensure proper disposable methods was significantly associated with occurrence of NSIs(X²=9.34, P=0.01). On analysis, the results showed that majority of the respondents had 1-5 trainings about NSIs. There was a significant relationship between the number of trainings and occurrence of NSIs(X²=7.80, P=0.02). Conclusions: It was found out that the prevalence of NSIs in IHK was high compared to the expectations of WHO which emphasizes that health workers should be protected from such injuries because they expose them to the risk of acquiring infections like HIV and Hepatitis. Recommendations: The hospital should sensitize its workers about the effects of NSIs and encourage them to protect themselves and avoid such injuries because they expose them to risks of infection.