Document Type

Article

Publication Date

7-2024

Publisher

Oxford University Press

Source Publication

International Journal for Quality in Health Care

Source ISSN

1464-3677

Abstract

There are little data on sharps injuries among healthcare workers in West Africa despite the region’s high rate of hepatitis B and human immunodeficiency virus. The purpose of this study is to investigate healthcare workers’ history of sharps injuries in Liberia and Ghana. An electronic cross-sectional survey was conducted among healthcare workers in Liberia and Ghana from February to June 2022. A link to the survey was texted to participants through professional association membership lists, including nursing, midwifery, and physician assistant organizations in both Liberia and Ghana and a physician organization in Ghana only. Five hundred and nine participants reported an average of 1.8 injuries per year in Liberia and 1.1 in Ghana (P ≤ .01); 15.1% of healthcare workers reported three or more injuries in the past year. Liberia had a higher proportion of frequently injured workers (P = .01). Frequently injured workers were evenly distributed across worker types. Workers in this region are vulnerable to sharps injuries. A frequently injured subset of workers likely has distinctive risk factors and would benefit from further investigation and intervention.

Comments

Accepted version. International Journal for Quality in Health Care, Vol. 36, No. 3 (2024). DOI. This article is © 2024 The Authors, published by Oxford University Press. Used with permission.

Henry Duah was affiliated with the University of Cincinnati at the time of publication.

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