Dataset Information

Occupational Exposure to Needle Stick Injuries and Hepatitis B Vaccination Coverage Among Clinical Laboratory Staff in Sana'a, Yemen: Cross-Sectional Study.

ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND:Laboratory staff handling blood or biological samples are at risk for accidental injury or exposure to blood-borne pathogens. Hepatitis B virus (HBV) vaccinations for laboratory staff can minimize these risks. OBJECTIVE:The aims of this study were to determine the prevalence of occupational exposure to needle stick injuries (NSIs) and assess HBV vaccination coverage among clinical laboratory staff in Sana'a, Yemen. METHODS:A cross-sectional survey was conducted among clinical laboratory staff who were involved in handling and processing laboratory samples at the main public and private clinical laboratories in Sana'a. Data collection was done using a semistructured questionnaire. The questionnaire was divided into 3 parts. Part 1 included information on sociodemographic characteristics of participants. Part 2 included information on the availability of the personal protective equipment in the laboratories, such as lab coats and gloves. Part 3 included questions about the history of injury during work in the laboratory and the vaccination status for HBV. RESULTS:A total of 219/362 (60%) participants had been accidentally injured while working in the laboratory. Of those, 14.6% (32/219) had been injured during the last 3 months preceding the data collection. Receiving the biosafety manual was significantly associated with lower risk of injury. Out of those who were injured, 54.8% (120/219) had received first aid. About three-quarters of respondents reported that they had been vaccinated against HBV. The vaccination against HBV was significantly higher among laboratory staff who were working at private laboratories (P=.01), who had postgraduate degrees (P=.005), and who received the biosafety manual (P=.03). CONCLUSIONS:Occupational exposure to NSI is still a major problem among laboratory staff in public and private laboratories in Sana'a, Yemen. The high incidence of injuries among laboratory staff and the low rate of receiving first aid in laboratories combined with low vaccination coverage indicates that all laboratory staff are at risk of exposure to HBV. Therefore, strengthening supervision, legalizing HBV vaccinations for all laboratory staff, and optimizing laboratory practices regarding the management of sharps can minimize risks and prerequisites in Yemen.

SUBMITTER: Al-Abhar N

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7157492 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Occupational Exposure to Needle Stick Injuries and Hepatitis B Vaccination Coverage Among Clinical Laboratory Staff in Sana'a, Yemen: Cross-Sectional Study.

Al-Abhar Nabil N Moghram Ghuzlan Saeed GS Al-Gunaid Eshrak Abdulmalek EA Al Serouri Abdulwahed A Khader Yousef Y

JMIR public health and surveillance 20200331 1

<h4>Background</h4>Laboratory staff handling blood or biological samples are at risk for accidental injury or exposure to blood-borne pathogens. Hepatitis B virus (HBV) vaccinations for laboratory staff can minimize these risks.<h4>Objective</h4>The aims of this study were to determine the prevalence of occupational exposure to needle stick injuries (NSIs) and assess HBV vaccination coverage among clinical laboratory staff in Sana'a, Yemen.<h4>Methods</h4>A cross-sectional survey was conducted a ...[more]

PMID: 32229462

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Project description:BackgroundNeedle stick and sharps injuries are occupational hazards to healthcare workers. Every day healthcare workers are exposed to deadly blood borne pathogens through contaminated needles and other sharp objects. About twenty blood borne pathogens can be transmitted through accidental needle stick and sharp injury. The study was conducted to determine the lifetime and past one year prevalence of needle stick and sharps injuries and factors associated with the past one year injuries among hospital healthcare workers in Southeast Ethiopia.MethodsAn institutional based cross sectional study was conducted in December 2014 among healthcare workers in four hospitals of Bale zone, Southeast of Ethiopia. A total of 362 healthcare workers were selected randomly from each department in the hospitals. Data were collected using self-administered questionnaire. The collected data were entered into Epi-Info version 3.5 and analyzed using SPSS version 20.0. Multivariable logistic regression analysis was used to identify the independent effect of each independent variable on the outcome variable. Written informed consent was secured from the participants.ResultsThe prevalence of lifetime needle stick and sharp injury was 37.1% with 95% CI of 32.0% to 42.5%. The prevalence of injury within the past one year was 19.1% with 95% CI of 14.9% to 23.3%. Emergency ward was a department with highest needle stick and sharp injury (31.7%). The main cause of injury was syringe needles (69.8%). Participants who practiced needle recapping had higher odds of needle stick and sharp injury within the past 12 months (AOR = 3.23, 95% CI: 1.78, 5.84) compared to their counterparts.ConclusionsNearly one out of five respondents had experienced needle stick and/or sharp injury at least once within past one year. There were practices and behaviors that put healthcare workers at risk of needle stick and sharp injury at the study area. Needle recapping was key modifiable risk behavior. Health policy makers and hospital administrators should formulate strategies to improve the working condition for healthcare workers and increase their adherence to universal precautions.

