Stress and Fear of Exposure to Sharps in Nurses

BACKGROUND Injuries caused by sharp objects, which involve biological hazards are considered as one of the most important factors that lead to stress among the nursing staff. Contact with sharp objects is a major concern among healthcare workers, especially nurses. OBJECTIVES This study was done to determine the amount of stress caused by exposure to sharp medical instruments among nurses. MATERIALS AND METHODS This was a cross-sectional research on 527 nurses, working at different medical centers across Iran, with a cluster-sampling method. The relevant data was collected with a valid and reliable questionnaire. The Cronbach's alpha coefficient of internal consistency of this instrument was 0.92 and interclass correlation coefficient was 0.94. RESULTS The results showed that ward satisfaction, having master of science, age, and number of contacts were significantly able to predict variance in stress scores. The adjusted line regression model explained 36% of the overall variance in stress score (R2 = 0.60). CONCLUSIONS The results of this study showed that exposure to sharp objects may cause high stress in the nursing staff. Considering higher levels of stress in the area of contact care, the provisions on how to deal with patients and safe care can help reduce stress.