25308763

PMC5077298

U19 OH008861/OH/NIOSH CDC HHS/United States
5U19 OH008861/OH/NIOSH CDC HHS/United States
T42 OH008416-03/OH/NIOSH CDC HHS/United States

CDC Public Access

Introduction

Patient-care workers are frequently exposed to sharps injuries, which can involve the risk of serious illness. Underreporting of these injuries can compromise prevention efforts.

Materials and Methods

We linked survey responses of 1572 non-physician patient-care workers with the Occupational Health Services (OHS) database at two academic hospitals. We determined whether survey respondents who said they had sharps injuries indicated that they had reported them and whether reported injuries were recorded in the OHS database.

Results

Respondents said that they reported 62 of 78 sharps injuries occurring over a 12-month period. Only 28 appeared in the OHS data. Safety practices were positively associated with respondents’ saying they reported sharps injuries but not with whether reported injuries appeared in the OHS data.

Conclusions

Administrators should consider creating reporting mechanisms that are simpler and more direct. Administrators and researchers should attempt to understand how incidents might be lost before they are recorded.