Common Causes Associated With Occupational Injuries in Iranian Health Care Workers: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis Study

Document Type : Meta-Analysis

Authors

1 School of Nursing, Fasa University of Medical Sciences, Fasa, Iran

2 Noncommunicable Diseases Research Center, Fasa University of Medical Sciences, Fasa, Iran

3 Department of Medical-Surgical Nursing, School of Nursing and Midwifery, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran

Abstract

Introduction: Occupational injuries are the most important hazards threatening health care workers (HCWs) and cause contact with infectious agents and the transmission of diseases such as AIDS and hepatitis B and C. This study is a meta-analysis of studies on the common causes of occupational injuries in Iran.
Methods: In this meta-analysis, all articles on injuries to HCWs in Iran published on local and international databases during the period 2000-2016 were assessed for eligibility. Using the keywords occupational injury, needle stick injury, healthcare workers, and Iran, searches of local and international databases were conducted. From 60 articles screened, 19 were determined to be relevant and were subsequently analyzed.
Results: The results of this meta-analysis showed that needles and injections were the most common causes of occupational injuries in HCWs. The pooled prevalence of needle stick was estimated to be 52.95% (46.05%-59.84%) based on the reports of 19 studies with a total of 8703 participants. The pooled prevalence rate of injections was estimated to be 33.56% (27.43%-37.90%).
Conclusion: The results showed that routine activities of HCWs most commonly result in occupational injuries. Given the high prevalence of needles and injections as causes of occupational injuries in Iranian HCWs, more attention and the development of effective strategies to reduce these injuries are necessary.

