Premium
Needlestick and sharps injuries among a cross‐section of physicians in Mainland China
Author(s) -
Smith Derek R.,
Wei Ning,
Zhang YiJie,
Wang RuiSheng
Publication year - 2006
Publication title -
american journal of industrial medicine
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.7
H-Index - 104
eISSN - 1097-0274
pISSN - 0271-3586
DOI - 10.1002/ajim.20261
Subject(s) - medicine , family medicine , mainland china , odds ratio , china , epidemiology , political science , law
Background Although needlestick and sharps injuries (NSI) represent a significant occupational hazard for physicians worldwide, their epidemiology has not been previously examined in Mainland China. This study describes the prevalence, distribution, and risk factors for NSI among a cross‐section of Chinese physicians. Methods Data was obtained by an anonymous, self‐reporting survey administered to all 361 physicians at a university teaching hospital, during 2004. Results Seventy‐nine percent of the physicians responded. Among them, 64% had experienced an NSI in the previous 12 months, 50.3% of which involved contaminated devices. By device, 22.8% were caused by hollow‐bore syringe needles, 19.1% by suture needles, and 12.1% by scalpel blades. Surgical procedures accounted for 27.9% of all injuries. Only 15.3% of physicians had officially reported their NSI to management, of which 10% went unreported because the individual felt they were not unlucky enough to get a disease. A statistically significant correlation was demonstrated between NSI and working in the intensive care unit (adjusted odds ratio: 5.3, 95% CI: 1.7–23.4). Conclusions Although this study suggests that NSI are an important workplace hazard for Chinese physicians, future measures should consider the unique cultural beliefs of Chinese people and its effect on preventive behaviors. The concept of ‘luck,’ and its relationship with NSI reporting in particular, may also need to be addressed. Am. J. Ind. Med. © 2006 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.