Injection safety: knowledge and practice among health workers

The increase in the spread of human immune-deficiency virus (HIV) infection among our population calls for measures to check its transmission. Health workers are at risk especially those in clinical practice who work with needles and other sharp objects that could aid transmission of the virus. Professionalism is at its lowest at Primary Health Care level and workers responsible for giving immunization with injections need clear understanding of principles of safe injection. To appreciate how to formulate a training programme, the knowledge and practice of injection safety among the workers were assessed through the use of a questionnaire. Fifty eight percent thought only children receiving immunization were at risk of a disease, 58.3% know the diseases transmissible by needle stick injury. On reasons for prevalence of unsafe injection practices, 27% suggested inadequate provision, 18.3% poverty, 17.7% ignorance, 17.2% improper disposal, 11.8% lack of surveillance and health supervision for workers and 8% negligence. On syringes and needles disposal, 53.2% suggested burning only, 2.1% burying and 44.7% both burning and burying. Less than 9% knew that auto-destruct syringes exist while 38.9% were aware of the joint WHO and UNICEF statement on "bundling approach" in vaccine packaging. Only about 50% of respondents had facilities for disposal of needles and syringes in their health centers, 45.6% wear protective clothing during service delivery. On making injection safer 33.7% suggested re-training of health workers, 22% retraining of workers and public re-education, 16.8% suggested planning budgeting and purchasing of auto-destruct syringes, 16.5% social mobilization and advocacy and 11% suggested the provision of facilities for disposal. It was concluded that awareness on safe injection practices was low among the health workers and that their practices could put them at greater risk of needles stick injury and hence the spread of HIV and other infection among them. Training on safe injection practices is therefore recommended.