Project description:BackgroundNeedle stick and sharp injuries (NSSIs) are a common problem among healthcare workers (HCWs). Although the factors related to NSSIs for HCWs are well documented by several studies in Ethiopia, no evidence has been reported about the magnitude of and factors related to NSSIs in hospitals in northwestern Ethiopia.MethodsAn institution-based cross-sectional study was carried out from January to March 2019 among 318 HCWs in three randomly-selected hospitals of the eight hospitals found in South Gondar Zone. Sample sizes were proportionally allocated to professional categories. Study participants were selected by systematic random sampling methods using the monthly salary payroll for each profession as the sampling frame. Data were collected using a self-administered questionnaire. The outcome of this study was the presence (injured) or absence of NSSIs during the 12 months prior to data collection. A binary logistic regression model with 95% confidence interval (CI) was used for data analysis. Variables from the bi-variable analysis with a p-value ≤ 0.25 were retained into the multivariable analysis. From the multivariable analysis, variables with a p-value less than 0.05 was declared as factors significantly associated with NSSIs.Main findingsThe prevalence of NSSIs was 29.5% (95% CI: 24.2-35.5%) during the 12 months prior to the survey. Of these, 46.0% reported that their injuries were moderate, superficial (33.3%) or severe (20.7%). About 41.4% of the injuries were caused by a suture needle. Factors significantly associated with NSSIs were occupation as a nurse (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] = 2.65, 95% CI: 1.18-4.26), disposal of sharp materials in places other than in safety boxes (AOR = 3.93, 95% CI: 2.10-5.35), recapping of needles (AOR = 2.27, 95% CI: 1.13-4.56), and feeling sleepy at work (AOR = 2.24, 95% CI: 1.14-4.41).ConclusionThis study showed that almost one-third of HCWs had sustained NSSIs, a proportion that is high. Factors significantly associated with NSSIs were occupation as a nurse, habit of needle recapping, disposal of sharp materials in places other than in safety boxes and feeling sleepy at work. Observing proper and regular universal precautions for nurses during daily clinical activities and providing safety boxes for the disposal of sharp materials, practicing mechanical needle recapping and preventing sleepiness by reducing work overload among HCWs may reduce the incidence of NSSIs.

Project description:Objective At a time of unprecedented attention to the public health impact of policing, it is imperative to understand the role of occupational safety in shaping officer behaviours. We assessed the longitudinal impact of police training in a quasi-experimental hybrid type-1 trial to reduce syringe-related occupational risk, while realigning police practices with public health prevention among people who inject drugs (PWID). Setting Tijuana, Mexico. Participants Of 1806 Tijuana municipal police trainees, 771 reporting previous exposure to syringes were randomly selected for follow-up. All participants completed at least one follow-up visit; attrition at 24 months was 8%. Intervention Between 2015 and 2016, officers received a training intervention (Safety and Health Integration in the Enforcement of Laws on Drugs, SHIELD) bundling occupational needle stick injury (NSI) prevention with health promotion among PWID. Outcome measures Longitudinal analysis with generalised linear mixed models to evaluate training impact on occupational NSI risk via NSI incidence and prevalidated Syringe Threat and Injury Correlates (STIC) score. This composite indicator integrates five self-reported risky syringe-handling practices (eg, syringe confiscation, breaking) and was used as a proxy for NSI risk due to reporting bias and concerns about reliability of NSI incidence reports. Results No change in self-reported NSI incidence was observed, but significant reductions in risk (16.2% decrease in STIC score) occurred at 3 months, with a sustained decrease of 17.8% through 24 months, compared with pretraining (p<0.001). Police assignment (patrol vs administration) moderated the training effect (p=0.01). Younger age, male gender, lower rank and previous NSI were independently and significantly associated with higher NSI risk overtime, although all groups demonstrated significant reductions post-training. Conclusions SHIELD is the first intervention to be associated with significant sustained changes in police practices that pose risk for both occupational and the public’s health. Integrating occupational safety and public health education should inform other interventions to mitigate the community health detriments of policing behaviours. Trial registration number NCT02444403.

Project description:BackgroundHIV stigma undermines a person's wellbeing and quality of life and hinders HIV control efforts. This study examined the extent and drivers of HIV stigma in the teaching hospitals in Sana'a City, Yemen. The country has low HIV prevalence (4000 (2000-11,000) per 100,000) and limited HIV control funds, worsened by a long conflict and an economic crisis.MethodsWe conducted a cross-sectional study of 320 Yemeni health professionals in all the four teaching hospitals in Sana'a City. Data were collected anonymously, using an adapted self-completed Arabic version of the Health Policy Project HIV Stigma tool. The questionnaire covered the respondents' background, the stigmatising practices, and potential personal and professional drivers of stigma.ResultsThe majority of the participants were: females (68%), 20-39 years old (85%), nurses (84%), and holding a nursing diploma (69%) or a bachelor's degree (27%). None of the hospitals had institutional policies against HIV stigma, and 93% of the participants believed the current infection control measures were inadequate. Less than half of the participants provided care for people living with HIV (PLHIV) (45%), had received HIV training (33%), and were confident that their HIV knowledge was adequate (23%). The majority indicated a preference to test patients for HIV prior to surgical procedures (77%) and disclose positive HIV results to others (99%) without prior knowledge or consent. All the participants had exhibited a form of HIV-related stigmatization, such as avoiding physical contact with PLHIV (87%) or wearing gloves throughout the consultation (96.5%). These practices were significantly correlated with the fear of infection, high perceived risk of infection, and poor work environment (p < 0.05).ConclusionPLHIV face widespread stigmatizing behaviour in the teaching hospitals in Sana'a City, consistent with the higher level of stigma in low HIV prevalence countries and its links to the fear of infection, poor HIV knowledge, and limited funding for HIV control. Stigma reduction interventions are required at institutional and individual levels. In addition, anti-discrimination policies and structural adjustments are needed, in combination with training on HIV and universal precautions, and action to tackle negative attitudes towards PLHIV and key populations.

Dataset Information

Occupational Exposure to Needle Stick Injuries and Hepatitis B Vaccination Coverage Among Clinical Laboratory Staff in Sana'a, Yemen: Cross-Sectional Study.

Publications

Occupational Exposure to Needle Stick Injuries and Hepatitis B Vaccination Coverage Among Clinical Laboratory Staff in Sana'a, Yemen: Cross-Sectional Study.

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