Magnitude and determinants of underreporting needlestick injuries among healthcare workers in a tertiary care hospital.

Abstract

Background: Needlestick injuries (NSIs) among healthcare workers (HCWs) represent a major occupational risk. While the underreporting of NSI is well-acknowledged, there are limited data on its magnitude. The objective was to estimate the incidence of NSIs and the degree of underreporting among HCWs and their influencing factors.

Methods: A cross-sectional study was carried out at a large tertiary care hospital. The study targeted clinical HCWs who were directly involved in patient care in different departments/units. Non-clinical HCWs and students/trainees were excluded. Data were collected using a structured online questionnaire that includes HCWs characteristics and injury information.

Results: A total of 529 HCWs were included. The mean age of HCWs was 35.0 ± 8.6 years. Most HCWs were females (76.6 %), nurses (69.8 %), and non-Saudi (61.9 %). A total of 158 (29.8 %) HCWs had at least one NSI event sometime during healthcare service, including 28 (5.3 %) during the last year. NSIs were highest in dental clinics (44.4 %), followed by surgical wards (38.8 %), ICUs (34.1 %), emergency unit (21.4 %), and non-surgical wards (18.2 %, p = 0.007). Out of those who had NSIs, 18.4 % did not report their event. Non-reporting was highest among physician and other HCWs (38.5 % each), followed by dentists (27.3 %), and lastly nurses (10.2 %). Additionally, non-reporting NSIs was significantly higher among Saudi HCWs and those who were unaware about protocol and methods of NSIs reporting.

Conclusion: The findings show a considerable underreporting of NSIs, especially among non-nursing professions. There is an urgent need to implement strategies that promote reporting practices, including awareness campaigns and efficient reporting systems.