Occupational injuries with perforaring and sharp materials in hospitals in the city of Montes Claros-MG

Abstract

This is a descriptive and retrospective study with a quantitative approach that aims to describe and characterize occupational injuries with sharps and biological exposure among nurses in two hospitals of the city of Montes Claros from 2006 to 2007. The injuries had been reported through the Notification of Occupational Injuries and the notification forms of biological accidents of the Department of Hospital Infection Control. A total of 95 nurses had had accidents with sharp tools involving biological material: 69.5% were female; 88.4% were nursing assistants. Most accidents recorded (52.6%) happened in the wards with lumen needles (87.4%) when disposing objects (56.8%). Hand injuries were the most frequent (93%). The identification of the epidemiology of these accidents is essential in order to implement preventive actions to decrease the rate of occupational injuries among health professionals and, consequently, reduce the risk of contamination.