Document 0280
 DOCN  M9460280
 TI    The epidemiology of needlestick and sharp instrument accidents in a
       Nigerian hospital.
 DT    9404
 AU    Adegboye AA; Moss GB; Soyinka F; Kreiss JK; School of Dentistry, Obafemi
       Awolowo University, Ile-Ife,; Nigeria.
 SO    Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol. 1994 Jan;15(1):27-31. Unique Identifier :
       AIDSLINE MED/94179747
 AB    OBJECTIVES: To characterize the epidemiology of percutaneous injuries of
       healthcare workers (HCWs) in Ile-Ife, Nigeria. DESIGN: A cross-sectional
       survey of a random sample of HCWs regarding details of needlestick and
       sharp instrument injuries within the previous year. SETTING: University
       hospital and clinics in Ile-Ife, Nigeria. PARTICIPANTS: Hospital
       personnel with potential occupational exposure to patients' blood.
       RESULTS: Needlestick accidents during the previous year were reported by
       27% of 474 HCWs, including 100% of dentists, 81% of surgeons, 32% of
       nonsurgical physicians, and 31% of nursing staff. The rate of
       needlestick injuries was 0.6 per person-year overall: 2.3 for dentists,
       2.3 for surgeons, 0.4 for nonsurgical physicians, and 0.6 for nursing
       staff. Circumstances associated with needlestick injuries included
       unexpected patient movement in 29%, handling or disposal of used needles
       in 23%, needle recapping in 18%, accidental stick by a colleague in 18%,
       and needle disassembly in 10%. Sharp instrument injuries were reported
       by 15% of HCWs and most commonly involved broken glass patient specimen
       containers (39%). Almost all HCWs were aware of the potential risk of
       HIV transmission through percutaneous injuries, and 91% considered
       themselves very concerned about their occupational risk of HIV
       acquisition. CONCLUSIONS: The high frequency of percutaneous exposure to
       blood among HCWs in this Nigerian hospital potentially could be reduced
       by simple interventions at modest cost.
 DE    Accidents, Occupational/PREVENTION & CONTROL/*STATISTICS & NUMER  DATA
       Adult  Cross-Sectional Studies  *Developing Countries  Female
       *Hospitals, University  Human  HIV Infections/PREVENTION &
       CONTROL/TRANSMISSION  Incidence  Infection Control  Male  Medical Waste
       Disposal/METHODS  Middle Age  Needlestick
       Injuries/*EPIDEMIOLOGY/ETIOLOGY/PREVENTION & CONTROL
       Nigeria/EPIDEMIOLOGY  Occupational Diseases/PREVENTION & CONTROL
       *Personnel, Hospital  Risk Factors  Support, U.S. Gov't, P.H.S.  JOURNAL
       ARTICLE

       SOURCE: National Library of Medicine.  NOTICE: This material may be
       protected by Copyright Law (Title 17, U.S.Code).