Assessing Needle Stick Injuries among Workers in a Nigerian Hospital

Global attention is being drawn to medical waste with much attention to Needle Stick Injuries (NSI) as it poses health workers at risk of infection. A cross sectional descriptive study involving 170 Hospital workers (Health workers and support staff) in a Nigerian tertiary Hospital using a structured questionnaire was conducted. Of the 70 Health workers sampled comprising Doctors, Nurses, and laboratory Scientists, 30%(21/70) were found to have had NSI, of the 100 support staff sampled comprising ward attendants, cleaners, waste handlers, incinerator operators, and cleaning supervisors, 47%(47/100) were found to have had NSI. Occupation of respondents was found to have significant effect on the occurrence of NSI among the Hospital's support staff at p < 0.05. This study revealed a high percentage of NSI among Hospital workers in the chosen Hospital of study. Training on medical waste management with much emphasis on NSI was recommended.