The Incidence of Needle Stick Injuries among Health Care Workers and its Economic Impact on a Tertiary Care Hospital in Kerala

The study emphasizes the incidence of needle stick injuries among Health care workers (HCWs) belonging to different job categories as well its economic impact on organization. The objectives of the study were 1. To assess the trend of needle stick injury among healthcare workers.2. To compare the distribution of needle stick injury among healthcare workers in different job categories.3. To estimate the related cost and forecasting for the probable loss due to needle stick injury among healthcare workers.4. To determine the effectiveness of strategy to reduce Needle stick injury among healthcare workers. Materials and Methods A purposive sampling technique was used to study the incidence of needle stick injuries among HCWs. Results The present study finding indicates a positive trend in needle stick injury. And it was forecasted that, approximate rate of 42 NSI events are expected by second half of the year 2015. Among all the healthcare workers, more incidence of needle stick injuries were reported among nurses. The estimated average amount per needle stick injury was found to be 2, 802.00. On forecasting the expenditure of the same in future, it was found that, by the Year 2015, the hospital will have to pay 2, 07, 348.00. A significant reduction (P less than0.05 at 95 % confidence level) was found in the number of NSI rates after implementation of the selected strategies. Interpretation and Conclusion The present study addresses the trend of high occurrence of NSI among HCWs and its economic impact on the organization