Injection Practices Among Health Care Workers and Risk Factor for Hepatitis B Virus in A Governmental Hospital
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- Category: Vol. 80, December 2012
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Injection Practices Among Health Care Workers and Risk Factor for Hepatitis B Virus in A Governmental Hospital,ABEER ARAFA and MIE A. MOHAMMED
Abstract
World Health Organization estimates that 1 in 10 health care workers worldwide sustain a needle stick injury each year.
The total number of randomly selected group was 50 nurses and 30 laboratory technicians aged between17 to 49 years, working at Mubarak Hospital. WHO had sustained at least 1 needle stick injury in the previous 12 months.
A structured questionnaire was used to collect individual socio-demographic characteristics, circumstances of most recent needle stick injury among the studied group. The serologic markers tested done were: Hepatitis B surface antigen, Hepatitis B surface antibody and total hepatitis B core antibody.
Result: The syringe needle is the major cause of needle stick injuries (45.7%), followed by blood collection (16.3%), followed by winged butterfly (15%), then hypodermic needle and suture needle (12.5%) for each of them.
15% of all participants did not have any of the markers and thus classified as susceptible to infection. About 22.5% were positive for anti-HBs and anti-HBc, an indication that they were immune to HBV infection following a natural infection while only 15% were immune following vaccination. Current HBV infection (HBsAg positive and anti-HBc positive) was present in 17.5% of respondents. Overall, 30% of respon-dents were classified as indeterminate because they had a positive anti-HBc result and were negative for HBsAg and anti-HBs.
Conclusion: High rate of needle-stick injuries were among health care workers working in Mubarak Hospital. Young age and recapping of needle were identified as risk factors for needle stick injuries. Also we found that the prevalence of exposure to hepatitis B virus infection was high. Yet only a small percentage of HCW were vaccinated.