Needle Stick Injuries among Junior Doctors.

Objective: To determine the prevalence of needle stick injuries (NSIs) among junior doctors of RIMS and to assess the measures undertaken by the respondents after the NSI. Methods: A cross sectional study was conducted in RIMS, Imphal, Manipur among internees, house officers and post graduate trainees from Sept to Oct 2011. Self-administered questionnaire was used to collect data. Descriptive statistics like mean, percentage and standard deviation were used. Analysis was done using Chi square test. And P-value of <0.05 was taken as significant. Results: Out of 382 eligible respondents, 289 participated in the study. Males were 70.2% (n=203). Prevalence of NSI among junior doctors within the last one year was 39.4% (N=114). Of the three designations, NSI was highest among the house officers. Most NSI took place while blood withdrawal (33.3%), suturing (27.3%), giving injections (16.6%) and recapping (14.9%). Majority of those doctors injured, 56.1% attributed NSI during rush hour. Around fifty-four percent of them were not wearing gloves during the NSI. Nearly forty-five percent of the doctors washed their injured part with water and soap and also applied antiseptic as immediate measures after NSI. Only 10 (8.8%) took Post Exposure Prophylaxis (PEP). Conclusion: Needle stick injuries among junior doctors are common and often not reported and majority of them did not take post exposure prophylaxis. These findings warranted the need for ongoing attention to strategies to reduce such injuries in a systematic way and to improve reporting system so that appropriate medical care can be delivered.

Knowledge and Practice of Ante-natal Care in an Urban Area

Antenatal care (ANC) among pregnant women is one of the important factors in reducing maternal morbidity and mortality. Unfortunately, many women in developing countries do not receive such care. So, the present study was carried out to evaluate the knowledge and practice of ANC among married women in the age group of 15-49 years and also to assess the association of knowledge of ANC with some selected variables of interest. A crosssectional study was conducted between January 2012 to March 2012 among 429 married women who had a delivery in the last five years in an urban area in Imphal East. Women were interviewed using structured questionnaire regarding socio-demographic characteristics, knowledge and practices on ANC. The mean score of the knowledge on ANC was 20.9+ 4.3 out of a total score of 36. However, only 42.6% women got full ANC, and the main reasons for not attending any antenatal check-up were thought of as not necessary and financial constraints. It was found that higher level of education, Hindu religion, age at marriage, and living in owned house were statistically associated with better knowledge (p<0.05). There is a need for enhancing awareness about the importance of ante-natal care and for motivating women to utilize maternal care services.

Knowledge, Attitude and Practice (KAP) of Blood Safety and Donation.

The present study was carried out to assess the knowledge, attitude and practice about blood safety and donation among 1st and 2nd MBBS students of RIMS, Imphal and to determine any association between knowledge level and selected variables like gender, those who had ever donated blood and were willing to donate in future. This cross sectional study was conducted in Regional Institute of Medical Sciences, Imphal during September to December 2010. Students were interviewed face to face using a pre-tested, pre-designed semi-structured questionnaire. Students’ level of knowledge was assessed by scoring scale. Data were presented in percentages, mean and standard deviation. Pearson’ chi square test was used for significance testing. The proportion of students having adequate knowledge was 33.1% with the mean score of 12.2±2. 89.8% intended to donate blood in future, but only 13.9% had ever donated blood and out of which, 64.8% of donors were first timers. Knowledge on blood safety and donation was significantly associated with blood donation status. Regular CMEs and seminars should be conducted to increase awareness about blood safety and donation and to increase the number of voluntary blood donation.