Distribution and characteristics of sharp injuries among nursing staff in a sample of hospitals in the Valley of Mexico

Abstract

In 2019, the National Occupational Research Agenda (NORA), through the "Stop Sticks" campaign, defined these as injuries caused by sharp or pointed instruments during medical care. A descriptive, cross-sectional, multicenter observational study was conducted involving nursing staff at hospitals in the Valley of Mexico. The sample consisted of 34 nurses selected via non-probability convenience sampling. Data were collected using the EPINet (Exposure Prevention Information Network) sharps injury log (2014 Mexican version) via the SurveyMonkey platform. Data were analyzed using SPSS v.21 with descriptive statistics (frequencies and percentages); additionally, the association between the occurrence of sharps injuries and sociodemographic/occupational variables was explored using Fisher's exact test, with a significance level of p≤0.05 and a 95% confidence interval. Regarding the occurrence of sharps injuries, 53% (n=18) of the nursing professionals reported at least one injury over the past year; superficial and moderate injuries accounted for equal proportions (50% or n=9 each), and hollow-bore needles were the predominant causative object (77.8% or n=14). Finally, the most frequently affected anatomical sites were the middle and index fingers of the right hand (27.8% or n=5 each). Regarding the activity being performed at the time of the accident, preparing medication was the most common scenario (16.7% or n=3).