Prevalence and Response to Needle Stick Injuries

Aim: To study the prevalence and response to needle-stick injuries in a tertiary care hospital. Study design: Cross-sectional Place duration of study: Dept. Gen. Surgery, Hayatabad Medical Complex Peshawar from 01-06-2020 30-06-2022. Methodology: One hundred ninety three healthcare workers were recruited, including doctors, medical students, nurses, student nurses paramedics. Results: There 60(31.1%) reported needle stick injury. Majority 51(85%) occurred during contact with patients who assessed as not high-risk 9(15%) when exposed patients. Most responders 49(81.7%) that injury was self-inflicted 11(18.3%) it caused by someone else. About 45(75%) hollow bore 15(25%) solid needle. at bedside 50(83.4%), 8(13.4%) operating theatre 2(3.4%) other locations. Conclusion: Needle is significant cause physical psychological morbidity among personnel. Proper training strict protocol for following standard precaution can minimize its incidence. improve reporting procedures could be simplified. Keywords: Needle, injury, health professional