Thesis (MBA)--Stellenbosch University, 2001. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Daily more than 300 000 health care workers in South Africa are to a lesser or greater extent exposed to the risk of deadly viruses which can be transferred through neediestick injuries. It is estimated that currently 9,8 million people in South Africa are HIV positive. This high incidence of HIV has a great impact on the danger of infection from neediestick injuries. It is estimated that 44 000 neediestick injuries takes place annually in South Africa. Despite such a high risk there are currently few safety regulations or official efforts to prevent or determine the true impact and incidence of needlesticks in South Africa. This study project investigated the number of neediestick injuries that could potentially be prevented by the use of needles with safety features and estimated the ranges of benefits and costs of using such safety devices. With the financial constraints that are imposed on South African hospitals, infection control through the use of safety syringes makes economic sense. Prevention of infections is clearly far cheaper than cure. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Daagliks word meer as 300 000 gesondheids personeel in Suid Afrika in 'n mindere of meerdere mate blootgestel aan die risiko van lewens gevaarlike viruse wat deur middel van naaldprik ongelukke oorgedra kan word. Hierdie risiko word spesifiek in Suid Afrika verhoog deur die hoë insidensie van HIV. Dit word beraam dat daar tans 9,8 miljoen mense in Suid Afrika is wat HIV positief is. Daar word beraam dat daar tans 44 000 naaldprik ongelukke per jaar in Suid Afrika plaasvind. Ten spyte van die hierdie hoë risko is daar tans min veiligheids regulasies of amptelike pogings om die omvang en voorkoming van naaldprik insidente te bepaal nie. Hierdie studie het die getal naaldprikke wat voorkom kan word deur die gebruik van veiligheids inspuitnaalde ondersoek en het die voordele en kostes van sulke veiligheidsmaatreëls beraam. Gegewe die finasiële druk wat ons tans in Suid Afrikaanse hospitale ondervind, is bewys dat die gebruik van veiligheids inspuitnaalde ekonomiese sin maak. Voorkoming op hierdie manier is bewys as 'n ver goedkoper opsie as nasorg.

Thesis (Dr. P.H.)--University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, School of Public Health, 1994. / Typescript. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 167-172).

Medical trainees (medical students and resident physicians) are at high risk of sharps injury (needlestick injury). High rates of sharps injury in this population and the risk incurred by exposure to bloodborne pathogens poses a threat both to medical trainees who are at risk for bloodborne pathogen exposure and to training institutions for legal and financial reasons. This study examines the prevalence of sharps injuries in medical trainees at the University of South Florida and compares that to data on sharps injuries in US medical trainees. Data from the present study was compared to previously collected USF medical trainee sharps injury data. Results from this study demonstrated that residents had higher rates of sharps injury than medical students. A prior USF study of similar data from academic years 2002-2008 had similar findings. This study demonstrated a peak in sharps injury rate in first year residents, similar to the prior USF study. Resident rates remained highest in Surgery and lowest for Psychiatry and Pediatrics. This information can be used to focus hazard analysis and risk reduction efforts at USF Health. This data can also be combined with the known efficacy of simulated training experience should encourage increased use of USF’s center for advanced medical simulation (CAMLS) to increased procedural experience in medical students and junior residents and decrease their exposure to bloodborne pathogens by increasing knowledge and procedural safety.

No abstract available. / Thesis (MMed)-University of Natal, Durban, 1993.

