Needle-stick and Sharps Injuries Among Health Care Workers in Wolaita Zone, Southern Ethiopia

Background: Needle-stick and Sharps injuries to health care workers constitute a major public health concern and the problem is more severe in low income setting. This study examines the magnitude of needle-sticks and sharps injuries and its associated factors among health care workers in Wolaita Zone, Southern Ethiopia.Methods: Institution based cross sectional study was conducted in February 2016. Health care workers (n=760) of various occupations were the study population. A cluster sampling technique was used. Self-administered questionnaire was used to collect the data. Data was entered into EPI info version 3.5.4 and exported into SPSS version 20.0 for analysis. Binary logistic regression model is used to identify factors associated with the outcome variable, and finally multivariate logistic regression model is used to identify independent predictors of the outcome, with statistical significance set at p<0.050 (95% confidence interval (CI)).Results: Three hundred and forty three (55.1%) health care workers were injured by needle-stick and sharps in the past one year. Occupation (AOR: 3.07; 95%CI: 1.80-5.25), and inconsistent wearing of gloves (AOR: 2.87; 95%CI: 2.00-4.12) were independent predictors of needle-stick and sharps injuries.Conclusion: The level of needle-stick and sharps injuries was high. All relevant stake holders in health need to provide training on prevention of needle-stick and sharps injuries to health care workers and ensure consistent wearing of gloves over their whole professional career. Keywords: Health care workers, Needle-stick and sharps injuries, Ethiopia