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CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 · J Lab Physicians 2021; 13(04): 323-327
DOI: 10.1055/s-0041-1731135
Original Article

Occupational Sharp Injury and Splash Exposure among Healthcare Workers in a Tertiary Hospital

Roshan Mathew
1   Department of Emergency Medicine, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, India
,
Ritin Mohindra
2   Department of Internal Medicine, Postgraduate Institute of Medical Research, Chandigarh, India
,
Ankit Sahu
1   Department of Emergency Medicine, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, India
,
Rachana Bhat
3   Department of Emergency Medicine, Kasturba Medical College, Manipal, India
,
Akshaya Ramaswami
1   Department of Emergency Medicine, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, India
,
Praveen Aggarwal
1   Department of Emergency Medicine, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, India
› Author Affiliations Funding None.
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Abstract

Background Occupational hazards like sharp injury and splash exposure (SISE) are frequently encountered in health-care settings. The adoption of standard precautions by healthcare workers (HCWs) has led to significant reduction in the incidence of such injuries, still SISE continues to pose a serious threat to certain groups of HCWs.

Materials and Methods This was a retrospective study which examined the available records of all patients from January 2015 to August 2019 who self-reported to our emergency department with history of sharp injury and/or splash exposure. Details of the patients, mechanism of injury, the circumstances leading to the injury, status of the source (hepatitis B surface antigen, human immunodeficiency virus, and hepatitis C virus antibody status), and the postexposure prophylaxis given were recorded and analyzed. Data were represented in frequency and percentages.

Results During the defined period, a total of 834 HCWs reported with SISE, out of which 44.6% were doctors. Majority of the patients have SISE while performing medical procedures on patients (49.5%), while 19.2% were exposed during segregation of waste. The frequency of needle stick injury during cannulation, sampling, and recapping of needle were higher in emergency department than in wards. More than 80% of HCWs received hepatitis B vaccine and immunoglobulin postexposure.

Conclusion There is need for periodical briefings on practices of sharp handling as well as re-emphasizing the use of personal protective equipment while performing procedures.

Keywords

needle stick injury - healthcare workers - occupational hazards - postexposure prophylaxis


Publication History

Article published online:
02 July 2021

© 2021. The Indian Association of Laboratory Physicians. This is an open access article published by Thieme under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonDerivative-NonCommercial-License, permitting copying and reproduction so long as the original work is given appropriate credit. Contents may not be used for commercial purposes, or adapted, remixed, transformed or built upon. (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).

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