Thesis (Master of Nursing)--Cape Peninsula University of Technology, 2019 / Background: Like other health care providers, nursing students are unprotected from occupational dangers such as sharp object injuries (SOIs) due to imperfect knowledge and experience. These students face a great risk of exposure to blood borne infections by pathogens such as HIV and the hepatitis B and C viruses while executing their clinical actions in hospitals. SOIs are a significant problem for nursing students, as they increase the risk of contracting blood-borne infections. Purpose: The purpose of this study was to determine nursing students' knowledge and practices related to SOIs and their management at a university in the Western Cape Province. Objectives: The objectives of this study include determining the occurrence of SOIs, and knowledge of risk of SOIs, as well as the reporting and management of SOIs at a university in the Western Cape. Method and sample: A cross-sectional descriptive survey was conducted with nursing students from the second to fourth year of study, registered at a university in the Western Cape Province for the 2017 academic year. Quota sampling was applied to select respondents who, after providing informed consent, then completed and handed the self- administered questionnaires back to the researcher on the same day that they were distributed. Data were obtained from nursing students about whether or not they had experienced an SOI, what they did after the SOI, their perception of the risk, and management of and preventive measures for SOIs. Validity and reliability were ensured, and all ethical principles were adhered to. SPSS was used for the quantitative data analysis. Results: A total of 252 nursing students from the second to fourth years participated in this study. The average age of respondents was 24 years, with a minimum of 19 and maximum of 46 years; 211 (83.7%) of them were females. During their course 63 (25%) respondents experienced SOIs; only 42 (66.67%; N=63) of them reported the occurrence of an SOI, most (25 or 59.52%) reporting it to the professional nurse in charge. The highest occurrence of SOIs was reported by fourth-year students (26 respondents, 41.3%). It was found that 21 (33.3%) of SOIs were not reported, and the main reason for this was because there was little or no perception of associated risk (15, 71.43%). Forty-six (73.02%) respondents experienced a single SOI, while 11 (17.46%) had two SOIs, 4 (6.35%) reported having had three SOIs, and one each (1.59%) had more than four and more than ten SOIs. The activity causing most of the SOIs was administration of medication by injection (48 cases, 76.2%), and in most cases (57, 90.47%) the instruments causing injury were needles or hollow-bore needles. Most of the affected respondents squeezed the puncture site after the SOI (42, 66.7%), followed by washing the area with water and soap (40; 63.5%), and cleaning the site with antiseptic (15, 23.8%). Among those students exposed to SOIs, only 22 (52.4%) had undergone blood tests, and very few of them took post-exposure prophylaxis or treatment (16, 25.40%). The emotion that most of them felt after the SOI was fear (42, 66.7%), and the main reason for not getting treatment was fear of side effects (18, 38.29%). Also, only 61 (24.2%) respondents reported recapping needles after use, while most reported incomplete vaccination against hepatitis B (195, 77.38%). The main reason for not using personal protective equipment (PPE) was noted as the unavailability thereof at the institution (43, 49.4%). Conclusion: This study documented a low rate of reporting SOIs among nursing students. It is plain that there are inadequate levels of knowledge and practice related to SOI management among these students at a university in the Western Cape. One would imagine that because the majority of nursing students had a measure for the practice of universal precautions and used PPE, their management after exposure to SOIs during work training in hospital would be efficient. This was not the instance in this study, where application of these actions in their practical training was poor.

A research project submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master’s (Industrial/Organisational Psychology) in the Faculty of Humanities, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, March 2017 / A South African study, based on a sample of 208 medical personnel working in public and private institutions, was conducted in order to determine whether job demands and job resources led to differences in the propensity to comply with Needlestick Injury (NSI) intervention scores. Three self-report questionnaires were completed by the participants, namely the self-developed demographic questionnaire, the Job Demands-Resources Scale (JDRS) which measured job demands and resources, and thirdly the self-developed Propensity to Comply with Interventions for Needlestick Injuries Scale (PCINS) which measured the propensity to comply with interventions for NSIs. Accidental needle stick, as well as sharp, injuries occur frequently within the medical context and are associated with high risks for blood-borne infections (Adefolalu, 2014). Specifically within South Africa blood-borne infections such as HIV carry heavy significance. Needlestick injuries often go unreported by healthcare professionals, and these injuries are widely prevalent. The researcher aimed to explore the job demands and resources that contribute to and mitigate against these injuries. Therefore support for the analysis of job demands and resources and the propensity to comply with NSI interventions exists. The results of the study suggested that there were mostly no significant differences between Job Demands and Resources and the propensity to comply with NSI Interventions scores. However significant relationships were found between length of shift and the propensity to comply with NSI interventions and growth opportunities and the propensity to comply with NSI interventions. The findings did not follow the proposed hypotheses that job demands would lead to a decrease in the propensity to comply with NSI interventions and job resources would lead to an increase in the propensity to comply with NSI interventions as longer length of shift (job demand) led to an increase in propensity to comply with NSI interventions and an association between high levels of growth opportunity (job resource), and low levels of propensity to comply with NSI interventions, was found. / GR2018

