Open AccessMental Health of Healthcare Workers who Experience Needlestick and Sharps Injuries
Author(s) -
Sohn JangWook,
Kim ByoungGwon,
Kim SooHyun,
Han Changsu
Publication year - 2006
Publication title -
journal of occupational health
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.664
H-Index - 59
ISSN - 1348-9585
DOI - 10.1539/joh.48.474
Subject(s) - medicine , anxiety , needlestick injury , depression (economics) , beck anxiety inventory , mental health , health care , beck depression inventory , psychiatry , family medicine , human immunodeficiency virus (hiv) , economics , macroeconomics , economic growth
Mental Health of Healthcare Workers who Experience Needlestick and Sharps Injuries: Jang‐Wook Sohn, et al . Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Internal Medicine, College of Medicine, Korea University, Korea —Healthcare workers (HCWs) are exposed daily to the risk of injury by needlesticks and other medical instruments. However, the psychiatric impacts of such injuries have not been evaluated. The aim of this study was to evaluate the mental health status of HCWs with experiences of needlestick and sharps injuries. A cross‐sectional written survey was performed. The psychological symptoms before injury and current status were measured using the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), Hamilton Anxiety Scale (HAM‐A) and Perceived Stress Scale (PSS). The proportions of HCWs with and without needlestick and sharps injuries were 71.1% ( n =263) and 28.9% ( n =107), respectively. HAM‐A and BDI scores were significantly higher among HCWs with injury experiences ( p <0.01). HCWs with injury experiences exhibited higher PSS and BDI scores after the injury and higher levels of anxiety and depression. Particular attention should be directed towards the psychological consequences of needlestick and sharps injuries in HCWs.