Needlestick and sharps injuries among healthcare workers: An 8-year infection control perspective on preventable occupational exposure
American Journal of Infection Control, 2026 (SCI-Expanded, Scopus)
- Yayın Türü: Makale / Tam Makale
- Basım Tarihi: 2026
- Doi Numarası: 10.1016/j.ajic.2026.08.006
- Dergi Adı: American Journal of Infection Control
- Derginin Tarandığı İndeksler: Science Citation Index Expanded (SCI-EXPANDED), Scopus, BIOSIS, CINAHL, EMBASE, MEDLINE, Health Research Premium Collection (ProQuest)
- Anahtar Kelimeler: COVID-19, Infection prevention, Occupational exposure, Preventability, Recurrence
- Recep Tayyip Erdoğan Üniversitesi Adresli: Evet
Özet
Background Needlestick and sharps injuries (NSIs) are a major occupational hazard among healthcare workers, yet data on preventability, recurrent events, and COVID-19-related temporal trends remain limited. Methods This retrospective study analyzed NSI events reported between 2018 and 2025 at a tertiary-care hospital. Injury mechanisms were classified from narrative reports, and preventability was assessed using predefined criteria. Incidence per 100 person-years was calculated. Poisson and multinomial logistic regression models were used for risk and preventability analyses. Results A total of 354 NSI events were included. Median age was 25 years, and 72.6% were female. Nurses had higher incidence than physicians (IRR 1.84; 95% CI 1.28-2.64). Hollow-bore needles accounted for 83.6% of injuries, and procedural injuries were most common (48.0%). Overall, 42.4% of injuries were preventable and 48.0% partially preventable based on study-specific predefined criteria. Cleaning staff had higher odds of preventable injuries. NSI incidence declined over time, with higher rates in the pre-pandemic period compared with the post-pandemic period. Recurrent injuries occurred in 4.5%, and only 11.3% adhered to follow-up. Conclusion Mechanism-based classification identified a substantial proportion of preventable NSIs, suggesting that a considerable fraction of occupational exposures may be reduced through targeted infection control interventions. These findings highlight the importance of focusing on modifiable procedural and waste-management-related factors to improve healthcare worker safety.