Keywords


  1. Himmelreich H, Rabenau HF, Rindermann M, et al. The management of needlestick injuries. Dtsch Arztebl Int. 2013;110(5):61-67. doi:10.3238/arztebl.2013.0061.
  2. Vaz K, McGrowder D, Alexander-Lindo R, Gordon L, Brown P, Irving R. Knowledge, awareness and compliance with universal precautions among health care workers at the University Hospital of the West Indies, Jamaica. Int J Occup Environ Med. 2010;1(4):171- 181.
  3. Jahan S. Epidemiology of needlestick injuries among health care workers in a secondary care hospital in Saudi Arabia. Ann Saudi Med. 2005;25(3):233-238. doi:10.5144/0256-4947.2005.233.
  4. Chow J, Rayment G, Wong J, Jefferys A, Suranyi M. Needle-stick injury: a novel intervention to reduce the occupational health and safety risk in the haemodialysis setting. J Ren Care. 2009;35(3):120- 126. doi:10.1111/j.1755-6686.2009.00093.x.
  5. Talaat M, Kandeel A, El-Shoubary W, et al. Occupational exposure to needlestick injuries and hepatitis B vaccination coverage among health care workers in Egypt. Am J Infect Control. 2003;31(8):469- 474. doi:10.1016/j.ajic.2003.03.003.
  6. Atenstaedt RL, Payne S, Roberts RJ, Russell IT, Russell D, Edwards RT. Needle-stick injuries in primary care in Wales. J Public Health (Oxf). 2007;29(4):434-440. doi:10.1093/pubmed/fdm048.
  7. Gershon RR, Mitchell C, Sherman MF, et al. Hepatitis B vaccination in correctional health care workers. Am J Infect Control. 2005;33(9):510-518. doi:10.1016/j.ajic.2005.04.245.
  8. Adib-Hajbaghery M, Lotfi MS. Behavior of healthcare workers after injuries from sharp instruments. Trauma Mon. 2013;18(2):75-80. doi:10.5812/traumamon.12779.
  9. Jagger J, Berguer R, Phillips EK, Parker G, Gomaa AE. Increase in sharps injuries in surgical settings versus nonsurgical settings after passage of national needlestick legislation. AORN J. 2011;93(3):322- 330. doi:10.1016/j.aorn.2011.01.001.
  10. Dement JM, Epling C, Ostbye T, Pompeii LA, Hunt DL. Blood and body fluid exposure risks among health care workers: results from the Duke Health and Safety Surveillance System. Am J Ind Med. 2004;46(6):637-648. doi:10.1002/ajim.20106.
  11. Rezaei S, Rabirad N, Tamizi Z, Fallahi Khoshknab M, Mohammadnejad E, Mahmoodi M. Needle sticks injuries among heath care workers in emergency medical centers in Tehran University of Medical Sciences Hospitals (2007-2010). Journal of Health Promotion Management. 2012;1(3):46-55.
  12. Gourni P, Polikandrioti M, Vasilopoulos G, Mpaltzi E, Gourni M. Occupational exposure to blood and body fluids of nurses at emergency department. Health Sci J. 2012;6(1):60-68.
  13. Honda M, Chompikul J, Rattanapan C, Wood G, Klungboonkrong S. Sharps injuries among nurses in a Thai regional hospital: prevalence and risk factors. Int J Occup Environ Med. 2011;2(4):215-223.
  14. Motaarefi H, Mahmoudi H, Mohammadi E, Hasanpour-Dehkordi A. Factors Associated with Needlestick Injuries in Health Care Occupations: A Systematic Review. J Clin Diagn Res. 2016;10(8):Ie01-ie04. doi:10.7860/JCDR/2016/17973.8221.
  15. Mahmoudi N, Sepandi M, Sheikh Mohammadi A, Masoumbeigi H. Epidemiological Aspects of Needle Stick Injuries among Nurses in a Military Hospital. Iran J Health Saf Environ. 2015;2(4):374-379.
  16. Gholami A, Borji A, Lotfabadi P, Asghari A. Risk factors of needlestick and sharps injuries among healthcare workers. Int J Hosp Res. 2013;2(1):31-38.
  17. Shoghli A, Mousavi Nasab N, Ghorchian F, Masoumi H, Momtazi S. Study of the needle sticks injury (NSI) among the Zanjan educational hospitals staff. Journal of Zanjan University of Medical Sciences. 2013;21(85):131-141.
  18. Parsa-Pili J, Izadi N, Golbabaei F. Factors associated with needle stick and Sharp injuries among health care workers. Int J Occup Hyg. 2015;5(4):191-197.
  19. Mirzaei M, Khozaei S, Rezaeian Langroudi R, Zahra Z. Prevalence, causes & practice of nursing in releated to occupational exposures in Hamadan. Aflak Journal. 2011;24(25):24-31. [Persian].
  20. Rezaei S, Rad NR, Tamizi Z, Khoshknab MF, Nezhad EM. An Investigation into Occupational Hazards Faced by Nurses in Paediatrics Hospitals of Tehran University of Medical Sciences, 2006-2009. Int J Community Based Nurs Midwifery. 2013;1(4):200- 207.
  21. Hashemi SH, Torabian S, Mamani M, Moazen Dehkordi S. The prevalence of needlestick and sharps injuries among health care workers in Hamadan, Iran. Avicenna J Clin Med. 2012;18(4):41-46.
