Abstract

Objective: This study aimed to evaluate the risk factors and prevalence of needle stick injuries (NSIs) among healthcare workers (HCWs) working in the emergency department (ED) at King Saud Medical City (KSMC) in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted on 194 HCWs in the ED at KSMC. A pre-designed questionnaire was used to collect the data about participants’ demographics, work characteristics, previous exposure to NSI, and circumstances related to NSI.
Results: Among the studied 194 HCWs, 45.5% had an age range from 18-30 years, 50.5% were females, 57.7% had a Saudi nationality, 41.2% had a work experience of 5-10 years, and 38.1% were nurses. Of them, 25.8% had previous exposure to NSI and among them, 60% had NSI once, 48% had a superficial injury, 16% had a penetration of gloves, and 84% wore personal protective equipment. The most common device associated with injury was a syringe (32%), 52% received medical attention within 2 hours, and 64% washed the site with soap. NSI was significantly higher among HCWs aged 31-40 years, with a work experience of 5-10 years, and among nurses.
Conclusion: NSIs were frequent among the participants. Hospital managers and health policymakers should develop plans to boost healthcare professionals’ adherence to general precautions.

Key words: prevalence, risk, NSI, HCWs, emergency, Riyadh