Epidemiology of Needlestick and Sharps Injuries in Veterinary Medicine

Needlestick injuries (NSIs) are a serious concern for veterinary practitioners as well as other healthcare personnel. During practice, veterinarians are exposed to various risky situations in which NSI and sharps injuries seem to be a common occupational hazard. Studies on prevalence and occurrence of NSI in veterinary medicine are scarce and probably underreported. One important consequence is the physical trauma. However, other factors related to their economic or psychiatric impact should also be considered. The studies available about NSI in veterinarians reported different prevalence, ranging from 1 % to 86.7 %, although their comparison is difficult since prevalence is calculated from different data sources. Various risk factors of NSI (such as years as veterinarians, number of work hours, poor quality of restraint of animals, poor needle handling practices, among others) have been described. However, information regarding risk factors in veterinary medicine is scarce. In order to understand the epidemiology of NSI in veterinarians, a review of the literature published in the last four decades (1980-2016) is presented. Thus, the current chapter will address several characteristics of NSI in veterinary medicine as occurrence, prevalence and incidence risk factors, consequences and preventive measures.