Prevalence of Needle Stick Injuries Among Healthcare Workers at a Tertiary Care Centre in Kochi, India

Background Needle stick injuries (NSIs) are a prevalent occupational hazard among healthcare workers (HCWs) globally. Strict adherence to standard work precautions by all HCWs at all times and the implementation of post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) are measures for reducing the occurrence of NSIs. However, NSIs are poorly documented in the literature and may be a cause of morbidity in the long run. Objectives Our study aims to determine the prevalence of NSIs among HCWs and its associated factors in a tertiary healthcare centre in Kerala, India. Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted among 210 consenting HCWs who worked in different blocks of a tertiary care hospital in the Ernakulam district, Kerala, India. Data was collected using a semi-structured questionnaire through personal interviews. The questionnaire gathered sociodemographic information, details regarding NSI occurrences over the past one year, the devices involved and PEP. Data analysis was performed using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (IBM SPSS Statistics for Windows, IBM Corp., Version 20.0, Armonk, NY), and categorical variables were expressed as frequencies and percentages. The chi-square test and binomial logistic regression were employed to identify factors associated with NSIs. Results The prevalence of NSIs among HCWs in the past 12 months was 31% (65 out of 210), with an average of 1.34 NSIs per HCW per year. The most commonly involved device was the intravenous (IV) cannula, and 22 out of 65 (33.8%) injuries occurred during injection procedures. A majority (45 out of 65; 69.23%) of HCWs reported NSI and 51 of them (78.4%) received PEP. Logistic regression analysis showed that HCWs aged over 31 years (adjusted odds ratio (AOR): 3.39; 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.29-8.42) were independently associated with a higher occurrence of NSIs. Conclusion Our findings underscore the importance of implementing comprehensive safety measures, including strict adherence to standard work precautions and timely administration of PEP.