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. 2017 Jan 24;59(1):63-73.
doi: 10.1539/joh.15-0253-FS. Epub 2016 Nov 22.

Incidence and characteristics of needlestick injuries among medical trainees at a community teaching hospital: A cross-sectional study

Ben Ouyang  1 , Lucy Dx Li, Joanne Mount, Alainna J Jamal, Lauren Berry, Carmine Simone, Marcus Law, Rw Melissa Tai
Affiliations

Incidence and characteristics of needlestick injuries among medical trainees at a community teaching hospital: A cross-sectional study

Ben Ouyang et al. J Occup Health. .

Abstract

Objectives: This field study aimed to determine the incidence and distribution of needlestick injuries among medical trainees at a community teaching hospital in Toronto, Canada.

Methods: The study was performed during the 2013-2015 academic years at Toronto East General Hospital (TEGH), a University of Toronto-affiliated community-teaching hospital during the 2013-2015 academic years. Eight-hundred and forty trainees, including medical students, residents, and post-graduate fellows, were identified and invited via email to participate in an anonymous online fluidsurveys.com survey of 16 qualitative and quantitative questions.

Results: Three-hundred and fifty trainees responded (42% response rate). Eighty-eight (25%) respondents reported experiencing at least one injury at TEGH. In total, our survey identified 195 total injuries. Surgical trainees were significantly more likely to incur injuries than non-surgical trainees (IRR = 3.03, 95% CI 1.80-5.10). Orthopaedic surgery trainees had the highest risk of a needlestick injury, being over 12 times more likely to be injured than emergency medicine trainees (IRR = 12.4, 95% CI 2.11-72.32). Only 28 of the 88 most recent needlestick injuries were reported to occupational health. Trainees reported a perception of insignificant risk, lack of resources and support for reporting, and injury stigmatization as reasons for not reporting needlestick injuries.

Conclusions: Needlestick injuries were a common underreported risk to medical trainees at TEGH. Future research should investigate strategies to reduce injury and improve reporting among the high-risk and reporting-averse trainees.

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Figures

Fig. 1.
Fig. 1.
Incidence rate ratios of needlestick injuries across specialties and normalized to orthopaedic surgery's incidence. The data were controlled for year, gender, and medical school alma mater. Gray boxes indicate surgical specialties. Error bars represent 95% confidence interval.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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