INCIDENCE    OF    OCCUPATIONAL SHARPS INJURIES AND FOLLOW UP PATTERN AMONG   HEALTHCARE WORKERS  IN  BRUNEI DARUSSALAM. 

K N. WIN¹, N A.A. OMAR², N A.A. TUAH^{2, 3}, A A. TRIVEDI¹, A SC LAI^{1, 2}

¹Occupational Health Division, Ministry of Health, Brunei Darussalam

²PAPRSB Institute of Health Sciences, Universiti Brunei Darussalam, Brunei Darussalam

³Department of Primary Care and Public Health, Imperial College London, United Kingdom

ABSTRACT

Introduction: It is estimated that 40% of HBV and HCV infections and 2-3% of HIV infection are attributed to occupational sharps injuries among Healthcare workers (HCWs). The objectives of this study were to calculate the rate of sharps injury, determine its occurrence by age, gender, occupation, work location, working hours, mode of injury, duration of employment, and occupational health and safety (OHS) awareness; as well as analyse trend of follow-up reviews. Methods: A retrospective cross-sectional study aimed to determine the incidence of sharps injuries in healthcare workers from 2014 to 2018, and analyse compliance of post injury management review.  Results: It showed that 79.7% were female with mean age of 33 years (SD 10.1); 53% were among nurses; 77% occurred in a hospital setting; 54% occurred during shift work; 51% occurred whilst performing clinical procedures; 30% worked for less than 5 years; and 76% were aware of occupational health and safety hazards. Post injury follow-up showed continuous improvement from 48.7% (2014) to 64.5% (2017). Conclusion: The study findings highlight the high risk groups of healthcare workers, work areas and work activities. The findings will contribute towards the development of improved healthcare policies, awareness on reporting, effective interventional programmes to minimise risk of sharps injury, and enhance post sharps injury management practices.

Keywords: Healthcare worker, Needlestick injuries, Occupational health, Post-exposure prophylaxis.

Corresponding author: Kyaw Naing Win, Occupational Health Division, Ministry of Health, 1^st Floor Health Screening Centre, Jalan Delima Dua, Berakas (BB2313), Brunei Darussalam

Email: knwin2005@yahoo.com  

Brunei Int Med J. 2020;16:42-48