Students:
Eman Qattawi
Yasmeen Darwish
Anas Qasem
Mohannad Qawasmi
Qasim Swidan
Supervisor:
Miss. Shorooq Qadous
Abstract:
Introduction: Needle stick injuries (NSIs) are serious occupational hazards in the transmission of a variety of blood borne pathogens such as hepatitis B virus, hepatitis C virus, and human immunodeficiency virus (AIDS) among healthcare workers. The hospital is a place of high risk for sharps and needle stick injuries.
Aim: The study aims to assess the prevalence, associated factors and the knowledge about protocols towards needle stick injury among healthcare workers in Nablus Hospitals.
Materials and Methods: A quantitative descriptive cross-sectional study on 351 health care workers (nurses, doctors and cleaners) employed in Nablus Hospitals. Sampling was performed through stratified random sampling. Data gathered through a researcher made questioner.
Results:The results showed that (61.8%) is the prevalence of NSIs among health care workers, it also showed that the highest number of occurrences was among nurses with (57.1%), this means that nurses should be the most aware group in the future. From the health care workers perspective the main cause for the needle stick injuries was work overload, and the most procedure cause needle stick injury was recapping the needles.
Conclusion: The needle stick injuries represent a major occupational challenge to health care workers. The study found high prevalence of needle stick injuries among health care workers, and high percentage of workers didn't know if there is a protocol dealing with NSIs in their hospitals.
Keywords: needle sticks injury, health care workers, blood-borne diseases, knowledge, protocol, associated factors, Nablus, hospitals.
