P-57 An Assessment of the Frequency and Knowledge towards Needlestick injury among Health Care Workers in the Emergency Medicine Division of the University Hospital of the West Indies: Does educationa
Author(s):
T Johnson-Hylton, K Pate Robinson, S East-Miles, J Williams-Johnson
Type Of Study:
- Experimental or Intervention Study
Year of Presentation:
2023
Objective: Healthcare workers are at risk for occupational exposure to blood-borne infections from accidental needlestick injuries (NSIs). This study aims to assess the overall frequency and knowledge of needlestick injury (NSI) among healthcare workers in the Emergency Department (ED) at the University Hospital of the West Indies.
Methods: This was a prospective interventional study, which was conducted at the University Hospital of the West Indies from January 1, 2019, to March 31, 2019. There were 128 study participants. The data was analyzed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences version 20.0. The Chisquare test and McNemar’s test were utilized in the data analysis.
Results: 29.7% of the study population had experienced an NSI during their careers in the emergency room. Doctors accounted for 57.9% of all NSIs in the study population. The rates of reporting of NSIs were 40.9% amongst doctors, 50% in ancillary staff, and 100% in certified emergency nurses, registered nurses, emergency room technicians, and phlebotomists.
Conclusion: The overall frequency of NSIs was 29.7%, with doctors being the category of healthcare workers with the majority. Most of the participants who attended the educational session stated that it was beneficial; however, there were inconsistencies in the improvement in knowledge.