Prevalence of needlestick injury among healthcare workers in Ethiopia: a systematic review and meta-analysis

• Published in: Environmental health and preventive medicine 2019-08, Vol.24 (1), p.52-52, Article 52
• Main Authors: Yazie, Teshiwal Deress, Chufa, Kasaw Adane, Tebeje, Mekonnen Girma
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Bias; Body fluids; Boolean algebra; Boolean functions; Computer programs; Developing countries; Environmental health; Estimates; Ethiopia; Ethiopia - epidemiology; Health care; Health care facilities; Health facilities; Health Personnel - statistics & numerical data; Healthcare worker; Hospitals; Humans; Injuries; Injury prevention; LDCs; Medical personnel; Meta-analysis; Needlestick injuries; Needlestick Injuries - epidemiology; Needlestick injury; Occupational exposure; Occupational Exposure - statistics & numerical data; Occupational Injuries - epidemiology; Pathogens; Percutaneous exposure; Population; Prevalence; Preventive medicine; Protective equipment; Review; Sample size; Search engines; Software; Statistical analysis; Systematic review; Workers
• ISSN: 1342-078X; 1347-4715
• DOI: 10.1186/s12199-019-0807-7

Health facilities can provide diagnostic, curative, and prognostic services for the community. While providing services, healthcare workers can be exposed to needlestick injuries that can transmit pathogenic organisms through body fluids. The aim was to establish the pooled prevalence of needlestick injuries among healthcare workers in Ethiopia. This systematic review and meta-analysis was conducted according to PRISMA guidelines. Articles were searched from Google Scholar, PubMed, Science Direct, and Scopus databases using a combination of keywords and Boolean functions. All the searched articles were imported into the EndNote X9 software, and then, duplicate data files were removed. Article screening and data extraction were done independently by two authors. Data manipulation and analyses were done using STATA version 15.1 software. The analysis of 23 full-text articles showed that the prevalence of the 12-month and lifetime needlestick injuries among the primary studies ranged from 13.2 to 55.1% and 18.6 to 63.6%, respectively. The pooled prevalence of needlestick injuries among the Ethiopian healthcare workers was 28.8% (95% CI 23.0-34.5) and 43.6% (95% CI 35.3-52.0) for the 12 months and lifetime, respectively. The pooled prevalence of needlestick injuries among Ethiopian healthcare workers was high. Therefore, efforts should be implemented to reduce the occurrence of injuries. Adequate protective equipment and safety-engineered devices should be supplied for the healthcare workers. It could be more effective to reduce the factors contributing to increased exposures through the allocation of adequate numbers of the healthcare workforce and implementing in-service training.