ABSTRACT
Objective: The objectives were to determine the Knowledge, Attitude, Practices regarding needle stick injuries [NSI] and frequency of Hepatitis B and C among nursing students at two tertiary care hospitals of Karachi
Study Design: Cross-sectional study
Place and Duration of Study: This study was conducted at the Department of Medicine, DMC, JPMC and Hilton Pharma, Karachi from January 2014 to June 2014
Materials and Methods: This study was carried out on NSI exposed 214 nursing students from 1[st] year to 4[th] year, visiting their respective hospitals and engaging in clinical activities. A hundred of those students who reported needle stick injuries randomly selected and screened for Hepatitis B surface antigen [HbsAg] and anti-HCV in sera
Results: Approximately thirty four percent [34%] of the students reported to have NSI one time. Out of the 214 students only 143 [66.8%] of the students were aware of the Universal Precaution Guidelines while 71 [33.2%] were unaware of it. After getting NSI only 18.2% reported it to the infection control team while 81.8% failed to report it. Of the 100 students randomly selected for screening, four tested positive for HbsAg and two tested positive for Anti-HCV
Conclusion: Allowing nursing students to practice without prior knowledge of their immune status poses a major risk of acquiring hazardous infections. Prior to practice, students should be ingrained with the universal precaution guidelines and screened for blood borne infections that should be followed up every year
ABSTRACT
To determine the number of hospitalized patients at risk for developing venous thromboembolism [VTE] / deep vein thrombosis [DVT], identifying the most common risk factor and to document the use of thromboprophylaxis. Observational and cross-sectional study. Chandka Medical College Hospital, Larkana, from October to December 2011. A total of 170 patients underwent this study and these included 51 [30%] from general medical, and 119 [70%] from surgical units. Inclusion and exclusion criteria were defined and data was collected on printed format. VTE risk assessment was done according to Caprini Model and criteria defined by the American College of Chest Physicians- ACCP. Out of 170 patients, 91 were male and 79 female with mean age of 39 +/- 16 years. According to ACCP criteria for VTE risk assessment, 20% [n=34] patients were identified to be at low risk, 20% [n=34] at moderate risk, 47.65% [n=81] at high risk and 12.35% [n=21] at very high risk of developing VTE. The commonest risk factor significantly identified was immobility [54.7%, p < 0.005], followed by advancing age [41.17%, p < 0.005] and obesity [18.23%]. The most common risk factor in all types of surgical patients was anaesthesia for more than 45 minutes 82.35% [n=98/119] and in medical patients advancing age 45% [n=23/51]. Only 6 [3.5%] patients received thromboprophylaxis, all were surgical patients of very high-risk category. Majority of studied hospitalized patients were at high risk of developing VTE. Immobility was the commonest risk factor for developing VTE, followed by advancing age and obesity. Very few hospitalized patients actually received thromboprophylaxis