Open AccessPrevalence of occupational exposure to needle‐stick injury and associated factors among healthcare workers of developing countries: Systematic review
Author(s) -
Mengistu Dechasa Adare,
Tolera Sina Temesgen
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
journal of occupational health
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.664
H-Index - 59
ISSN - 1348-9585
DOI - 10.1002/1348-9585.12179
Subject(s) - cinahl , scopus , medicine , workload , medline , universal precautions , health care , developing country , personal protective equipment , family medicine , human immunodeficiency virus (hiv) , environmental health , nursing , psychological intervention , pathology , covid-19 , economics , economic growth , disease , political science , computer science , infectious disease (medical specialty) , law , operating system
Background Healthcare workers are at high risk of infection from blood‐borne pathogens, such as Hepatitis B and C Virus, and Human Immunodeficiency. Occupational exposure to needle‐stick injuries (NSIs) continue to have a major health problem in the healthcare systems of developing countries. Thus, this review article aimed to provide the evidence on the prevalence of NSI and associated factors among healthcare workers of developing countries. Methods The studies published from 2012 to 2019 were identified through systematic searches of electronic databases such as PubMed, Google Scholar, CINAHL, MEDLINE, Scopus, Med Nar, and Science Direct. The MeSH terms and/or keywords was used in conjunction with “AND” or “OR” (Boolean logic operators). All identified keywords and an index terms were checked across the included databases. Assessment and evaluation were taken to confirm the quality and relevance of the included articles, followed by extraction and analysis of data. Result Overall, 2021 articles were identified using specified search terms from the initial searches of the literature (2012‐2019). A total of 13 articles met eligibility criteria were included in the review. Among 6513 participants, 1009 and 2201 participants involved to determine 1‐year and throughout career prevalence, respectively. The prevalence of NSI ranged from 19.9% to 54.0% with an overall prevalence of 35.7% and 38.5 to 100% with an overall prevalence of 64.1% in the previous 1 year and throughout career, respectively. Sex, workload, needle recapping, overuse of injection, and practice of universal precautions, training, occupation, working experience, and personal protective equipment were among the factors associated with the prevalence of NSIs in developing countries. Conclusion The review indicated that NSIs have been identified as one of the most serious issues that affect the health and well‐being of healthcare workers in the majority of healthcare systems of developing countries. There is a need to apply safety practices or other measures to reduce the risk of NSIs.