Abstract
Objective
To assess characteristics, incidence, risk factors, and reporting rate of needlestick
injuries (NSIs) among Obstetrics and Gynecology trainees.
Study design
We performed a nationwide cross-sectional survey study. The 40-items survey Obstetrics
Needlestick Injury Questionnaire (ONSI-Q) was used to investigate the prevalence of
NSIs, participant attitudes, associated factors, and the NSI reporting rate among
trainees in Obstetrics and Gynecology. The target responders were all trainees of
Obstetrics and Gynecology training programs in Italy. The trainees were invited between
September 2018 and December 2018 via a web-based platform.
Results
Among 1049 trainees, 1041 (99.2%) completed the survey. Out of 1041 trainees, 639
(61.4%) had at least one NSI, and 90.9% (581/639) experienced at least one during
obstetric surgery. The number of NSIs increased with the year of training, with 2.48
NSIs per trainee in the fifth year. 90.6% (579/639) reported details about the most
recent NSI, which was during obstetric surgery in 95.3% (552/579) of cases. 57.1%
(315/552) experienced the most recent NSI during cesarean section, which was mainly
inflicted by someone else (72.4%; 228/315). 42.9% (237/552) of NSIs were during perineal
suture, and 84% (199/237) of them were self-inflicted. 77.9% (417/535) of trainees
did not report the NSI. Associated factors were non-high-risk patients, self-inflicted
NSI, and the first NSI.
Conclusions
NSIs are frequent among Obstetrics and Gynecology trainees but not reported, and obstetric
surgery is the primary source. These data support the European efforts to improve
working practices' safety. The education about protective strategies and reporting
should be a priority.
Keywords
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Article info
Publication history
Published online: February 09, 2021
Accepted:
February 7,
2021
Received in revised form:
February 5,
2021
Received:
December 31,
2020
Identification
Copyright
© 2021 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
