Needle Stick Injuries among Junior Doctors.

ABSTRACT

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.