ABSTRACT
Background: Nurses are among the most highly prone professionals for needle stick injuries. The aim of this study was to determine the rate of needle stick injuries as well as the prevalence of vaccinating nurses against HBV. Methods: A hospital based cross-sectional study was conducted at all Shifa medical complex wards. A total of 634 nurses were eligible for participation and data were collected during working hours for three consecutive weeks in March 2014 using self-developed questionnaire. Chi square and univariate analysis were applied. Results: Ninety nine percent (628 out of 634) of nurses positively responded. The mean age of nurses was (35,54±10,12) and 222 nurses (35,7%) were from surgical, 191 (30,7%) from Internal medicine and 209 (33,6%) from Obst/Gyn hospital. Only 7% (43) have not received any dose of hepatitis B vaccine, 8,3% (51) received one dose, and 17% (104) received two doses. Whereas, 67,6% (413) completed the vaccination schedule of three doses. Regarding needle stick injuries, 54,1% (333 out of 615) of nurses reported at least one exposure in the last 6 months distributed as follow: 47.5%, 48.6%, and 66.3% in surgical, internal medicine and Obst/Gyn hospital respectively. Conclusion: The rate of NSIs among Shifa hospital nurses are relatively high and nurses should be aware of infection prevention and control standards to prevent further preventable injuries. The culture of reporting should be promoted and much efforts must be done to widening the hepatitis B vaccination coverage. Employer mandated vaccination policy to improve vaccination coverage.