An Investigation into Occupational Hazards Faced by Nurses in Paediatrics Hospitals of Tehran University of Medical Sciences, 2006-2009

Backgroundinjuries resulting from sharp and cutting objects and exposure to patients’ blood and other body fluidsare considered as one of the most important occupational hazards facing health care personnel dueto exposure to blood-borne viruses such as hepatitis b and c and hiv. the aim of this study is toinvestigate occupational hazards that involve safe handling of sharp and penetrating objects by nursingstaff working in paediatrics hospitals of tehran university of medical sciences (2006–2009).methodsin this descriptive study, nursing personnel employed at the paediatrics hospitals of tehran universityof medical sciences were selected. data were collected through a self-administered questionnairecontaining two parts; part one was related to demographic information and part two focussed ondetails of injurious incidents. the collected data were analyzed using spss software, version 16.resultsthe study population reported 134 needle stick injuries(134hcws exposure group, 380 hcw1s notexposure group). the incidence rate of nsi was 26.07% (8.17% per year). in most cases, needles(40.3%) and vein catheters (28.36%) were accounted for injuries. iv access (31.33%) and recapping ofneedles (20.9%) were most common action resulted to exposure. there was no statistically significantdifference in demographic variables except in work experience between two groups.conclusionbased on the findings of this study, the incidence rate of nsi among hcws working in paediatricswards was less than those of other studies in different countries. this might be related to inadequatereporting, and also our results emphasize the importance of training and education of nursing personnelfor reporting needle stick injuries.