Frequency and barriers of underreported needlestick injuries amongst Iranian nurses, a questionnaire survey

Aims and objectives. To determine the frequency of needlestick injuries and barriers of reporting such injuries amongst Iranian nurses. Background. Exposure to blood‐borne pathogens because of needlestick injuries in particular is a potential risk for healthcare workers, including clinical nurses. The burden of sharp injuries sustained by healthcare workers is still unclear, primarily because of underreporting. Design. A cross‐sectional study was undertaken amongst 111 clinical nurses working in five major teaching hospitals in Tehran/Iran during 2007–2008 who were randomly selected. Methods. A validated self‐reported questionnaire containing demographic characteristics and history of experiences with contaminated needlesticks as well as probably reason/s for underreporting such injuries was used. Results. More than half of the enrolled nurses (54·1%, n = 60) had no experience of contaminated injuries, while the rest of 45·9% (n = 51) had experienced at least one contaminated needlestick injuries during their clinical performance. More than one‐third (34·0%, n = 38) had experienced a mean of 58 contaminated needlestick injuries during the past 12 months (crude incidence: 0·52 NSI/nurse/year). Only 14 nurses (36·8%) with needlestick injuries experiences had officially reported their experiences. The major reasons for not reporting needlestick injuries were dissatisfaction with follow‐up investigations by officials after reporting the events (33·3%) and safe/low risk considering of source patients (29·2%). Conclusions. Increased frequency and underreporting of needlestick injuries amongst Iranian nurses is going to be a major concern. As a preventive strategy, further interventions such as constant staff training, life‐long learning and standardising postexposure procedures are recommended. Relevance to clinical practice. Determining the prevalence, burden and reasons for underreporting needlestick injuries by clinical nurses are required for establishing a preventive strategy to decrease hospital infections.