Because of their relative inexperience in performing procedures and handling sharps devices, medical students and resident physicians are considered to be at high risk for sharps injuries. A higher rate of sharps injuries for medical trainees implies a higher risk for occupationally-acquired infection with bloodborne pathogens and may have financial and legal implications for training institutions. This study examines the prevalence of sharps injuries among US medical students and resident physicians. A systematic review of the literature yielded 10 studies that gave data on sharps injuries for US medical students or residents, and those data were combined with data from our institution to produce pooled prevalences. Results from our institution showed that residents had a significantly higher risk of sharps injuries than medical students. While sharps injuries increased with students' years of training, residents' rates decreased with increasing level of training. Resident rates were highest in the department of Surgery and lowest for Pediatrics. Comparing pooled prevalences of US trainees revealed that residents were 6 times more likely than medical students to have a sharps injury. This information can be used by training programs to inform changes in residency training curricula and infection control policies, as well as to forecast Worker's Compensation and long-term disability insurance coverage requirements. Medical training institutions must continue to provide opportunities for students and residents to perfect their procedural skills, but at the same time, trainees must be protected from the risk of sharps injuries and exposure to bloodborne pathogens.

Diss. (sammanfattning) Linköping : Linköpings universitet, 2004. / Härtill 4 uppsatser.

