Needlestick and sharp injuries among healthcare workers prior to and during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic

Effect of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Occupational Risk for Bloodborne Pathogen Exposure Among Healthcare Providers

BACKGROUND

The effect of COVID-19 pandemic on the rates and trends of Needlestick and sharp injuries (NSSIs) and splash injuries (SIs) among healthcare providers (HCPs) is not well defined.

METHODS

A retrospective study analyzed the rates of injuries among HCPs during the pre-pandemic (38 months) and pandemic (37 months) periods. Single interrupted time-series analysis (SITSA) was employed to assess the impact of the pandemic on injury rates.

RESULTS

During the pre-pandemic and pandemic periods, 608 and 637 NSSIs and 137 and 120 SIs were reported, respectively. No statistically significant difference was identified in the median monthly rates of NSSIs (0.34 vs. 0.37; p=0.622) and SIs (0.075 vs. 0.047; p=0.094) per 1000 inpatient days, nor their combined risk (0.439 vs. 0.434; p=0.449). The SITSA indicated a marginally significant trend during the pandemic, with a monthly 0.0028% decrease in NSSI/SI rates (p = 0.059). Subsequent SITSA revealed significant changes in rates of NSSI during the pandemic, with rates rising early (p = 0.016) and falling marginally later (p = 0.051).

CONCLUSIONS

We report no statistically significant difference in the rates of NSSIs/SIs between the pre-pandemic and pandemic periods. HCPs remain at risk for occupational injuries, emphasizing targeted training and well-designed infection control policies.

Frequency of exposure incidents in hospital workers before and during the COVID-19 pandemic based on the hospital status and the use of personal protective equipment: a descriptive study with a historical comparison group

BACKGROUND

An occupational exposure, i.e. exposure incident (EI), is contact with potentially contaminated material that may contain bloodborne pathogens and that occurs during occupational activities inside or outside a health care facility, either during direct work with a patient or during contact with a patient's body fluids and tissues. This study aimed to compare the frequency of EIs in a university hospital before and during the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic.

METHODS

This was a descriptive study with a historical comparison group conducted at the Dubrava University Hospital (DUH) in Zagreb, Croatia. We compared the frequency of EIs among healthcare and non-healthcare workers before (from March 11, 2018, to March 10, 2020) and during (from March 11, 2020, to March 11, 2022) the COVID-19 pandemic, expressed as the number of EIs per number of hospitalized patients and the total number of hospital activities. We analyzed data based on the status of the hospital (a COVID-19 hospital or not) and the use of personal protective equipment (PPE) as recommended by the World Health Organization.

RESULTS

During the total analyzed period, 241 EIs were reported in DUH. Before the pandemic, 128 EIs were reported, compared to 113 during the pandemic. Before the pandemic, 91% of EIs were recorded in healthcare workers, while during the pandemic, 96% of EIs were recorded in healthcare workers. Slightly more EIs were recorded during the period of mixed work form and de-escalation of PPE. The rate of EIs relative to the total number of hospital patients was significantly higher during the pandemic (3.9/1000) than in the pre-pandemic period (2.5/1000). The rate of EIs relative to the total number of hospital activities was significantly higher during the pandemic (0.4/1000) than in the pre-pandemic period (0.2/1000).

CONCLUSION

The rate of EIs relative to the total number of hospitalized patients and the total number of hospital activities in DUH was significantly higher during the pandemic, and the rate of total EIs increased among healthcare workers during the COVID-19 pandemic. The results of this study show that it is necessary to constantly and effectively work on the prevention of EI.

Frequency of needle stick injuries among healthcare providers during large-scale SARS-CoV-2 vaccination brigades

The frequency of needle stick-related accidents in large-scale vaccination brigades during the COVID-19 pandemic is unknown. We determined the incidence of needle stick injuries (NIs) from the SARS-CoV-2 vaccination brigades in the Monterrey metropolitan area. We calculated the rate of NI by 100,000 doses administered from a registry of over 4 million doses.