Sharps Injuries Among Emergency Department Nurses in One Tertiary Care Hospital in Ghana

Details

• Personal Author:
  Krueger A ; Lori JR ; McCullagh MC ; Oteng R
• Description:
  Exposure to bloodborne pathogens is the most serious occupational health risk encountered within the healthcare profession worldwide. The World Health Organization estimates that 3 million healthcare workers experience percutaneous injuries each year. The objectives of this study were to: (1) examine the frequency of sharps injuries, and (2) assess the adequacy, understanding, and use of post-exposure protocols within a sample of the nursing staff at a busy tertiary care emergency department in the Ashanti Region of Ghana. A mixed-methods descriptive study design was used including key informant interviews to develop the survey, a structured survey of emergency department nursing staff, and document review. Overall, the emergency department staff was well informed regarding the risks of sharps injury and the immediate steps to take in the event of a sharps injury. However, few staff could list essential post-exposure follow-up steps. Over one-quarter (28.9%) of emergency nurses reported a sharps injury during a one-year period according to hospital records. The high incidence of sharps injuries indicates an urgent and pressing need for policy and educational interventions to address the infectious disease risk to this group of emergency department staff. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Blood Blood-Borne Pathogens Communicable Diseases Education Emergency Responders Hazardous Substances Health Personnel Hematologic Diseases Needlestick Injuries Occupational Exposure Occupational Health Race Factors Risk Assessment Risk Factors Safety Surveys And Questionnaires

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• Keywords:
  Author Keywords: Healthcare Worker Safety Bloodborne Pathogens Bloodborne Pathogen Transmission Disease Transmission Emergency Treatment Employee Exposure Ghanaian Healthcare Workers Guidelines Hazardous Materials Health Care Health Care Personnel Health Protection Health Surveys Infection Control Infection Prevention Infectious Agents Infectious Diseases Injection Safety Injuries Injury Prevention Intervention Medical Treatment Needlestick Injuries Nurses Policy Racial Factors Risk Factors Safety Measures Sharps Sharps Injury Prevention Worker Safety

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• ISSN:
  1755-599X
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Grant
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  Michigan ; OSHA Region 5
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  14-19
• Volume:
  28
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20050135
• Citation:
  Int Emerg Nurs 2016 Sep; 28:14-19
• Contact Point Address:
  Jody R. Lori, PhD. University of Michigan School of Nursing, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
• Email:
  jrlori@umich.edu
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2016
• Performing Organization:
  University of Michigan, Ann Arbor
• Peer Reviewed:
  True
• Start Date:
  20050701
• Source Full Name:
  International Emergency Nursing
• End Date:
  20280630
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:77492c48084fe1fc935c1a127b5535abe801476717205c9fd87e3ea9e509f6a1b13fbc6f16664e01fbe3ec6d91e2447a9500870a109a88d578bef5702beac897
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/210615/cdc_210615_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 234.10 KB ]