Percutaneous Injuries in Doctors in the School of Medicine, University of the Free State: Prevalence, Reporting and Adherence to Precautionary and Management Procedures
Abstract
Background: Despite the official precautionary measures against percutaneous injuries, incidents still occur. Consequently, it is possible that healthcare workers could contract infections like HBV, HCV, HGV (hepatitis B, C and G viruses) and HIV (human immune deficiency virus). The most serious problem lies in the fact that percutaneous injuries are often underestimated, resulting in non-reporting of the incident. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of percutaneous injuries in doctors in the School of Medicine at the University of the Free State (UFS), whether the incidents were reported, and the reasons for non-reporting. Furthermore, the use of gloves during procedures was also evaluated.
Methods: A descriptive study design was used. Questionnaires were administered from October 2006 through January 2007 for the collection of information. Participants were selected randomly. For descriptive purposes, respondents were divided into surgical and non-surgical groups.
Results: The respondents fulfilled the following roles and/or functions in their respective departments of employment: 35 (67.3%) were registrars, twelve (23.1%) were specialists/consultants, four (7.7%) were medical officers, and one (1.9%) was exclusively involved in student training. Two of the respondents did not indicate their roles and functions in their respective departments. A total of 82 incidents of percutaneous injuries occurred. Although the surgical groups handled sharp objects more frequently per week than non-surgical groups (p-value
Methods: A descriptive study design was used. Questionnaires were administered from October 2006 through January 2007 for the collection of information. Participants were selected randomly. For descriptive purposes, respondents were divided into surgical and non-surgical groups.
Results: The respondents fulfilled the following roles and/or functions in their respective departments of employment: 35 (67.3%) were registrars, twelve (23.1%) were specialists/consultants, four (7.7%) were medical officers, and one (1.9%) was exclusively involved in student training. Two of the respondents did not indicate their roles and functions in their respective departments. A total of 82 incidents of percutaneous injuries occurred. Although the surgical groups handled sharp objects more frequently per week than non-surgical groups (p-value