Safe injection awareness and practices among nursing staff in an Egyptian and a Saudi hospital

BACKGROUND: Unsafe injection practices are an occupational hazard among the nursing staff. Awareness of nurses’ staff members about safe injection practices may vary between different hospitals according to the policies adopted for staff training and systematic auditing. AIM: To assess awareness and practice of safe injection among nursing staff in a Maternal and Child Hospital, Qassim Region, Saudi Arabia, and Beni-Suef University Hospital, Egypt. METHODS: A cross-sectional study using a structured questionnaire. Observations included 500 injections (250 from each hospital) from October to December 2017. RESULTS: The mean awareness total scores in both hospitals were 9.98 ± 1.76 and 11.12 ± 0.96 respectively with a significant difference among observed nurses (P = 0.001). The mean safe injection practice total score was 27.13 ± 3.11 and 27.39 ± 2.17. Past year safe injection training was received for 95% and 70% for observed Egyptian and Saudi group of nurses. The majority of nurses (98.8%) were aware of the importance of safe injection practices to minimize blood-borne diseases, and 95.2% of them were aware of the placement of sharps disposal box beside the place of injection procedure. Exposure to the past year needlestick injuries (NSIs) was higher among the observed Egyptian nurses (P = 0.001). Using appropriately stored and refilled disinfectants was done by 48.5% and 51.5% of the observed nurses. Needle separation from its syringe inside sharps disposal box and sharps disposal boxes near patient care areas were observed in 95.2% and 95.6% of both hospitals respectively. CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATION: Nurses of both hospitals have good awareness and practice of injection safety. This might be attributed to the adoption of appropriate training courses. There is a need for continuous training sessions and auditing for nursing staff to ensure safe injection practices.