  22. Ehsani SR, Mohammadnejad E, Hadizadeh MR. Epidemiology of needle sticks and sharp injuries among nurses in an Iranian teaching hospital. Arch Clin Infect Dis. 2012;8(1):27-30. doi:10.5812/archcid.14409.
  23. Koohestani HR, Baghcheghi N, Rezaei K. Blood contaminated needle stick/sharp objects injuries and exposure to patients’ body fluids in medical emergencies students. Iran J Crit Care Nurs. 2010;3(2):57-62.
  24. Khalouei Z, Iranpour A, Hamzehnezhadi S, Rahmanian K. Study on epidemiology of needle stick injury among nursing personnel of Kerman University hospitals. Kerman, Iran in (2006-2007). Journal of Jahrom University of Medical Sciences. 2010;7(3):43-51. [Persian].
  25. Rakhshani F, Heidari MT, Barati S. Prevalence of needlestick injuries among the healthcare professionals in Zahedan medical Sciences university. Iran J Epidemiol. 2009;4(3-4):87-91.
  26. Jonaidi Jafari NA, Shasti M, Izadi M, Ranjbar R, Ghasemi M. Evaluation of frequency of exposure to medical sharp devices among nurses of a university hospital. J Mil Med. 2008;10(2):119-128.
  27. Bijani B, Azimiyan J, Soleimany MA, Mohammadi N. Epidemiology and risk factors of needle stick injuries among nurses in Bou-Ali Sina teaching hospital, Qazvin. J Shahid Beheshti Nursing and Midwifery. 2012;22(78):1-8. [Persian].
  28. Nazmieh H, Najaf-Yarandi A, Janmohammadi S, Hoseini F. Assesment of the injuries caused by sharp instruments in the health workers of university hospitals in Yazd. Iran Journal of Nursing. 2005;18(43):49-59.
  29. Vahedi MS, Ahsan B, Ardalan M, Shahsavari S. Prevalence and Causes of needle stick injuries, in medical personnels of Kurdistan University’s hospitals and dealing with such injuries due to contaminated sharp tools in 1383. Scientific Journal of Kurdistan University of Medical Sciences. 2006;11(2):43-50. [Persian].
  30. Aghadoost D, Hajijafari M, Tabatabaei B, Ziloochi MH, Dalirian A. Occupational exposure to blood in the stuff of educational-medical centers of Kashan University of Medical Sciences in 2005. Feyz. 2007;10(4):59-64. [Persian].
  31. Afrasiabifar A, Salari M, Zarifi A, Mohebi Z. Skin penetrating injuries due to the insertion of sharp medical instruments contaminated with patients’ blood or body secretion among the healthcare stuffs of Yasuj hospitals and the measures taken after injury, 2001. Journal of Yasuj University of Medical Sciences. 2003;7(28):17-23. [Persian].
  32. Kebede G, Molla M, Sharma HR. Needle stick and sharps injuries among health care workers in Gondar city, Ethiopia. Saf Sci. 2012;50(4):1093-1097. doi:10.1016/j.ssci.2011.11.017.
  33. Martins A, Coelho AC, Vieira M, Matos M, Pinto ML. Age and years in practice as factors associated with needlestick and sharps injuries among health care workers in a Portuguese hospital. Accid Anal Prev. 2012;47:11-15. doi:10.1016/j.aap.2012.01.011.
  34. Yoshikawa T, Wada K, Lee JJ, et al. Incidence rate of needlestick and sharps injuries in 67 Japanese hospitals: a national surveillance study. PLoS One. 2013;8(10):e77524. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0077524.
  35. Rezaei S, Hajizadeh M, Zandian H, Fathi A, Nouri B. Period prevalence and reporting rate of needlestick injuries to nurses in Iran: a systematic review and meta‐analysis. Res Nurs Health. 2017;40(4):311-322. doi:10.1002/nur.21801.
  36. Smith DR, Mihashi M, Adachi Y, Nakashima Y, Ishitake T. Epidemiology of needlestick and sharps injuries among nurses in a Japanese teaching hospital. J Hosp Infect. 2006;64(1):44-49. doi:10.1016/j.jhin.2006.03.021.
  37. Afridi AA, Kumar A, Sayani R. Needle stick injuries--risk and preventive factors: a study among health care workers in tertiary care hospitals in Pakistan. Glob J Health Sci. 2013;5(4):85-92. doi:10.5539/gjhs.v5n4p85.
  38. Laishram J, Keisam A, Phesao E, Tarao MS, Laloo V, Devi HS. Prevalence of needle stick injuries among nurses in a tertiary care hospital and their immediate response. Int J Med Public Health. 2013;3(4):257-260. doi:10.4103/2230-8598.123446.
  39. Quinn MM, Markkanen PK, Galligan CJ, et al. Sharps injuries and other blood and body fluid exposures among home health care nurses and aides. Am J Public Health. 2009;99 Suppl 3:S710-717. doi:10.2105/AJPH.2008.150169.
  40. Nsubuga FM, Jaakkola MS. Needle stick injuries among nurses in sub-Saharan Africa. Trop Med Int Health. 2005;10(8):773-781. doi:10.1111/j.1365-3156.2005.01453.x.