Injuries as exposure events in providing medical services by nursing staff

Among medical staff, nurses are particularly vulnerable to occupational exposure since they provide direct patient care and perform medical activities which often involve using sharps.

The objective of the study was to examine the frequency of injuries and their causes in nursing.

A diagnostic survey was employed using an original questionnaire. The study was carried out from 3rd March to 2nd April 2017. The study group comprised part-time nursing students. 107 respondents participating in the study worked in out-patient (28%) and in-patient (72%) healthcare. Most of the respondents were aged 41–50 (34.6%).

61.7% of the respondents were injured at work. The injury reporting rate was: 19.7% always, 22.7% often, 30.3% rarely, and 27.3% never. The most commonly mentioned types of injuries included: prick (51.5%), cut (28.8%), scratch (10.6%), prick and cut (9.1%). The incidence of injuries varied. 48.5% of the studied people declared fewer than 5 incidents, 31.8% quoted 5–10 injuries, 6.1% recalled 11–20, 13.6% did not remember such a situation. For nurses with longer seniority, there is a significant increase in injuries (p=0.029). Sources of injuries were most often: injection needle (35.9%), ampoule with medicine (23.3%), pen (7.8%).

Not all occupational exposure cases are reported by nurses. Seniority determines injury incidence among nurses. The longer the seniority, the more common the injuries. The needle causes injuries most frequently.