Submitted by Luciana Ferreira (lucgeral@gmail.com) on 2015-01-13T11:13:59Z No. of bitstreams: 2 license_rdf: 23148 bytes, checksum: 9da0b6dfac957114c6a7714714b86306 (MD5) Dissertação - Thaís de Arvelos Salgado - 2014.pdf: 1262659 bytes, checksum: f5f6c4703743d2bdb330aa4168a4b5f5 (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Luciana Ferreira (lucgeral@gmail.com) on 2015-01-13T11:14:52Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 2 license_rdf: 23148 bytes, checksum: 9da0b6dfac957114c6a7714714b86306 (MD5) Dissertação - Thaís de Arvelos Salgado - 2014.pdf: 1262659 bytes, checksum: f5f6c4703743d2bdb330aa4168a4b5f5 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2015-01-13T11:14:52Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 2 license_rdf: 23148 bytes, checksum: 9da0b6dfac957114c6a7714714b86306 (MD5) Dissertação - Thaís de Arvelos Salgado - 2014.pdf: 1262659 bytes, checksum: f5f6c4703743d2bdb330aa4168a4b5f5 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2014-08-15 / Conselho Nacional de Pesquisa e Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico - CNPq / Most recorded accidents with biological material are related to accidents in Health Care Facilities, which are considered unhealthy environments where the group with the highest exposure is professionals in the healthcare field. However, it should be understood that, any individual who passes through a healthcare facility is exposed to biological risk. The objectives of this study were: to identify the profile of victims of accidents with biological material, occurring in healthcare facilities among those with no presumed risk; to identify the frequency and profile of accidents in this group; to classify pre and post-exposure conduct in accidents with biological material in this group. This retrospective epidemiological study was conducted based on data from two service centers and accident reporting services: Hospital for Tropical Diseases in the State of Goias, Brazil, and the Center of Reference on Worker's Health (CEREST) in the city of Goiania. The two databases were linked. This study analyzed accidents reported by workers who were not trained in healthcare practice that had accidents with biological material inside the healthcare service independent of their professional duties. The study received approval in two Ethics Committee reports, the Hospital for Tropical Diseases, under protocol No. 033 / 2010, and by the IRB of the Hospital das Clinicas, Federal University of Goias, under protocol 414258/2013. There were 8,568 records of accidents with biological material recorded between 1989 and June 2012, 181 of these (2.1%) occurred in health services among those with no presumed risk. The highest frequency of accidents occurred among people between 20 and 29 years, female, and the most frequent occupation was the receptionist's office or lab, followed by administrative assistant. Needlestick accidents were most common (91.7 %) and involved a needle lumen, with higher incidence among females, and blood was the most common biological material. With regard to the circumstances of the accidents, most occurred due to inappropriate disposal of sharps, 20.1% referred to assistance activities such as recapping of needles, injections, or punctures, and material processing support procedures. Less than half of the subjects were vaccinated (49.7 %) against hepatitis B. The source patient was identified in 64 (35.6 %) cases, and of these, 43 (67.2 %) did not undergo serological testing. Post-exposure prophylaxis was recommended in 41 (22.6 %) and immunotherapy in 58 cases (32.0 %), and in 96 (53.0 %) cases completed, 74.0% indicated giving up clinical and laboratory monitoring. There were gaps in the data recorded in the notification forms, which reveals the need for professional training for the correct completion of notifications and active search for cases for follow-up. Data support the fact that healthcare facilities should have a organizational structure focused on resolution, prepared to provide care and / or refer the victim to postexposure prophylactic measures, since the office needs to be responsible for people who have accidents in their area, once the injured person, regardless of the employment relationship becomes a "victim of an accident with biological material" and in need of care, to minimize the risk of disease by taking proper preventive measures after the accident. / A maioria dos registros de acidente com material biológico é referente aos acidentes ocorridos nos Estabelecimentos Assistenciais de Saúde (EAS), que são ambientes considerados insalubres, onde o grupo de maior exposição são os profissionais da área da saúde. Entretanto compreende-se que qualquer indivíduo que transite pelos EAS está exposto ao risco biológico. Os objetivos deste estudo foram: identificar o perfil das vítimas de acidentes com material biológico ocorridos em Estabelecimentos de Assistência à Saúde entre pessoas sem risco presumido; identificar a frequência e o perfil dos acidentes nesse grupo; caracterizar as condutas pré e pós-exposição nos casos de acidentes com material biológico nesse grupo. Estudo epidemiológico retrospectivo, realizado com base de dados de duas instituições de atendimento e registro de acidente com material biológico do Estado de Goiás: Hospital de Doenças Tropicais (HDT), e o Centro de Referência em Saúde do Trabalhador (CEREST) regional de Goiânia. Foi realizado olinkage dos bancos de dados. Foram analisadas as fichas de registro de acidentes com pessoas sem risco presumido que se acidentaram com material biológico em um serviço de saúde independente do exercício profissional. O estudo foi aprovado em dois Comitês de Ética em Pesquisa, o do Hospital de Doenças Tropicais, sob o protocolo nº 033/2010 e do Hospital das Clínicas da Universidade Federal de Goiás, sob o protocolo 414258/2013. Totalizaram 8.568 registros de acidentes com MB registrados de 1989 a junho de 2012, desses 181 (2,1%) ocorreram em serviços de saúde com pessoas sem risco presumido. A maior frequência de acidentes ocorreu com pessoas de idade entre 20 e 29 anos, do sexo feminino e ocupação de recepcionista de consultório ou laboratório, seguida de auxiliar administrativo. Os acidentes foram predominantemente percutâneos (91,7%) e envolvendo agulha com lúmen com maior ocorrência entre o sexo feminino, e o sangue foi o material biológico mais presente. Entre as circunstâncias de acidente, o maior número ocorreu pelo descarte inadequado de perfurocortantes e 20,1% se referiam a atividades assistenciais, como reencape de agulha, injeções ou punções, processamento de material e auxílio em procedimento o que evidenciou uma relação dessas pessoas com os cuidados assistenciais. Menos da metade dos sujeitos era vacinada (49,7%) contra hepatite B. O paciente-fonte foi identificado em 64 (35,6%) casos, e desses, 43 (67,2%) não realizaram testes sorológicos. A profilaxia pós-exposição foi recomendada em 41 (22,6%) casos e a imunoprofilaxia em 58 (32,0%) e de 96 (53,0%) casos concluídos, 74,0% indicava abandono do acompanhamento clínicolaboratorial. Houve falha nos registros de dados nas fichas de notificação, o que revela a necessidade de capacitação dos profissionais para o correto preenchimento das notificações e busca ativa dos casos para o acompanhamento. Os dados apontam para o fato de que os EAS devem ter uma estrutura organizacional resolutiva, preparada para providenciar e/ou encaminhar o acidentado para as medidas profiláticas pós-exposição, pois o serviço deve se responsabilizar pelo indivíduo que se acidenta nos seus espaços físicos, uma vez a pessoa acidentada, independente do vínculo trabalhista passa à condição de “vítima de acidente com material biológico” e a carecer de cuidados para a minimização diminuição do risco de adoecimento pela adoção das medidas preventivas após o acidente.

Dissertation (Ph.D.)--University of South Florida, 2009. / Title from PDF of title page. Document formatted into pages; contains 224 pages. Includes vita. Includes bibliographical references.